How Early Will You Find Peak Fall Foliage in New England?
Marketing Fall Foliage
I recently researched a Google search result from a Vermont vacation website saying “Visit Vermont during peak fall foliage in early to mid-Sept!” If you are an experienced leaf peeper then you will know that (real) leaf peeping doesn’t really begin until after the 20 or 25th of Sept.
Marketers want visitors to come up outside the best times to increase profits. Before the 20th Of Sept, most hardcore leaf peepers will most likely be disappointed.
We can’t really blame them, everyone wants to survive. If you show up early because you were told this, or those are simply the only dates you are able to come, you will find a lot of beautiful countryside to see, little towns to explore, and great New England food to eat! I try to support the New England small businesses that rely on your vacation dollars to make it through the winter. Heck, even the folks in the Smokey Mountain area and Pennsylvania are vying for your fall foliage vacation dollars, but we all know New England is the best! : )
I want you to know that I don’t answer to any state tourism department so I will always try to give you the most accurate and honest info I can.
So, Is There EVER… Early Peak Fall Foliage Color?
I will say that I have never gone far enough North to find real “Peak” fall color in September but I’ve found a few spots that were pretty close. The above image was an early year to start with but still nowhere near peak fall color.
[*note* read this next section carefully]
This is a rewrite to say that in 2020 we had peak fall color around the 27th of September. I was finding some pretty decent colors on the 20th of September.
So can we get peak fall color in September? yes, we can. Should we expect it? No, we should not. As you read on you will find that last Sept fall colors were quite wonderful, but even though they were well ahead of a “normal” year. Please continue reading to see what Lisa and I found on a single day in September of the previous year.
For the real peak fall colors to arrive in Sept, we need just the right combination of bright sunny days and cold evening temps to get the colors to ramp up and give us peak fall colors in September.
What to expect for Early Fall color on 25 Sept
Please notice I did not say “Peak fall color“… (as noted above it can happen)
I will be the first to acknowledge that you may find/good/above-average fall colors by this date. But in most areas, “Peak” or what some people perceive as peak, fall foliage is yet to come. You will find your best results in places like the northern Vermont region known as the North East Kingdom (NEK), New Hampshire’s First Connecticut Lake area in NH, and northern Maine like Greenville, or up towards Katahdin National Park. It would be very unusual to find many areas of peak fall foliage by the 25th Sept in more southern areas.
Should we change our expectations?
If you take your expectations down a notch or two in mid to late September, then you “should” have a great visit. The weather should be very pleasant, and there are a ton of places to explore. All through New England, you will find miles of trails, and the little towns are just as beautiful as in Oct, just less crowded. The gondola rides, the little shops, and the amazing New England food are still there, too.
So enjoy that solitary walk up to Owls Head Mountain and a view of Kettle Pond.
Fall Foliage I found on a 25 Sept
The following fall foliage images were all taken on 25 Sept (on one single day in 2010!) we drove up into northern New Hampshire to check out some favorite spots near Sugar Hill New Hampshire. We traveled along
*Note* if we had traveled into the 1st Connecticut Lake area it might have been an entirely different story. But that would have been 1-2 hours further North. To be honest this area where I selected is our favorite and from what I hear that is the same for you. So to find something closer to “Peak Fall Foliage” on the 25th of Sept you would have to hit the Canadian border.
Were the fall colors we found good enough?
This is the question I always ask myself. Good enough for who? How do I decide? Since I can’t answer that accurately, then I will be more general and try to paint a broad picture of the fall colors…
Lisa and I know this. For someone who has never seen the fall colors in New England, just a single tree in scarlet red or orange and yellow means their trip was successful. So they can come in mid-September and be very happy. But for many leaf peeper who has a few years under their belt, I have to wonder, when are the fall colors good enough for them?
25 Sept, what did we find?
After driving over Route 112 and stopping at Beaver Pond (as seen above) the light was not helping my mood so Lisa and I stopped at Polly’s Pancake Parlor. As we looked out the window, across the street, we could see a white horse in the field surrounded by various shades of red, orange, and gold.
This isn’t to say that all the trees had fully changed (or peak fall color) but the kaleidoscope of colors was very nice. It still wasn’t peak, but is this good enough? There were many trees that were just beginning to change their fall foliage colors. Maybe it’s the same for you as it is for me. The thrill of the chase and the perchance to find an entire hillside covered in fall colors (and maybe a red barn in the foreground) are what make me happy. 🙂
Bath New Hampshire and the Bath Covered Bridge.
