Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Middlesex Fells 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 Middlesex Fells Reservation
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
Under 30 minutes
30 to 60 minutes
- Houghton’s Pond (Blue Hills Reservation)23 mi · 35 minPeak around Oct 29Building
- Mohawk Trail28 mi · 39 minPeak around Oct 23
- Cape Ann (Rockport)29 mi · 43 minPeak around Oct 26
- Appleton Farms (Ipswich)25 mi · 44 minPeak around Oct 26Just starting
- Fruitlands Museum (Harvard)32 mi · 56 minPeak around Oct 23
- The White MountainsNew Hampshire44 mi · 1 hrPeak around Oct 21