Forecasts & reports

Fall Foliage Forecasts and Foliage Reports

In December/January, I start looking at the weather patterns put out by the NOAA Climate Prediction folks and I make my forecast or a better description is a fall foliage prediction…  based on their reports.

I also will look at Yankee Magazine’s Old Farmer’s Almanac, and then I mix it with my own experience and guesswork! So, below, you will find my GUESS about what we are going to have in the way of fall foliage for this year. Before you go change your plans please read my Disclaimer of Liability. (Don’t pass it around but I’m not perfect) 🙂

Foliage Forecasts for the 2025 season

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Foliage Reports for 2024

As stated above my foliage reports should not start until late August or September. The only way I’ll report anything earlier is like during 2023 when we had the horrible torrential downpours in July. If you want to talk about the fall colors Visit my New England Fall Foliage page on Facebook.

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Comments

Forecasts & reports — 64 Comments

  1. Dear Jeff,
    I’m an italian travel agent and I’m very pleased to read all you post on your website and on facebook too.
    You’re so great!!!
    I’m planning my trip to your wonderful country next 3rd October (this is my 40’s personal gift).
    I’m starting my foliage tour from Burlington (VT) to visit the Kangamagus, then we would reach the Maine. We have only one week available. Do you think does it worth to visit the Acadia Nat Park?
    Furthermore, is it easy to drive from Burlington to Belfast (ME) in a day? This would be to reach the Acadia…I’m so confused.
    I’m looking forward to see your new photos and 2014 prediction.
    My warmest regards from Italy,
    Jessica

  2. Hi Jeff!!!! I’m very grateful of your kindness!
    As you can imagine when I sell tours in the USA, they are organized by local tour operators. But this is MY journey and unfortunately I don’t have so much time….We will visit the region in 6 days….. so sad….one of the route I wouldn’t miss is the Mohawk Trail. What do you think?
    We take the hard decision to avoid Boston and Cape Cod….
    My regards from Arezzo. Have you aver been to Italy?????

    • Well Jessica, the Mohawk trail will have some color especially in the western portion because of it’s elevation. (highest point in Massachusetts. but other part will be spotty to green. inother words it will be nice but… not bright and colorful. But if you do go make sure you stop in Erving at the Freight house antiques. they have a little dining counter for sandwiches and their pies are homemade and delicious!
      Here is an article that covers a small portion of the Mohawk trail: https://jeff-foliage.com/2012/05/take-a-fall-foliage-trip-to-florida/
      I will say in 2012 there was good color as of 29 Sept (not great but 35% towards peak in some areas which is very unusual. It was a very dry year (7″ less rain than normal) This year is so far also a dry year but not nearly as bad. maybe 1″-2″ below normal but that could be fixed in a week or two. The trees are healthy and if we go into late september with this deficit in precipitation then we could have outstanding colors.
      Now the reason I mention all this is because the colors start waaaay up north in Canada then as we hit the middle of Sept they start flowing south and from higher to lower elevation. AND! just to make it more difficult, if we get early cold temps in Sept (again in 2012 we had night time temps in the 40s for several weeks in Massachusetts and this caused our colors to turn early) This can also throw a wrench in the calculations.
      So this is never an exact science, Mother Nature is fickle, at best… AND just when I think I have it figured out, she changes the rules!
      Today is June 26th and the outside temp at 8:26AM is 64 degrees (17C for my Italian neighbor) 🙂

      Questions?

  3. Hi Jeff, my husband and I are planning to travel to Bar Harbor, rent a car, drive to Portland, Maine and drive down the coastal highway to Boston and fly home to Tennessee after that. We have 7-10 to spend on this trip. We’d rather not run the risk of getting caught in the first snow storm of the season and my husband is especially sensitive to extreme cold temps. My dream has always been to see the beautiful fall foliage, quaint bridges, steeples and lighthouses. When would you recommend that we make this trip to have the best chance of meeting the criteria I’ve laid out. I won’t hold you to it; just your best guess please.

