Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Houghton’s Pond (Blue Hills Reservation)
Peak fall color is predicted around October 29. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 24 to November 3.
Predicted peakOctober 29
Best windowOctober 24 – November 3
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 Houghton’s Pond (Blue Hills Reservation)
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
Under 30 minutes
30 to 60 minutes
- Middlesex Fells Reservation20 mi · 35 minPeak around Oct 29
- Prospect Terrace ParkRhode Island35 mi · 49 minPeak around Oct 27Not started
- Great Road (Lincoln)Rhode Island37 mi · 50 minPeak around Oct 24
- Wolf Hill Forest Preserve (Smithfield)Rhode Island38 mi · 51 minPeak around Oct 25
- Roger Williams Park (Providence)Rhode Island40 mi · 56 minPeak around Oct 28