We drove From Sugar Hill, down Route 302, and over Route 10 towards Vermont. We stopped to visit Bath New Hampshire and the Bath Covered Bridge. The colors in that area were just beginning to turn with hints of orange up and down the river (but still at least a week or more away). (Note) this was the day after a big rain/windstorm had come through taking any of the turned leaves off the trees.
This weather pattern would affect us for the next two weeks with the peak leaves being taken off the trees and having to wait for all the green leaves to put out their fall colors (again). We found our way from New Hampshire into Vermont and most of the hillsides were sparsely dotted with color. (Nice but not peak)
The weather is our worst enemy
The two biggest problems we were facing that year were a Nor’easter weather pattern, and the temperatures had also not really gotten cold yet. The daytime temperatures hovered in the 70s and in the evenings they weren’t nearly cold enough to kick-start the fall foliage color change.
We found no peak fall colors until we were near Groton State Park. Here every turn teased us with a view of “near” peak autumn color but disappeared as soon as we rounded the next bend.
Near Peak, Groton State Park Vermont & Seyon Lodge State Park, Noyes Pond
Lisa and I stayed on 302 skipping the direct route into Groton State Forest, which I’m sure would be a very good drive any time of year and we instead took Seyon Pond Road which takes you into Seyon Lodge State Park and Noyes Pond.
It was late in the afternoon and the sky was pretty cloudy, but the sun was peeking through and I was hoping that I could wait and the sun would illuminate the hillsides above the pond. After waiting for almost an hour with the sun and clouds playing leapfrog in the sky with the sun there was a sunbeam on a hill beyond the near hills above the pond, so I’m going to have to make do with this.
Of course, by looking at my pictures that I’ve posted here, you may say, I found wonderful color. So the peak was (maybe) found on 25 Sept., but what you have to remember is that I took over a hundred pictures that day and I only came away with a few that I found satisfactory. (*Note in 2018 we stopped in on 5 Oct and the color was much better)
Another thing that you have to keep in mind is that the New England fall foliage started a bit early this particular year. I had been receiving foliage reports from photographer friends in Vermont and New Hampshire who were finding early fall color about mid-September in Vermont. I also need to point out that they weren’t finding saturated peak color that early but they were finding random trees that were turning earlier than the past five years.
The downsides of having early peak color or a slow burn season
In 2010 we received three hard rain/wind storms during the last week of September and the first week of October that hit about 5-7 days apart. This is the most devastating hazard that Mother Nature can send our way (short of a hurricane).
Windstorms are the last things that we want to see as leaf peepers, and these were spaced such that those trees that had turned and were at peak fall colors had their turned leaves pulled off, leaving only those leaves that were green.
(Foliage reminder) So the longer it takes for the fall colors take to arrive and develop, the greater the chances for a storm to come through and take away the ones that have already turned.
This article covered just the 25th of September 2010 and a little portion of that day’s journey that we made.
Jeff Foliage Folger
Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage
Looks like it is going to be a warm fall, pushing off those colors:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/wsi-hot-summer-very-warm-fall_2011-07-25
Hi Sam, well that could put a crimp in our fall foliage… Hmmm Um Sam, How often are the weathermen where you are from 100% on in their forecasts? 🙂 I will keep a positive outlook but I will keep the Weather Channel’s forecast in the back of my mind… The effect of this will slow down the progression of colors and they won’t pop as much as other years unless the temps drop into the 40s at night.. (even the upper 30s are needed but no frost)…. One thing they noted is that all the really warm temps will be in the mid section of the country and it really depends on what the jet stream does and if it pushes south a little then we should be good.
I really appreciate the point out and I hope to hear from you again…
Looks like it is going to be a warm fall, pushing off those colors:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/wsi-hot-summer-very-warm-fall_2011-07-25
Hi Sam, well that could put a crimp in our fall foliage… Hmmm Um Sam, How often are the weathermen where you are from 100% on in their forecasts? 🙂 I will keep a positive outlook but I will keep the Weather Channel’s forecast in the back of my mind… The effect of this will slow down the progression of colors and they won’t pop as much as other years unless the temps drop into the 40s at night.. (even the upper 30s are needed but no frost)…. One thing they noted is that all the really warm temps will be in the mid section of the country and it really depends on what the jet stream does and if it pushes south a little then we should be good.
I really appreciate the point out and I hope to hear from you again…
I knew I should have caveated my statement with “But when are weathermen ever correct?”