    • I would say if you arrived around Oct 15th you should be pretty happy. If the color is later it’s wouldn’t be much of a drive to come inland a little to find the color but most of the trip to Boston should be a colorful one. With 7-10 days you will be able to zig zag through all the fingers of land on your way down.. The only downside is that Reds in Wiscasset (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Red's+Eats/@44.002532,-69.664201,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xdf6136272c1d7296)
      Will be closed by then (great lobster rolls but you should be able to find some along the way (make sure they butter and toast the rolls!)
      Pick up a Gazetteer (here is a link: Maine Atlas & Gazetteer)

      You don’t have to get a Gazetteer (the link has them between $7 (used) to $15) but I find that are great to use to explore with. But any good atlas will point out locations. If you find anything really great, please come back and let me know, so I can mark it down… 🙂

  4. Hi Jeff, my husband has surprised me with a Birthday gift to see the fall foliage sept. 26th-oct.4. We plan on seeing ‘Cher’ in concert in Boston on the 27th and then on the 28th. driving to New Hampshire, Vermont, the Cape and take the ferry to Nantucket and back to Boston. In the past we’ve visited the third week of oct. and our anniversary in May. My concern is we are arriving too early to see the trees change colors and or any of the brilliant colors from past visits. Any thoughts or suggestions on our itinerary would be more than appreciated.

    • You are right it will be a bit early and I can recommend places like Montgomery and Hazens notch in VT as well as all of the NEK. Then into NH from Canon Mountain to all points north. I think I can say you’ll see some color but the further north you go the better (longer drive). 3rd week in Oct means you’re much further south and into MA, RI, CT. As we get closer I’ll get a better picture. We’re still 76 days out and even for me that is a bit of a stretch to even being close to accurate… 🙂

      • Hi Jeff, I checked out the places you recommend and I can’t wait to explore new territory… there is so much to do and see. I think driving north will give us the autumn beauty we are wanting to experience. Your photos of these areas are majestic… they truly are a selling point. Thank you for sharing your time, expertise and adventures with us so we can plan our dream vacation. I look forward to your updates as we get closer to the fall season. I am recovery from major foot surgery this summer and your site/photos give me an escape. Your work is a treasure.
        Be well,
        Tammy-

  5. Hi Jeff, I had an aborted trip starting in Burlington, VT right before 9/11 and have only now some time to revisit a portion of that trip. The time I have available is Oct 30 – Nov 6. I could drive out of NYC or fly out somewhere and then rent a car, i.e. flexible as to the where to go. Just wanted your insight as to where the best opportunity to see great fall colors in the area would be. Thank you.

    • Hi Lee, well with those dates I will make a few recommendations. First, this is the tail end of the season and I would be looking at anywhere along the coast. IF, yes I say IF we don’t have any major storms in Oct then you may find really nice colors further inland but I wouldn’t want to take those odds. In the last 5 years we’ve had anywhere from rain and winds during Oct to Hurricane Irene.

      So I would look to balance these factors. There is also pumpkin/harvest/Halloween festivals to think about. Halloween is on Friday this year and Salem MA comes to mind. 🙂

      If you are limited to VT (wasn’t sure from your comment) You could also look at traveling around Lake Champlain. The lake stays warm and like along the ocean the colors will be delayed a little near it. You could try Route 2 that follows the islands on the lake. North Hero can be very nice.

  6. Hi Jeff! I am planning a trip out to Durham, NH to visit my brother and I’m trying to plan it so I can see some great fall colors. I plan on flying in to Boston, then driving up to NH. The two dates I am debating between are Sept 25-28, or Oct 16-19. Since we will be closer to the coast and southeast NH, would you recommend Oct 16? Thanks!

