Where to See Fall Foliage This Weekend | 2026
Peak foliage is making its final stand along the New England coast, while late-turning oaks and golden tamaracks add fresh color. Our foliage expert shares where to find the best of autumn’s final show.
By Jim Salge|Oct 21 2026|
This weekend, look for the best color around Boston’s suburbs and the South Shore, throughout Rhode Island, and along the Connecticut coast.
Credit: Sean Pavone/ShutterstockOctober 23–25, 2026
The Map: Where to Find Fall Color This Weekend
The Forecast: How Is Weather Impacting Color?
The brightest fall colors in New England have now retreated toward the coast, and much of southern New England is moving past peak. But the season isn’t over yet! Autumn color is arriving in the backyards, parks, and neighborhoods of some of the region’s most populated areas. This weekend, look for the best color around Boston’s suburbs and the South Shore, throughout Rhode Island, and along the Connecticut coast.
Boston’s many trees are just beginning to show their autumn colors, while Rhode Island’s wooded trails around Exeter offer a quieter escape. Along the Connecticut coast, try East Rock Park in New Haven for sweeping views of the city and Long Island Sound, or explore the shoreline parks and historic villages of Guilford, Essex, and Old Saybrook. The Merritt Parkway also offers a scenic drive through Fairfield County, where wooded stretches and historic bridges make the journey part of the experience.
River valleys remain another good bet for lingering color. Western Massachusetts’s Pioneer Valley remains a beautiful destination, and following the Connecticut River south toward Long Island Sound offers plenty of chances to enjoy the changing landscape. Sheltered lowlands can hold color even after nearby hillsides have moved past peak.
Farther north, the maples may be fading, but the oaks are just getting started! Their rich russets, bronzes, and deep reds can create a glowing second peak. Look for this late-season color around New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, along the southern Maine coast and Mount Agamenticus, and in the forests surrounding Massachusetts’s Quabbin Reservoir.
Credit: Chris Whiton Photography/White Mountain Images
Keep an eye out for tamarack trees, too. Unlike most conifers, these trees turn a brilliant golden yellow before shedding their needles each fall. Found throughout northern New England, especially near bogs, ponds, and wetlands, their glowing branches offer one of autumn’s most unexpected displays.
On Cape Cod, the cranberry harvest brings another splash of seasonal color, with flooded bogs covered in floating carpets of deep red berries. Check local tours and harvest events before visiting. And with Halloween approaching, Salem remains a festive destination for pairing autumn scenery with spooky-season fun.
From coastal foliage and colorful river valleys to golden tamaracks, late-turning oaks, and cranberry bogs, there’s still plenty of autumn left to enjoy!
The Spotlight: Where to Go This Weekend?
For a beautiful late-season foliage outing, head to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Mount Auburn Cemetery. Established in 1831, this historic garden cemetery and arboretum is home to winding paths, peaceful ponds, and an extraordinary collection of trees that make it one of the Boston area’s best places to enjoy autumn color.
Credit: Shutterstock/Capt' Tom
Stroll the landscaped grounds, where maples, oaks, and other specimen trees offer a rich palette of reds, oranges, yellows, and russets. The diversity of trees means color can linger here even as surrounding woodlands move past peak. For a bird’s-eye view, climb Washington Tower and look out across the treetops toward Cambridge and the Boston skyline, weather and access permitting.
Afterward, explore nearby Harvard Square, with its shops, cafés, and historic streets. It’s an easy way to pair a colorful fall walk with lunch or an afternoon of exploring. Mount Auburn is a wonderful reminder that you don’t need to head to the mountains to find memorable autumn scenery.
Jim’s Tip of the Week
Go out at sunset! Oaks may not have the flashy colors of their maple counterparts, but they put on a beautiful show in the warm light of late afternoon. As the sun drops toward the horizon, its low rays can make oak-covered hillsides glow in rich shades of copper, bronze, and deep red. Find a spot overlooking a wooded hillside, quiet lake, or country road, and watch the colors come alive in the final minutes of daylight. It’s one of autumn’s most underrated displays.
October 16–18, 2026
The Map: Where to Find Fall Color This Weekend
Note: “Past peak” doesn’t mean the color is gone. Expect a landscape of oranges, yellows, and russet tones, with increasing leaf drop.
The Forecast: How is Weather Impacting Color?
What a foliage season it has been! After weeks of brilliant color across the mountains and northern reaches of New England, peak foliage is now moving south toward the region’s population centers, bringing the show closer to home for millions of residents. And just as the season shifts south, snow is in the forecast for the mountains—a reminder that autumn is moving along, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get outside and enjoy it.
