Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at North Central Massachusetts
Peak fall color is predicted around October 21. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 16 to October 26.
Predicted peakOctober 21
Best windowOctober 16 – October 26
Confidence range±5 days
The prediction is a 24-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 North Central Massachusetts
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
Under 30 minutes
1 to 2 hours
- The White MountainsNew Hampshire35 mi · 1 hr 1 minPeak around Oct 21
- Mohawk Trail49 mi · 1 hr 7 minPeak around Oct 23
- Great Road (Lincoln)Rhode Island51 mi · 1 hr 7 minPeak around Oct 24
- Middlesex Fells Reservation50 mi · 1 hr 10 minPeak around Oct 29
- Route 169Connecticut50 mi · 1 hr 13 minPeak around Oct 19
- Boston Common & Public Garden47 mi · 1 hr 14 min
- Arnold Arboretum48 mi · 1 hr 18 minPeak around Oct 30Not started