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Is New England fall foliage a mystery?  The mystery is more about putting the when with the where and finding yourself viewing peak fall foliage!

We know why the colors change, chlorophyll production is stopped when the days grow shorter and the red, orange, and yellows that were there all along, are now revealed, so where is the mystery?

Peak rarely happens when and where even I think it should be. It’s seemingly by magic that you come around a bend in the road, and both sides of the road and the hills rising beyond the roadside, are all full of fall colors.

I can’t guarantee that you will find the peak, but below you will find my guidance on taking the mystery out of the guesswork.

Solving the mystery of that elusive “Peak“

Peak fall foliage is subjective at best, so I’m not going to force you to accept my definition…  So let’s just say, the best way to ensure that you find great autumn colors, is with a little bit of luck and a good sense of where your best opportunities are.

I have been driving the roads of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine (maybe I should just say New England to shorten it) for years, hoping to find peak fall foliage.   Let’s just say it’s like trying to time the stock market (something financial experts tell us not to do)

**SO**

If you are hoping to come to New England on a Friday night and leave on Monday expecting to find everywhere you go, all the tree-covered hillsides are ablaze in New England fall foliage colors of red, gold, and orange, then prepare for disappointment.  This “mythical” weekend is probably NOT going to happen. What you should hope for is to find (hopefully) Good color, maybe some great color, and a spot or two of PEAK color.

If you want the best odds of finding at least some peak foliage… Then read on, my leaf peeper…

Your best chance for a single weekend of color…
Your best chance lies in both good timing and a location that is centrally located. Being near to peak is best and you will spend the day driving into and OUT of the best color during the day. There is a good reason why Columbus Day weekend (CDW) is so packed with the highways jammed with leaf-peepers craning their heads out the windows of their cars looking for the elusive peak colors that have been hyped by every book, newspaper, and TV broadcaster.

CDW is “usually when a very wide swath of New England countryside is turning or has turned to these incredible fall colors. This doesn’t mean to avoid the traffic you couldn’t arrive a few days before or a week after CDW and you will still find, good, great, or even “peak” fall color.

If you plan to be here early in September just to avoid the crowds, this means just that… ***You Are Early***. Not once in my years, have I found peak color in September. Arriving after CDW means less traffic, but the bright fall colors might be just a little less bright but in my experience, it’s no less enjoyable.

You can be up in Pinkham Notch (route 16) in NH (a beautiful place to be, BTW) and the color will be fantastic.  Now you travel a short nine miles, south to Jackson NH (junction of Route 16 & 16A) and the color will be so-so. This change from peak fall colors to green leaves can happen within a mile or even around the next bend in the road, so what are you to do?

Here are some ideas for bagging the prize, “Peak fall foliage“

First, if you already have reservations for one weekend, then make the best of it. Remember, in most years, the earlier you arrive, the further North you need to plan to travel. If you arrive for the 3rd week in September, this usually equates to “limited color”, the last week of Sept equals better fall color but “rarely” peak, 1st week of Oct equals good chances for really good solid AND occasional peak color… BUT! it depends on where you go.

Second, (location directs the dates)
If you travel between 25 Sept and 4 October you will want to be north of Barre Vermont and/or north of Woodstock New Hampshire (this is a different Woodstock than the other Woodstock in Vermont), and generally north of Rangeley Maine. Will you find the fall color south of that? Sure, but for those dates, much of it will still be further north. If you choose to come the 3rd week in October then don’t plan on the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Plan on Massachusetts, or Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Third, Don’t try for three or more states in a day, or even a weekend! (also depends on how long you are staying). Pick a state and a single location for a few days to explore. Also, pick a place to stay that you can both afford and be comfortable in. Check the app on my Thrifty Lodging Page. Or click the affiliate links for Hotels.com/Vrbo on the sidebar to check for good deals.

Finally, Relax! Yup, relax… How many vacations do you come home and now you need a vacation from your vacation? Well if you do this right, pick a reasonable set of dates, then pick a good relaxing place to stay, and finally, just get out of the car and explore the area.  This last part is of major importance!  Don’t spend an entire weekend in the car driving around like a chicken with its head cut off looking for a “Peak”. (that is my job!!!)

Extra hint: Take a good map book (check my Planning tools page for gazetteers of each state and more! ) with you and you’ll find the history and covered bridges and little points of interest that will result in a very special set of memories.

If you don’t know why I keep harping about having gazetteers whenever I travel, please continue to read about why…

They have an incredible wealth of detail, it’s the perfect companion for exploring the New England outdoors. Extensively indexed, full-color topographic maps provide information on everything from cities and towns to historic sites, scenic drives, trailheads, boat ramps, and even prime fishing spots. They have 60 or more map pages, the Atlas & Gazetteer is your most comprehensive navigational guide to New England.

The Full-color topographic maps provide information on everything from cities and towns to historic sites and scenic drives. They have extensively indexed latitude/longitude overlay grids for each map which allows you to navigate with GPS. Dimensions: 15.5″ x 11″.

Read about some of the tools to help you search for fall colors in this article.

 The Real Mystery of Fall Foliage

Science explains the change of colors to us but where science seems to fall short is the magic of the colors. Why do we react to the colors the way we do?  Is this part of our ancestor’s heritage of being mystified by the natural world? Or is it just something as simple as the more complicated our lives get, the more we enjoy the colors and, the simpler pleasures?

Science also fails to fully explain why one sugar maple is a scarlet red and the one right next to it is orange and yellow. Why one year a tree is orange and the next it’s yellow?

Maybe the fall foliage mystery isn’t such a mystery after all. Maybe we just like the surprise of what we’ll find over the next bend in the road.  We’re thrilled to take that turn only to see rows of multi-hued trees stretch off into the distance.

Some years the tree in your yard is the same red color and then one year something changes and the tree is a bright golden yellow.  Science would explain it as a shift in nutrients or maybe it was drier than normal. To me, it’s merely a gift to keep us wondering.

Jeff Foliage Folger

Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage

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