Most of the mountains across northern New England will be past peak this week, including the highest elevations of the Berkshires. The exceptions are sheltered river valleys and lake basins, where color can linger longer. As the higher slopes fade toward rusty yellows and the bare branches of stick season, lower and coastal mountain ranges are coming into their own. New Hampshire’s Squam and Belknap ranges should be particularly rewarding, while Mount Philo in Vermont offers sweeping views over Lake Champlain. Farther south, it may still be a little early for the best color around Mount Tom and the Holyoke Range in Massachusetts, but both offer great hikes and rewarding views.
The Maine coast is another excellent option this week, with Acadia now reaching peak. Farther south, Camden marks an interesting transition in the foliage season: Landscapes to the north should be near peak, while oak-dominated forests to the south may need another week to develop their richest autumn color.
Connecticut’s two northern corners are also entering their prime. In the northwest, the Litchfield Hills around Salisbury, Canaan, Kent, and Cornwall offer scenic drives through wooded hillsides and river valleys, with covered bridges and classic small towns along the way. In the northeast, the Quiet Corner around Woodstock, Pomfret, and Route 169 delivers rolling countryside, farms, forests, and historic villages. Both regions are excellent choices for a foliage drive or a day of exploring.
As always, elevation and geography will determine exactly where the best color is found. High ridges may already be past peak while nearby valleys remain vibrant, and lakes and rivers offer colorful reflections alongside lower-elevation forests still coming into their own. The season is no longer concentrated in the northern mountains—it’s spreading into the places where more of us live, work, and spend our autumn weekends. The show is far from over!
Credit: Mark Fleming
The Spotlight: Where to Go This Weekend?
Camden is a bright choice this weekend, sitting at the transition between two stages of Maine’s foliage season. North of town, much of the coast is approaching, or at peak, while farther south, oak-dominated forests still need a little more time to develop their richest autumn color. That makes Camden an ideal base for exploring the coast as the season moves into its next phase.
For one of the region’s best views, head to Camden Hills State Park and Mount Battie, where sweeping vistas take in Camden Harbor, Penobscot Bay, and the islands scattered offshore. On a clear day, the contrast between colorful hillsides and the deep blue Atlantic is spectacular. You can hike to the summit or take the park’s auto road for an easier route to the view.
For a longer outing, Mount Megunticook offers a wooded climb through the Camden Hills with rewarding viewpoints along the way. Back in town, Camden’s harbor and walkable downtown are perfect for browsing shops, grabbing a meal, or simply watching the boats come and go.
With peak color arriving along this stretch of coast, Camden offers the best of both worlds: classic Maine foliage in the hills and a beautiful coastal setting just minutes away.
Looking for general fall fun? Check out 8 Great Things to Do in New England This Fall Weekend for Yankee editor-endorsed events, activities, drives, hikes, eats, hidden gems, and more.
Jim’s Tip of the Week
Follow the foliage downhill. The highest mountains may be past peak, but the season is far from over. Lower hills, lake basins, and river valleys often hold their color longer in the north, while coastal areas and southern New England are still coming into their own. If your favorite mountain destination has turned rusty, try a lower elevation or head toward the coast. There’s still plenty of autumn color to enjoy along Lake Champlain; the Connecticut, Androscoggin, and Saco river valleys; and around Lake Winnipesaukee, Squam Lake, Sebago Lake, and the Quabbin Reservoir.
October 9–11, 2026
The Map: Where to Find Fall Color This Weekend
Note: High winds Monday through Wednesday will likely strip some color from the higher slopes of Vermont’s Green Mountains and New Hampshire’s White Mountains.
The Forecast: How is Weather Impacting Color?
Well, last weekend was spectacular! Stunning colors have captivated leaf peepers across the far north for the past two weeks, and now we’ve finally arrived at what is, for many, the big three-day weekend.
As we head into the holiday (Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day), there are two big questions. First, how long can the color hold in areas that have already reached peak? Northern New England is glowing right now, with spectacular color across Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, New Hampshire’s northern White Mountains and Great North Woods, and parts of western Maine. Vermont’s Green Mountains were the surprise of the past week. We called for near-peak conditions, but many locations along the spine were already at peak by Sunday, with webcams at Killington and Mount Snow in central and southern Vermont glowing with color.
Credit: Ryan Zipp
In the places that turned first, the color has held beautifully for a week or more. But with some wind and even high-elevation snow earlier this week, followed by another glorious stretch of sunshine and cool nights, some of those northern areas will definitely begin moving past peak. That doesn’t mean the color disappears. Instead, expect more yellow and rust tones, along with more bare branches beginning to show.