Let’s hope for those cool nights and calm days….
Amen to that!!! cool nights and warm days are the ticket… Are you in the area here or are you going to be traveling in from out of state? If so what are your fall foliage plans for 2011?
I am sort of in the area, upstate NY. I will be traveling to the area this fall. Not sure of the plans quite yet. Probably the Waterbury, VT area. I will also be up in the Adirondack area (since it is really close) checking out all the trees have to offer.
Nothing wrong with the upstate NY area for fall foliage.. I even have a shot from route 2 on the NY side just west of North Adams that is very nice and a few years ago we came down the NY side from Fort Ticonderoga and as we got to the bottom of Lake Champlain I came to a pull out and the whole hillside was a flame with the afternoon sun and there was a farm all surrounded with these beautiful colors… I may have been stranding the line between NY and VT, I don’t know but that is one of my fav shots of that trip.
Here is a shot of it http://photo.vistaphotography.com/fall_foliage/h216e9604#h25de1f66
I knew I should have caveated my statement with “But when are weathermen ever correct?”
Let’s hope for those cool nights and calm days….
Amen to that!!! cool nights and warm days are the ticket… Are you in the area here or are you going to be traveling in from out of state? If so what are your fall foliage plans for 2011?
I am sort of in the area, upstate NY. I will be traveling to the area this fall. Not sure of the plans quite yet. Probably the Waterbury, VT area. I will also be up in the Adirondack area (since it is really close) checking out all the trees have to offer.
Nothing wrong with the upstate NY area for fall foliage.. I even have a shot from route 2 on the NY side just west of North Adams that is very nice and a few years ago we came down the NY side from Fort Ticonderoga and as we got to the bottom of Lake Champlain I came to a pull out and the whole hillside was a flame with the afternoon sun and there was a farm all surrounded with these beautiful colors… I may have been stranding the line between NY and VT, I don’t know but that is one of my fav shots of that trip.
Here is a shot of it http://photo.vistaphotography.com/fall_foliage/h216e9604#h25de1f66
Jeff, I am making the long journey from Houston to New England this fall, and based my reservations on the foliage predictor on the Yankee web. I will be in White Mountains on Sept. 26 and in Stowe by Oct. 1. Will I be too early for peak color? Should I think about trying to push my reservations back a week?
Well Sarah, As I wrote in my last article find peak fall foliage before 1 Oct is always a hit or miss proposition. I won’t say you won’t find color and sometimes it will be good color. But finding whole hillsides with eye popping color is a hit or miss.
In the article http://wp.me/p1wtar-c5 I found some decent color near Sugar hill area of NH and this was on the 25th BUT it wasn’t eye popping color. You also need to start early in the morning and later in the afternoon to get the best light… This isn’t just for photographing the colors. For just viewing the colors between 11-2PM you will find they aren’t always the prettiest if the sun is out and harsh… But this is another article… 🙂
If you could start you vacation a week later then I “think” you would be happier..
But lets say you can’t… Let’s ask this.. Will there be any color in the White Mountains on 25 Sept?
The answer is a qualified “Yes” You see the color will have started weeks before this but it will be a tree here and a tree there… No, I can’t predict where these trees are or will be… But you you will need to look to higher elevations because the temps higher up will be lower and this will bring the colors on earlier. So you can think about the Mount Washington auto road (drive to the top of Mount Washington… No there are no trees on top but driving up from where it will be mostly green through colorful trees to the alpine zone and no trees can be awesome… Plus on a sunny day the view into other states is great…
Next you can take the Kancamagus highway which has varying elevations between 600′ to 2200′. All of these drives will be pretty and fairly colorful during that week. but for most of these areas it will be hit or miss.. Much of your luck will depend on the weather we receive during September. IF the temps drop into the 40s at night and the 50s-60s during the day then there is a real good chance for great color by the last week in Sept.. If we get upper 80s during Sept and lows in the 50s then this will delay much of the eye popping color until October.
I wish I could give you a 100% guarantee on what the color will be at a given time but over the years of searching for peak myself I find the later I look the better…
What you can do to help yourself is come up with alternate plans for things to see. Many of the ski resorts in both NH and VT offer Gondola rides to get birds eye views of the foliage and peaks in the distance. Also bewteen 25 Sept and 1 Oct is the NEK fall festivals where each day its in a different VT town…
Stowe has auto-toll road up mount Mansfield with alpine slide, down spruce peak and bungee trampolines to name just a few things to do.
