As the Foliage Turns – Episode 8: Greens, Reds, and the Road Ahead
Hi everyone, and welcome to Episode 8 of As the Foliage Turns!
I know you usually hear from me when I’m out chasing leaves, but truth be told, I don’t just do fall foliage reports. This week, you caught me halfway up a ladder with a paintbrush in hand. The barn needed a coat of paint—and yes, even Jeff Foliage has a long “honey-do” list to tackle between road trips.
But let’s set the chores aside and talk about what you really came here for: the foliage.
The Big Picture: Still a Lot of Green
Right now, much of New England is still very green. Don’t get me wrong—you’ll spot trees turning here and there, and I’ll share photos and other photographers further down in this report—but the hillsides overall are holding back. Sort of…
The reds have started to appear on the Kancamagus, but they’re not the brilliant, barn-red kind yet. Instead, think deep maroons—rich, dark tones that are a sign of what’s to come. Give it another week, and I expect by September 27–29 the Kancamagus Highway will start showing its first bursts of peak color. (Hear that Mother Nature???)
That said, drought conditions this year may/will mean a quicker season. Once the leaves turn, they look to be dropping faster than usual.
My Route: 247 Miles, 9.2 Hours
Yesterday, Lisa and I drove a 247-mile loop through the White Mountains and up into northern New Hampshire.
“Only 247 miles?” you might say. But factor in lunch, photo stops, scenic overlooks, and exploring places like Jackson Falls and Ravenwood Curio Shoppe, and the drive stretched into a 9.2-hour adventure. That’s the reality of foliage chasing—you stop often because you have to.
Some highlights from the route:
- Kancamagus Highway – Roadside color was surprisingly pretty. Albany Covered Bridge is always worth a stop.
- Pinkham Notch (Route 16) – Very green overall, though breezy conditions (15–20 mph winds) didn’t strip the leaves yet. Good sign.
- Thirteen Mile Woods, Gorham & Berlin – Still mostly green with a few spots looking promising.
- Milan (pronounced “My-lin”) State Park – A great spot for a fire tower view, though we skipped it this time.
- Errol & LL Cote’s – Always a fun stop for everything from hunting gear to souvenirs.
- Dixville Notch – Surprisingly behind schedule. Last year on September 19, the hillsides were alive with color, but this year it’s still lagging.
Timing Your Visit
If you’re planning to be in New Hampshire between September 27 through October 5, you’ll be in good shape. The White Mountains, Green Mountains, and Northeast Kingdom should all be putting on a show by then. Yes, a bit earlier than I was planning, but Who Looks for a Drought
My caution? Don’t rush to change your reservations. Even with drought and a potentially shorter “hang time” for leaves, I believe the color will stretch into early October. You may just need to expect faster transitions once or if, peak hits.
Photographer Reports
Massachuestts
John Burk Photography in Massachusetts: The Pioneer Valley hilltowns between there and the Connecticut Valley had more brown and some early drop. I saw a few hillsides that were similar to what Kevin Flanders posted, though not quite at that level. This is Cummington, Massachusetts.
New Hampshire
White Mountain Images by Chris Whiton: report from the top of Nubble Peak in Bethlehem on 09/21/25. Despite the drought stress bringing early and burnt colors to roadside trees, our widespread views (at least in this neck of the woods) are in line with the last two years, at most a week ahead. The comparison 2020 photo here was the year it hit great color at the end of September, which has not been the norm.
Vermont
John Rowe Photography: Island and Spectacle Ponds from 21 Sept morning. Still light color, which is normal for this time of year.
Final Thoughts
This year’s season is unfolding at its own pace—slower in some spots, surprising in others. If you’re planning a trip soon, get ready for maroon reds and early signs of gold, with the best still on the horizon. I think those arriving during October will still get a wonderful show, but there WILL be areas that will be brown and down, and as I’ve been saying, you will have to…
JUST MOVE YOUR FEET!
As always, safe travels and happy leaf-peeping!
Jeff Foliage Folger
Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage
Hi,
Will white mountains and Kancamagus highways visit between Oct 6 to Oct 8 be too late?
nope
Thoughts on what we might see around Ragged Mountain in Danbury, NH on 10/4?
hmmm… What might you see around Ragged Mountain in Danbury, NH on 10/4?
Trees
moose
rocks… 🙂
Its early in most recent years for that area. you might have a bit more roadside color due to the drought stressing the trees. 5-15 would be my comfort zone for this area.
Hi. We are headed to New England and plan to be driving from Acadia National Park through the Kancamagus highway this Sunday, September 28. I know it won’t be peak, but still hoping for lots of color. What do you think?
Acadia has it’s own ocean side beauty so that will be nice. The Kancamagus should just about be peak by this weekend (so says Jeff!!!)
I haven’t seen too many reports for the Kanc but watch our group https://www.facebook.com/groups/newenglandfallfoliage
I’ll be flying to the East Coast on October 21st. Will it be too late to see much at that time? Should I concentrate on a particular area at that time? Thank you so much!
that date will be southern New England… I’m not sure that this year will have the staying power to keep leaves on the trees. So Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island should be your goal
My family and I are planning on going to the White Mountains from October 9th to the 13th. Do you think there will still be good color? I’m assuming probably more patchy with certain areas having great color and other areas not so much.
Sounds like you don’t need me at all??? Check todays YouTube video podcast https://youtu.be/kuEsJwrSEQ4
Thanks for all the information! How was traffic on the Kancamagus Highway? I wanted to bring my family this weekend but have heard it can be a bit crazy?
It’s variable here is a video from 28 Sept 2020 https://youtu.be/P_USLR_U1hI?si=E6qvYYh5ItE89q0v and while its not Columbus Day it will give you an Idea of what traffic can be. I will say this, earlier in the morning the better… Leaf peepers don’t really get going to 9AM… Just saying…
Hi Jeff! Hope you are doing well! Thanks for your videos and inputs!