The second question is how quickly the next areas will turn as the wave of peak color spreads southward, downhill, and toward the coast. This variation is creating a remarkably complicated foliage map right now. Back in New Hampshire, the notches of the White Mountains are especially good examples. Their steep walls create enormous gradients, with northern areas and upper slopes often well ahead of the southern valleys below. Last weekend, the southern ends of Crawford, Pinkham, and Evans notches showed huge variations, ranging from nearly peak to surprisingly green around North Conway.
The same is true in our river valleys and the broad basins surrounding the big lakes, which often stay greener longer because they are lower, more sheltered, and hold onto heat at night. Local weather patterns can delay the overall progression compared with the surrounding hillsides, creating those wonderful autumn landscapes where brilliant hills rise above a patchwork of green and yellow, with strong red maples scattered along the water.
The good news is that the season is moving south, which should bring great color to new areas this weekend. The biggest shift in foliage travel should be toward New Hampshire’s Monadnock Region, with Peterborough and Keene looking like strong choices, and the Berkshires of Massachusetts, including North Adams, Mount Greylock, and surrounding towns. Both regions pair promising color with small towns that offer that classic New England fall atmosphere.
Meanwhile, satellite imagery and travel reports still showed plenty of green last weekend around Burlington and Woodstock, Vermont; Conway and Wolfeboro, New Hampshire; Sebago, Acadia, and Portland, Maine; and the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts. Those areas should begin filling in quickly during the long weekend. Baxter State Park and the surrounding northern Maine woods should still hold plenty of beautiful color, while the northern corners of Connecticut will begin joining the show. Along the coast, it is still a little early for widespread peak color, although the first patches should be eye-catching.
In short, you really can’t go wrong this weekend. Some of the places producing spectacular photographs right now may be past their absolute peak by the holiday, but an expanding area of excellent foliage will be developing farther south. The big weekend rarely disappoints, and this year looks to be no exception.
The Spotlight: Where to Go This Weekend?
North Adams, Massachusetts, is our pick for the long weekend, as the northern Berkshires head into what should be one of their most colorful stretches of the season. Surrounded by mountains, the city makes a great base for exploring the fall landscape, with plenty to see and do between scenic drives.
Start with the Mohawk Trail along Route 2, where mountain views and colorful hillsides make for a classic Berkshires drive. The Hairpin Turn above North Adams is an easy stop for a sweeping look across the valley, while nearby Mount Greylock offers higher-elevation scenery and expansive views across the region.
Galleries, restaurants, and cafés offer plenty of reasons to linger in North Adams. MASS MoCA is the centerpiece, making it easy to pair a morning or afternoon of leaf-peeping with one of New England’s most distinctive arts destinations.
Looking for general fall fun? Check out 8 Great Things to Do in New England This Fall Weekend for Yankee editor-endorsed events, activities, drives, hikes, eats, hidden gems, and more.
Jim’s Tip of the Week
Get up and go early. The foliage has been spectacular, but so has the traffic. If you’re heading out for a scenic drive this weekend, get your leaf peeping done early in the day, then spend the afternoon on foot. Find a farm, hike a trail, explore a small downtown, or settle into a café. You’ll see plenty of beautiful foliage, and you’ll enjoy it a lot more if you’re not sitting in traffic.
October 2–4, 2026
The Map: Where to Find Fall Color This Weekend
The Forecast: How Is Weather Impacting Color?
Peak colors have finally arrived, and the most striking feature this year has been the abundance of brilliant red. From the northern White Mountains to Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and Maine’s Allagash region, the hillsides are glowing. But don’t let those bright colors fool you into thinking the season is rushing by. Much of the forest is still green, so plenty of color is still to come.
The best colors are currently being reported in New Hampshire’s Zealand area, Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, and northern Maine. Peak color should continue expanding southward as the rest of the forest joins the red maples already leading the way in swamps and wetlands. We’re hoping those reds remain just as dominant as the season moves farther south and toward the coast.
This week’s rain and cloudy skies should help push the leaves into their next stage of color, while returning sunshine and warmer temperatures toward the end of the week should make the foliage really pop. The only places where we may begin to see leaves falling from last weekend’s storm are at the highest elevations.
The mountain notches are showing the classic elevation gradient. In New Hampshire’s Pinkham Notch, Wildcat Mountain (and ski area) is about halfway to peak, while nearby Attitash Mountain Resort’s ski trails remain much greener. The western side of the Kancamagus Highway, through the central part of the White Mountain National Forest, is considerably further along than the eastern side. Meanwhile, in Vermont, Smugglers’ Notch is further along than Stowe.
