October Foliage Report, 10-14 October
Greetings Leaf Peepers
You are probably driving to and fro looking for the fall colors. Well, it may or may not be a comfort BUT you are not alone. I think most of my photographer friends who usually make reports skipped the fall colors yesterday and went for the Aurora Borealis last night. I on the other hand drove up into central Vermont, then through the Shires Of Vermont (Route 7A from Manchester to Bennington). Then we headed home through the Berkshires of Massachusetts ending the route along the Mohawk Trail (Route 2) for a total of 472 miles. Lisa and I were bushed!
That is why my image of the Aurora is from earlier this summer.
I have published my 2024 fall foliage calendar. This year I created my calendar with 12 scenic months of New England images. This will allow you to explore New England from top to bottom in all seasons. Also, on the same page, is my 2024 covered bridge calendar and a Winter in New England. Click the link on my calendar page to go to Lulu.com and view/purchase.
This Weekend’s Weather 12-14 Oct
It goes without saying, that wind and or rain are NEVER a good thing and I would plan on front-loading the search for fall colors today (Friday) through Sunday, and then on Monday I would expect less advantageous weather… (Rain and clouds)
But as of right now, Saturday starts decent (depending on where you are staying) There are slight chances of rain but it turns windy and the leaves are going to be flying off the trees. Even when not wet, they are NOT staying on the trees. The winds go away by Saturday Evening and Sunday is a mixed bag of Sun and clouds but I don’t see any washouts rain-wise even on Monday…
Monday, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day
While I don’t expect anyone to see the sun on Monday, It will not be a deluge of rain either. Either cloudy or misting or a light rain across New England… Dress for wet and chilly and you will be fine. Things I recommend in my Amazon store are: a rain shell jacket, A warm underlayer, and warm footwear/socks (dry feet are happy feet).
So I don’t see a washout but even though Monday is cloudy/rainy all day across most of New England, rain amounts per hour are like 0.01 to 0.02 which is pretty much dry… Your actual amounts are likely to be very different…
Vermont
Jeff “Foliage” Folger’s Report
We drove along I-89 to Orwell Vermont (central) and while it wasn’t a bright peak, the trees have done their best and I consider them turned. I’m afraid that due to not receiving consecutive nights that were really chilly (35-42 degrees) they may not get much better.
We went down to Southwestern Vermont and explored the Shires of Vermont Scenic byway (Route 7A from Manchester to Bennington). There are so many things to see… Yes, There are still green trees turning and we will see what happens over the next week. All images were taken on 10\10\2024. Visit Jeff on his Facebook Page or his Instagram Page
New Hampshire
Chris Whiton of White Mountain Images reports:” 10/11 drive around report from the Western White Mts. Bethlehem is somewhat past peak. The hillsides in the Twin Mountain area still looks good. Bretton Woods area looks burnt with increasingly bare trees. However, the interior of Crawford Notch still looks great, and there are still plenty of greens as you get to the south end. The northern interior of Franconia Notch is mostly burnt and past, but north of the notch on the Franconia hillsides, it still looks good with lots of red still hanging on. Many of the poplars around this area are still green, which actually looks good against all the yellow birches and red maples.”
Chris found a stand of birch turning this week but got photo-bombed, I don’t think he minded in the least. Chris can be found on Facebook, and on Instagram.
Robert John Kozlow reported:
Robert caught these images of Crawford Notch and the Lower Falls on the Kancamagus Highway either Wednesday or Thursday, this week.
Maine
Stephen Beckwith of Scenes of Maine reported: Jeff, I just spent 4 days in and around Baxter State Park.
The colors were bursting the peak vibrancy. Most of the days were wet, drizzly, or down-right raining, so there was a lot of natural saturation going on. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure.
Massachusetts
Mark Spremulli Photography reported: Mark found during his journies this week the colors is starting to show at the Dartmouth recreation area in Dartmouth MA.
You can find Mark on Instagram at Mark Spremulli Photography.
Jeff “Foliage” Folger
We left Vermont and a little before sunset, hit North Adams and the Hairpin turn on Route 2.
You can find me on the New England fall foliage page on Facebook or over on Instagram at Jeff Foliage.
Jeff’s thoughts for this weekend and Next Week…
Well, this will be another of those really to predict forecasts… We have rain and a windy Saturday and then everything calms back down BUT! That rain and wind can do so much damage. Even in the worst-case scenario, all you will be able to do is pull out all those Plan “B’s”, that I’ve been telling you for “years” to bring with you. As we move into Tuesday and the rest of the week I think we should have more decent color developing as we go because of the forecast cold temps.
I would be looking at Central to southern Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and down into Massachusetts. Also, there are only 20 days till Halloween and that means there are corn mazes, and other haunting fun to be had, (just google it). I’m sorry I can’t help more but this is about the best I can do right now. I’ll send my subscribers a short update on Tuesday when I get some reports in and hear how things are going… Are you a subscriber? Click Here!
Safe Travels My Friends…
Jeff Foliage Folger
Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage
- Visit my Fine Art America Gallery
- Visit my Amazon store to pick up New England-related materials
- Visit my Pictorem Gallery (Free shipping in the US and Canada)
- My Facebook foliage page
- Threads.net/@Jeff_Foliage
- Follow our new Fall Foliage FB Group!
- You can visit Lisa’s Artist Facebook Page by clicking here
Hi Jeff,
Thank you so much for all the efforts and hard work you put in, this is the most reliable report for all the visitors like me. We are going to be in Jackson, NH on 10/13, 10/14 and 10/15th. From all the reports and pictures, it looks like there is good color thats still hanging on. I am a little unsure what would be left after today’s wind.
Which areas would you recommend? My alternative was either drive to Vermont or bethel maine or lakes region in case I missed it in white mountains. Would that be a better option considering current conditions?
Hi Jeff,
Just found your page and appreciate your dedication and helpfulness to everyone! I will arrive in New England next week and currently our only plans are Cape Cod for the 23/24th and Portland for the 27/28th. Any recs for the best colors as we travel between those places? We don’t mind driving out of the way either. Thank you!
I just told Linda that Massachusetts in the eastern central areas is looking very nice. My facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/NewEnglandFoliage/
West of Boston in places like Groton, Chelmsford, Sturbridge Village and down through Carver to the cape. But the cape has different colors, a lot more oaks but they can turn reds…
Good luck and safe travels
Thank you so much for this information! We are coming up the 24th through the 27th. I knew it was late but I was hoping for the best!
Based off your report we’re going to switch gears. We are flying in to boston and leaving hartford connecticut. Tentatively traversing south NH Then into and around massachusetts and then into connecticut. I have to look into CT, but my questiok for you – should I even bother? Or would you recommend staying within Massachusetts
(I have the option to move my flight from a 6pm Hartford flight to a 530am Boston flight on the 27th).
Thanks again for all the information!!
well this year is a rough year for the leaves I suspect you will find some color in Massachusetts, RI, and CT. I’m heading for the quiet corner of CT in a minute and if you sign up on my blog you will get a Monday report (doesn’t go up on the blog which comes out on Friday) and you’ll get an idea.
https://jeff-foliage.com/subscribe/
Think coastal for the colors and read the group on FB and see where people are finding fall colors next week…