    • hi Lydia, I would say your second set of dates are right on the mark. Durham and the area around great day will be slow to change due to the warmth of the Bay and the proximity to the ocean. (You must have been reading my blog ):-)
      but I would say that you still may benefit from exploring North and West of your area. It really depends on what mother nature gives us and if the season is slow I would drive up to Lake Winnipesaukee and circle around it and see what the colors are like up in that area you could also travel through the Merrimack Valley which is West and South of Durham and North along route one following the coast from Portsmouth up into Maine and Kittery. There will be no lack of farm stands and events going on that you can enjoy the autumn harvest season.
      It looks like most all of the festivals or fairs will be over but you do have the Keene pumpkin Festival on October 18 which is in Keene New Hampshire.
      I hope this gives you some ideas on things to do. Also check my site for touring ideas you might be able to find some hiking or bike paths or even a scenic train to take to see some foliage.
      Jeff foliage

  7. We are planning a trip to Boston Oct 22-26 for our Florida fall break! Where is the best place to see fall leaves! We will be excited for anything!

  8. Hi there my husband and I are celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary on the weekend of the 20th Sept. We live in Toronto and can travel in Canada or the USA. Where would be our best fall colors destination at the this time? Thank You! Liz

  10. Hi Jeff, What a great site! Thank you for creating all this. My daughter is in college in Virginia and we are talking about a road trip to see some beautiful fall foliage in October. She has a fall break the second week of October. I am coming from South Florida (No fall colors here…) so we would like to maximize our opportunity. Any suggested travel routes up and back. It will be from Lynchburg, Virginia and we have about 6 days. Thank you, Susan

  11. Hi Jeff,

    First time making a trip to New England after hearing so much about it. We are from Texas and looking forward to catching some of the amazing fall color that we have seen in so many photos. Luckily, I have lot’s of flexibility as far as when to travel. We plan to fly to Portland, Maine, from there we are thinking to take Hwy 302 to the White Mountains to do some hiking for a day or two.. From there we will head south on Hwy 10 to Lebanon, then head west and pick up Hwy 100 and head south to Wilmington. We will finish the trip through the western edge of Massachusetts and Connecticut on Hwy 7 all the way to Danbury and New Heaven. At the end we will be heading to NYC to spend a few days with our daughter before heading back to Austin. Right now I have flight reservations for the following dates, but I can still easily change them.

    Tuesday, Sept 30th through Tuesday, Oct 7th.

    My other two options are:
    Tuesday, Oct 7th through Tuesday, Oct 14th or
    Tuesday, Oct 14th Through Tuesday, Oct 21 st

    I’m assuming after the 21st would be too late. I know we are covering a relatively large geographic area, but want to know your recommendation as to the best week for this trip based on your experience and projections for this fall. Thanks!

  12. Hi Jeff! We are flying into Boston from Florida on Oct 8, driving to Vermont on the 11th, and on the 12th driving to NH . In NH we are staying at Mount Washington Hotel for 3 nights and then driving back to Boston to catch a flight back home. We were told it might be snowing in the Mount Washington area. This would defeat the purpose for our trip since our goal is to see the fall foliage. Are these October dates to late for viewing the changing of leaves? Thanks !

  13. Your blog is very informative. We are planning to fly in from Oklahoma City to Burlington, Vt. Do a fall folliage route and then drive to Montreal, Canada. What route would give us a great tour of color? Would it be better to book our flight Oct. 1-8. Or 5-1? Will theses dates be good times to come?

  14. Thank you so much for all the information. This will help a lot in our planning. We also love covered bridges.

  15. Jeff, we will be traveling from Buffalo to Burlington on Oct 10th. We are from Oklahoma and have no idea what the timing for leaves on that journey may be but perhaps you could give us a hint? Will we be too early, too late or fortuitously just right? Should we plan our trip a week later or earlier?

  16. Jeff, we are from Florida and are planning to visit relatives in South Lancaster, MA Oct 8-15 this year. Are those dates good to see peak color?