This variety is good news for anyone planning a foliage trip. With peak color spreading right on schedule, the next couple of weeks should offer excellent leaf-peeping opportunities across New England.
The Spotlight: Where to Go This Weekend?
Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, is our pick this weekend for a classic New England foliage experience. Centrally located in the White Mountains, the town offers beautiful views in nearly every direction and sits right along the progression of color moving southward from the northern mountains.
No visit to Sugar Hill is complete without a stop at Polly’s Pancake Parlor. The longtime breakfast destination has become part of the region’s foliage tradition, making it a particularly fitting stop during peak season. But we highlight Polly’s for more than its food: The restaurant has a remarkable commitment to citizen science, with foliage records spanning the past 50 years.
There are plenty of scenic roads and viewpoints around town, while nearby trails offer opportunities to get into the woods. For water views, however, note that Coffin Pond is currently drained. Pearl Lake offers a good alternative for reflections and autumn scenery.
Jim’s Tip of the Week
Don’t panic when you see the brightest photos from up north. The reds are exceptionally vivid this year, making some hillsides look closer to peak than they really are. With plenty of green still in the forest, color is still filling in and expanding southward, so there’s no need to rush.
September 25–27, 2026
The Map: Where to Find Fall Color This Weekend
The Forecast: How is Weather Impacting Color?
The last weekend of September is bringing the first real taste of peak color to pockets in the far north and higher elevations of New England. A drive across New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway last weekend found brilliant reds developing right on schedule, with especially vibrant color at higher elevations. The lower elevations, particularly on the eastern side of the Kanc, remain noticeably greener. Recent sunshine, combined with several cool mornings and even some frost, has accelerated the season, and the week ahead should keep pushing color along in northern New England. The same pattern is emerging in Vermont at Smugglers’ Notch, where higher slopes are beginning to show plenty of red while greener hues linger below.
Credit: Jim Salge
As the calendar turns to autumn, chilly nights and cool mornings are now expected throughout the week. This will encourage color and should bring many of the northern mountains and high valleys closer to peak by the weekend. Terrain will still matter, however. While our map may show broad blocks of color, the actual landscape will initially be patchy. River valleys generally turn later, while higher hillsides and cool mountain valleys can be several days ahead.
Credit: Jim Salge
Southern New England remains largely green with pops of color in swamps and ledges. Along the Maine and Massachusetts coasts, however, drought stress remains a concern, with some trees already showing signs of the recent prolonged heat. Some rainfall relief could arrive this week, particularly if the developing coastal storm reaches the region before the weekend.
For now, we’re still anticipating a long and beautiful season. The early reds have been exceptionally bright, and we’re hoping that trend continues!
The Spotlight: Where to Go This Weekend?
Vermont’s Groton State Forest is our pick for its mix of elevation and cool mountain valleys. It encompasses more than 26,000 acres and many lakes and ponds, with numerous hiking trails and opportunities for paddling. A hike up Owl’s Head is the most popular, while Kettle Pond and Osmore Pond are quieter areas to walk through the forest. The Kettle Pond Loop is an easy way to combine a hike with water views. For paddlers, the forest’s many ponds provide a wonderful way to experience the foliage from the water, with calm autumn mornings reflecting the surrounding hardwoods. Leaf peepers can also make the forest part of a larger Northeast Kingdom visit, stopping in nearby Groton, Peacham, and Cabot, or continuing toward St. Johnsbury or Montpelier.
Looking for general fall fun? Check out 8 Great Things to Do in New England This Fall Weekend for Yankee editor-endorsed events, activities, drives, hikes, eats, hidden gems, and more.
Jim’s Tip of the Week
Don’t chase the map, chase the terrain! Our map may show broad blocks of color, but foliage rarely arrives that uniformly, especially early on. A few hundred feet, a change in aspect, or a sheltered valley or basin can make a surprising difference. If things look too green where you are, keep exploring. The best color may be just up the road, around a corner, or a little higher in the hills.
September 18–20, 2026
The Map: Where to Find Fall Color This Weekend
The Forecast: How is Weather Impacting Color?
Now that the first pops of autumn color are emerging, we’re gaining a clearer picture of how this fall foliage season may play out. The earliest peak color is still over a week away, but changes are generally following the schedule we laid out in our initial outlook in August. To review: we still anticipate a season that is on time in northern New England, a bit late in southern New England, and overall bright in color.
