Every fall, millions of people load up their cars and drive somewhere scenic to watch trees die. This is leaf-peeping season, and it’s one of the better things you can do with a free weekend.
Timing is everything. Peak color moves north to south starting in late September, and researchers say warmer temperatures are making it increasingly unpredictable. Use Explore Fall’s interactive map to track conditions before you go. Whether you’re heading to the Rockies or New England, here’s what to expect across the country this season.
The West
Start in Colorado. The aspens around Maroon Bells and along the Million Dollar Highway usually put on their best show from mid-September through mid-October, although one ugly stretch of high-elevation weather can bring the whole thing to an abrupt end. Utah comes next, with Logan Canyon and the Mount Nebo Loop hitting around the same time and getting just a fraction of the attention. Washington gives you a more generous window. The mountain larches go first, then the color works its way down to the maples at lower elevations through November.
Southern Appalachians
The Great Smoky Mountains have one of the longest foliage seasons in the country, which is part of why the region draws tens of millions of visitors every autumn. Higher elevations begin changing in early October, with color descending toward lower elevations through late October and into early November. North Carolina’s highest peaks lead the charge before color spreads through the Blue Ridge Parkway and down into Asheville. Tennessee’s lower-elevation displays usually hold through early November, giving latecomers a fighting chance.
Great Lakes and Midwest
The Upper Peninsula is Michigan’s secret weapon for fall color, peaking in late September before the Lower Peninsula joins in early October. In Wisconsin, Door County and the Northwoods are the obvious calls—late September for the north, mid-October for central. Minnesota follows the same basic logic: start in the north in late September, work your way south through October.
Mid-Atlantic
If you’re chasing color down the East Coast, begin in the Adirondacks in late September and keep moving south as October gets underway. The Hudson Valley and Catskills follow, then Shenandoah National Park and Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon, which the Farmer’s Almanac expects to peak by late October. Virginia makes a good final stop, with color holding on well into the back half of the month.
Northeast
New England is the obvious show-off here. Everyone knows it. Northern Maine and New Hampshire’s White Mountains are usually first out of the gate in early October, though the 2026 forecast has the season arriving a little later this year. By mid-month, Vermont’s Route 100 and Green Mountain National Forest are in full form, along with the diner parking lots, motel vacancies disappearing, and everyone suddenly owning a flannel shirt. Coastal Connecticut and Rhode Island buy you a little extra time, sometimes into early November.
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