I am travelling from TX and planning a 3 day trip to Vermont and New Hampshire and will be exploring from Stowe(North) to South direction(North Conway).Our target is to see peak colors at Stowe, Artists Bluff, Kancamagus highway. I am targeting either Oct 2-Oct 4 or Oct 9-Oct 11.I see that the weather for next week is sunny. Trackers from websites such as explorefall.com ,visitnh.gov and visitwhitemountains.com are showing peak dates as oct 5-10 for the places mentioned above. You have mentioned that the fall colors are arriving early this year.
What would be your recommended date range (Oct 2 – oct 4) or (oct 9-oct 11) for us to see the places mentioned at their peak colors?
If i travel from oct 9-oct 11,would i risk missing the peak colors at these spots? Would love to hear your inputs so that i can plan accordingly 🙂
expected peak dates are just that and they all depend on when and where you look… I just posted a report in the rain on my FB page for the Kancamagus from another photographer, if you are on FaceBook try this link for a short video of the Kanc from today? peak? Probably not but getting close https://www.facebook.com/NewEnglandFoliage/posts/pfbid02TVTZ5pGHiecr2FywCDY4NoUDxXZaYgcJ3B864qRFWUSRUZzoGATx2NqSatkasxCxl
The general consensus is that the fall colors will be here early and fall fast from the trees. In my humble opinion that this means instead of turning and staying on the branch for 2-4 weeks (in a good year) They may be on the ground in a week or two… So leaning in earlier rather than later might be a better plan. Franconia Notch (where the Artist Bluff is) was greens and yellows on Tuesday of this week and no where near peak but by 2-4 Oct, that “could” be much different Will the colors still be there 9-11? Maybe but if not you can run by them and see what do look like.
If brown and down as they say, then you might look a bit to the south, like Ossipee, and castle in the clouds around Lake Winnipesaukee or over into Vermont, exploring Route 100 starting in Stowe and working your way south.
Hi Jeff,
We’re visiting from Florida and have already booked our trip to New England from October 7th to 12th. Our itinerary is:
Oct 7–9: Vermont & New Hampshire
Oct 9–11: Maine
Oct 11–12: Boston
We tried to plan around the typical peak foliage dates, assuming that this timeframe would be a safe bet. However, we’ve heard that fall is arriving earlier this year, and now we’re a bit concerned about missing peak colors.
Do you think we’ll still be able to catch peak foliage during our trip? If so, which areas in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are most likely to have the best colors during our visit?
Thanks so much for your help!
You heard correctly and I saw pretty color in Sugar Hill Nh this afternoon and I just got a report of peak at Quill Hill and the Height of Land in Rangeley Maine but that will probably be gone by the time you arrive. I might plan to explore Massachusetts and Southern Vermont or New Hampshire (tons of covered bridges. But the drought has the trees muted in color (not always) but the areas that did show peak last week or just this past weekend may be past peak today… Normally you should have a week to ten days if the leaves are happy…
The bottom line the leaves have colored up nicely but are not lasting. I’m hoping to give you a realistic view of what I’m seeing… on Friday the 26th I saw this from Route 118
Today I drove by and much of the color is already gone on those hills…
I hope this helps
We initially planned to visit these places do you think we can expect to see peak fall colors in any of these places or do you want us to skip any of these places and include others in New England to experience peak fall colors as this is our first time to see fall colors?
Vermont:
Wood stock
Waterbury Reservoir
Stowe
Smugglers’ Notch Pass
Lake Willoughby
New Hampshire:
Franconia Notch State Park
Artist’s Bluff Trail
Flume George
The basin
Mount Washington cog railway
Kancamagus Highway
Mount Washington
Lake Winnipesaukee
Maine:
Acadia National Park
Cadillac mountain
Kennebunkport
Portland
Camden*
Ogunquit
Boston:
Prudential tower (night view)
Charles river (Sunset)
Sea Harbor
Quincy Market
I would say you might want to take a few off but they are all worthwhile, and I don’t have time to winnow down your list. Do as many of those as you have time for but don’t forget to relax with a maple creemee on a bench overlooking at the reflections along the shore…
Hello We are flying in tomorrow and will be in Woodstock VT Sunday thru Thursday. We are planning to do The Kanc, Stowe and Route 100 as well as spending time in Woodstock in our little carriage house. Any thoughts on what we should do first? I had it all figured out and then heard colors are early this year. We were planning the Kanc on Monday but thinking maybe we should hit Stowe first. Thoughts??? BTW Congrats on your move!!
Well Woodstock was pretty on Tuesday when I was through there, covered bridge is still there and the shops are there… So that will hold a day or two more. The eastern Kanc sounds like it still has color as of this morning and no one has told me but all the wonderful little shops in Conway (and the train) are still there…
What I’m trying to say is pick places you want to visit and if any fall colors gets in your way, enjoy it… Route 100 has a wonderful pull out at the Woodward Reservoir in Plymouth VT right on Route 100… Also in Plymouth is the Calvin Coolidge Historic site on Route 100A (see this google map) https://www.google.com/maps/search/route-100A+plymouth+VT/@43.5643955,-72.7357096,12.5z?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTAwMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
I hope this helps
Going up to Squam Lake on the 7th for 2 days…what are your thoughts of driving north and west from lake round to Winnepisaukie or north and east?
Hard to say, a lot of green in those areas and Lisa and I will probably head to Squam on Monday so look for a report that evening. We just did East Corinth, Topsham, Groton, Bradford Vermont and dirt roads in between and we saw colors that were good for this year… (not a past yr but just this year considering)