The biggest change from the initial outlook is an extension of the drought conditions, specifically into the coastal areas of New England. As anticipated, the weather has remained relatively warm, and while rainfall has fallen inland, the coastlines are in a very dry stretch. A notable number of trees are showing signs of stress in these areas, with birches on exposed, rocky ledges and well-drained soil sites reacting more quickly. These areas of concern follow the Maine coast down to Cape Cod, extending to more urban areas near Boston, where rainfall isn’t as readily absorbed. We may see a shorter season in these areas, whereas the rest of the region should be bright and long-lasting.
Credit: Jim Salge
Credit: Courtesy of U.S. Drought Monitor
A cold night in the mountains last Saturday provided the first real push toward autumn, and another round of colder nights later this week should accelerate the process considerably. With that change, expect the first substantial increase in color over the coming days. Though still largely green, pops of color on the hillsides and widespread autumn colors in wetlands across New England are the draw for the coming weekend.
The Spotlight: Where to Go This Weekend?
This weekend, visitors in search of color should focus on the environments that traditionally experience the earliest fall foliage: wetlands, areas of high elevation, and the most northerly zones. In the White Mountains, a drive up the Mt. Washington Auto Road would be splendid, as would a trip to Quincy Bog.
Looking for general fall fun? Check out 8 Great Things to Do in New England This Fall Weekend for Yankee editor-endorsed events, activities, drives, hikes, eats, hidden gems, and more.
Jim’s Tip of the Week
Don’t put the boat away yet. This will be a great weekend to go paddling through some of the wetlands and see some of the swamp maples that have been ablaze since mid-August.
When will the next report be posted?
Hi Jennifer. This post is updated on Thursday afternoon. We’ve just added this weekend’s picks!
Hi, what time on Thursday does it come out? Eagerly awaiting so we can make plans!
Hi there! Since this year’s fall foliage has now passed its peak, the series has ended. We published our final 2020 foliage forecast last week. Wishing you a wonderful late fall season (and we’ll see you next year)!
To the reader looking for fall colors this weekend, there should still be a lot of color at this time in Connecticut, RI, and eastern Mass. Take the small hwys and get lost in the beauty of fall! Hopefully the wind doesn’t take all the leaves down.
You recommended Stowe, Vermont. I was through there on Wed Oct 2 and the village was in gridlock due to construction on the main street through the village. The southbound lane of Vermont 100 through the village was closed requiring a detour around the central part of the village and traffic was heavy, requiring 10-15 minutes to get through the village.
If you go to Lee, have breakfast at Pleasant and Main in Housatonic just nearby ! ????
I absolutely want to come back to live here. Was here 21 years, and I miss it so much. I am here for two weeks and the colors are magnificent. No other state compares. Brilliant colors, temperature nice and cool…. love it!
Comprehensive and informative. Every year the write-up is better than the last. Well done.
This is SUCH an outstanding article and service- Beautifully and thoughtfully composed! Made a valiant effort to get there from Kansas this Fall, but betwixt complicated travel arrangements and Covid uptick it just wasn’t feasible. HOWEVER, your emails and magazine keep my HEART close to New England and am still bound and determined to get there! Thank you so much for your ongoing augmentation of my appetite to learn more about your part of our amazing country!!
My favorite time of year…nothing compares to the beautiful foliage in New England, especially in Vermont…thanks for your articles and scenic pictures!!
My daughter shared a picture of Lake Willoughby last week that was simply stunning! I’m glad, too, that you mentioned the subtle beauty of past-peak foliage. I thought I was the only person who felt that way.
Hello! We are flying to Boston this Thursday, Oct 21st and still deciding where from there. Would like to see fall foliage and I am glad I found your article! Where is best to see foliage this weekend? I appreciate your input.
I am interested as well!
Just returned from White Mt area after spending last five days exploring foliage. Best was Rt. 302 between Bartlett and Twin Mt. Be aware of roadwork just before Crawford Notch, as they are skim coating road both ways(one lane traffic with flagmen at both ends). Traffic very light as compared to previous years. Stayed in Lincoln and got a seat at Woodstock Inn every time we stopped in to sample their great beers and generous portions of food. Got home before this weekends rains arrive! Casual ride home on back roads of NH causes little stress and was quite enjoyable. A stop in Windsor, VT for a cold one at Harpoon didn’t hurt either.
On the weekend of 7 OCT, we went to Peterborough, New Hampshire as per the recommendation in the article. This is a great town to visit anytime and burgers at the Peterborough Diner were awesome. However, we could not see any leaf colors. May be due to the weather its hard to predict this year.
What an excellent post! It is a delight to read your insightful analysis presented in an interesting way. This article taught me a lot, and I will be using it again and again. Your expertise is much appreciated.