Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Trap Pond State Park
Peak fall color is predicted around October 25. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 20 to October 30.
The prediction comes from 14 years of fall color records at this spot, checked against what observers on the ground saw. Where state foliage spotters report peak (New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Missouri), it has landed inside our ±5-day window about two years in three. An unusual summer or autumn can still move it further. Explore fall color around Sussex County and across Delaware.
That is 1 day later than usual (October 24): the six weeks to October 13 ran 0.9°F warmer than the 2001–2025 average, and a warmer run before peak delays the color. This will settle about ten days before peak, as the weather comes in.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Trap Pond State Park
30 to 60 minutes
- Junction & Breakwater Trail30 mi · 50 minPeak: Nov 2Status: Moderate color
- Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge31 mi · 54 minPeak: Oct 28Status: Moderate color
- Cape Henlopen State Park33 mi · 57 minPeak: Oct 30Status: Moderate color
- Killens Pond State Park38 mi · 59 minPeak: Oct 27Status: Moderate color
1 to 2 hours
- Eastern Shore Waterways46 mi · 1 hr 19 minMarylandPeak: Oct 31Status: High color
- Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge62 mi · 1 hr 38 minPeak: Oct 23Status: Moderate color
- Chestertown70 mi · 1 hr 47 minMarylandPeak: Oct 29Status: Moderate color
- Annapolis82 mi · 1 hr 59 minMarylandPeak: Nov 4Status: Early color