  17. Hi Jeff, my family plan to drive from Virginia to New Hampshire during October 23-27 to see Fall color for the first time. Is it going to be too late? Would you please recommend some driving routes? Thank you

  18. Jeff – just reading the above comments is quite helpful already. My bride and I will be having our honeymoon in New England, and maybe looking for tips to enhance our visit. Oct 7th and 8th we will be staying at Gifford Woods SP in Vt, with planned trips to Crown Point, NY and Quechee (with a balloon ride). A long drive to Acadia NP with a stop at Flume Gorge, NH. Oct 9th and 10th in Acadia followed by another long drive to Burlingame SP in RI for the 11th and 12th. My fiancee loves lighthouses, and I see several good ones referenced in comments above. Looks like we should be hitting peak colors mostly, but any particular scenic drives or locations along our routes?
    Can’t wait to compare Minnesota fall beauty to New England.

  19. Hi Jeff, We are from Texas, and are planning to stay in a B&B in Waitsfield, VT on Oct. 4th thru the 8th. Will we be hitting the foliage change at a good time in that area? Then we’ll be going to Arlington, VT for three nights,– the 8th through the 10th. What-cha-think? Ron

  20. Hi Jeff, we are from Australia and planning a trip to USA next year – the end of our time in USA we want to come and see the gorgeous New England area. Our dates in this area are roughly 21 Sept. to 10 or 11th Oct. We fly into Boston and will hire a car from there, drop it there and then maybe Newport / Cape Cod before heading to New York City. We would like to see the coast from Boston to Acadia and I love photography and want to spend around 10 or so days “leaf peeping” VT and NH. I am wondering what is our best plan after getting into Boston? We wondered about hitting VT around 28 Sept – 2 Oct then NH from 3-7 Oct. Do you think that timing is right? Also would love suggestions of towns to base ourselves in , in VT and NH (we’d thought of Stowe VT and Jackson NH) do you have other suggestions. Thanks so much for any advice and also for your great website. cheers.

  21. Dear Jeff, We are arriving in Portland on Oct. 15 thru Oct. 19 for our 50th Anniv. Will the foliage be in beautiful color at that time.
    Thank you for this info.

  22. Hi Jeff
    Not ever having been East I am curious about the fall foliage for the Maine area this year. We plan to be in Acadia, Oct 8, 9, 10 and possibly Greenville 11,12. In your opinion the way things are sitting right now will we have missed the peak season in both places? Would I be better off to come to Maine another year for this kind of trip? Because of things on our home front I cant get there earlier than this. It seems color wise this should be a bumper year so I hate not to come. If I don’t miss it in Acadia I will be fine. In your opinion will the time in Acadia and or Greenville be to late or would there still be plenty of leaves and color. I have been a little overwhelmed by trying to figure this all out. I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks in advance, Jerry

  23. Dear Jeff, recently I shifted to NH.. n want know best time & places to see colors..What do you recommend we do for fall foliage and get some great pictures.

    Thanks in Advance.

    Shweta..

  24. Hi Jeff. I’ll be driving from Killington to Chesterfield NH then on to Hanover 10/3-10/9 — any favorite stops along the way? Hoping the foliage cooperates but even not, it’s beautiful country. Thanks! ~Sheila

  25. Thank you sir I had been watching your posts. This may seem like a stupid question, but what would be the best part of the southern lakes region of NH, as I am not familiar with that area at all. Thanks, so much

  26. Hi,

    We are planning to hit Vermont on the ween of October 10th to 12th. Not sure how the folliage would be. Can we see good colours at this time or is it late to see only dark colours

  28. Hey Jeff, are you still blogging about Fall Foilage? I don’t see recent updates. I hope that you are indeed doing so, as I enjoyed reading and your photos are beautiful!

  31. Good morning! We are taking a road trip leaving Indiana September 30th. Spending two days in Holmes County, OH, then driving through PA, NY, & CT, arriving in Medford, MA for a church meeting October 3rd. Plan to leave MA Monday, October 5th and stay at the Yellow Farmhouse Inn in Waitsfield, VT for 5 nights doing various back road day trips from there. Any suggestions you may have are most welcome!

