Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Arnold Arboretum
Peak fall color is predicted around October 30. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 25 to November 4.
Predicted peakOctober 30
Best windowOctober 25 – November 4
Confidence range±5 days
The prediction is a 25-year climatology built from NASA MODIS MOD13Q1 vegetation-index data, with the definition of peak calibrated against PhenoCam ground cameras. 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.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Arnold Arboretum
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
Under 30 minutes
1 to 2 hours
- Great Road (Lincoln)Rhode Island45 mi · 1 hr 1 minPeak around Oct 24
- Wolf Hill Forest Preserve (Smithfield)Rhode Island46 mi · 1 hr 2 minPeak around Oct 25
- Fruitlands Museum (Harvard)36 mi · 1 hr 4 minPeak around Oct 23
- Mohawk Trail41 mi · 1 hr 5 minPeak around Oct 23
- Appleton Farms (Ipswich)36 mi · 1 hr 7 minPeak around Oct 26Just starting