I hope this gives you some helpful ideas…
Jeff, I am making the long journey from Houston to New England this fall, and based my reservations on the foliage predictor on the Yankee web. I will be in White Mountains on Sept. 26 and in Stowe by Oct. 1. Will I be too early for peak color? Should I think about trying to push my reservations back a week?
Well Sarah, As I wrote in my last article find peak fall foliage before 1 Oct is always a hit or miss proposition. I won’t say you won’t find color and sometimes it will be good color. But finding whole hillsides with eye popping color is a hit or miss.
In the article http://wp.me/p1wtar-c5 I found some decent color near Sugar hill area of NH and this was on the 25th BUT it wasn’t eye popping color. You also need to start early in the morning and later in the afternoon to get the best light… This isn’t just for photographing the colors. For just viewing the colors between 11-2PM you will find they aren’t always the prettiest if the sun is out and harsh… But this is another article… 🙂
If you could start you vacation a week later then I “think” you would be happier..
But lets say you can’t… Let’s ask this.. Will there be any color in the White Mountains on 25 Sept?
The answer is a qualified “Yes” You see the color will have started weeks before this but it will be a tree here and a tree there… No, I can’t predict where these trees are or will be… But you you will need to look to higher elevations because the temps higher up will be lower and this will bring the colors on earlier. So you can think about the Mount Washington auto road (drive to the top of Mount Washington… No there are no trees on top but driving up from where it will be mostly green through colorful trees to the alpine zone and no trees can be awesome… Plus on a sunny day the view into other states is great…
Next you can take the Kancamagus highway which has varying elevations between 600′ to 2200′. All of these drives will be pretty and fairly colorful during that week. but for most of these areas it will be hit or miss.. Much of your luck will depend on the weather we receive during September. IF the temps drop into the 40s at night and the 50s-60s during the day then there is a real good chance for great color by the last week in Sept.. If we get upper 80s during Sept and lows in the 50s then this will delay much of the eye popping color until October.
I wish I could give you a 100% guarantee on what the color will be at a given time but over the years of searching for peak myself I find the later I look the better…
What you can do to help yourself is come up with alternate plans for things to see. Many of the ski resorts in both NH and VT offer Gondola rides to get birds eye views of the foliage and peaks in the distance. Also bewteen 25 Sept and 1 Oct is the NEK fall festivals where each day its in a different VT town…
Stowe has auto-toll road up mount Mansfield with alpine slide, down spruce peak and bungee trampolines to name just a few things to do.
I hope this gives you some helpful ideas…
Jeff, Thank you so much for all your information. I was able to change all reservations to start my time in the White Mountains on the 29th. Only three days later, but I feel a little better. I will follow your suggestions and thanks again for your help.
Well visit the Yankee site in September for the foliage ambassadors postings to see where they say they are finding color and of course check back here as I have my own cadre of spotters for foliage and they will be popping in on my foliage forum for daily or weekly updates. Plus I will be polling other people in New England for what they are seeing.
Well we won’t know until after you get home whether those days will make a difference but I think you have a good chance of seeing good color. I hope you’ll stop back in and let me know if you found good color and whether you had a good time or not…
Hello…I am potentially getting married on October 7, 2012 in Greenland, NH (town over from Portsmouth – seacoast area), and am curious if you’d expect decent foliage at that time in that area of NH. I know foliage is unpredictable and differs from year to year based on weather conditions/temperatures and so forth, but I’m just trying to get a general sense of how the foliage might be. It would be an outdoor ceremony so we’d really love at least a little color. Any insight you might have would be greatly appreciate. Thanks!
Hi Julia and Congratulations.
Well I don’t know what kinds of trees are in your outdoor location and for starters that is key.
Second (and you should have checked with me during the planning phase) and I would have put you up in the White Mountains. I know up on Loon Mountain that they have an outdoor chapel with tiered seating and the view would be incredible.
The coastline always changes last but! I suggest you find out what kinds of trees around the church… They may be slightly stressed and be turning as we speak. Ask your photographer to look for fire bushes as they turn very early (they are in Salem MA right now) and they make for a great back drop. (I know I shot a bridge against that on 23 Oct since that was all I could find with out taking the couple out of town.. 🙂
I would suggest that if you can’t have as great color as you want, you see if your photog will make a deal for you and do a after wedding shoot up north in the White mountains… Depending on their schedule and yours it could be worked out…
I hope this helps.
Jeff Foliage