    Thanks!
    Kevin in Indiana

  32. Great website – I have gone to it often while trying to plan a trip with my parents. But now there are too many choices! 🙂

    We are heading up mid-October to Boston. I was thinking driving Boston to Woodstock, VT and staying there two nights – basically driving around day trips from there. I would like to see the lake district in NH but wondering if (right after Columbus Day) if driving to Woodstock one day, driving from Woodstock to Meredith (and back) next day and then back towards Boston on day three is just too much driving. Other alternative is we have a place to stay in Wolfeboro – so Boston to there and use that as a “home base”. So Boston to there one day then either boat ride or drive around the lake – maybe up to North Conway area if we want to drive for a while – back to Wolfeboro for the night then back towards Boston.

    Trip will be with parents who will enjoy the rides – slower pace than hikes and long walks. Want lots of good photos along the way. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

  33. Thank you – so Wolfboro as a base and then choose direction based on the colors. Which may or may not include Woodstock – great. Thanks.

  34. Hi Jeff,

    Planning to visit Stowe area for fall colors this year. I am confused between Oct 3rd and Oct 10th weekend. As September has been warmer this year, which weekend do you think is a better pick for route 100?

    Thanks!

  35. Hi Jeff,
    We are planning to visit Ludlow VT on 10/3. Need an advice. Do you think its worth to postpone this visit to 10/10? as various forecast maps shows 10/10 as near peak in south VT.
    Thank you,
    Jossy

  36. We will be in Vermont starting Oct. 2. We have 2 nights already reserved in Londonderry (the 2nd and 3rd), along with Stowe the 4th and 5th. The way things are shaping up looks like we will be a little early for any peak color. Do you have suggestions in these areas of places to visit since we can not cancel the rooms.

  37. I am. I actually saw that right after I asked you the question. Do you have any recommendations for the lower/middle part of Vermont (while we are in Londonderry) – I’ve printed out all of the covered bridges, but if you have any specific places to visit I would love to hear them.

  38. I have a reservation near Stowe for the 30th-2nd and the 7th-9th, but I have to cancel one. I’m not planning on going too much further south than that. Any advice you can give on which to cancel would be fantastic!

  39. Hi Jeff,
    I read your foliage FB page, it is great. We will be in Lincoln (NH I-93) from 10/4 – 10/10. Do you think it is worth it to drive to Smuggler? hoping to see the autumn tunnel. If so, is there only 1 way up from Stowe on 108? Thanks

  40. I am on your foliage FB page. I saw that post right after I asked the above question. Do you have any specific places to see in lower part of VT? I have printed out a list of covered bridges. Thanks.

  41. Hi Jeff: We are planning to make our first time trip to the area arriving in Boston on October 7 with time in Woodstock, Vermont on October 10-11. We are becoming concerned about the late foliage change. Can you let us know how you think it is likely to be north of Boston from October 7-12? We can take a day to drive north to Maine if that is helpful, and we intend to drive north from Woodstock on the 11th. Thanks for any help you can give us! My wife has wanted to take this trip for years and I am trying to help plan the best trip possible- thanks!

    Len

  42. We r planning to visit Gorham NH from 2 to 4 October 2015
    Would like to hear about the fall conditions on above dates in white mountains
    Will u suggest any scenic drive apart from kancamagas highway
    Would like to drive some internal roads if colors r present that time

  43. Hey Jeff great page !! We are planning to visit second week of October. We were thinking to visit southern vermont as the yankee fall foliage predicts it would be peak then. Do you have suggestions for which towns in south vermont would be best ? Do you think it will be peak fall colors in southern vermont in second week of october ? Thanks !!

  44. Jeff, I love your website, and the pictures are fantastic! I live in Eastern MA, north of Boston, and am trying to plan a weekend away, up north, could be ME, VT, or NH, and available weekends are Oct 16, Oct 30, and Nov 13. My objective is to enjoy beautiful Fall foliage, driving, hiking, biking, etc, and maybe enjoy a really nice resort setting as well. Any suggestions on locations and best weekends? Thanks so much

  45. Jeff, Any particular resorts, lodging you recommend in Merrimack Valley? And by Salem, are you referring to Salem, Massachusetts?