Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at The Berkshires (Western Massachusetts)
Peak fall color is predicted around October 15. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 10 to October 20.
Predicted peakOctober 15
Best windowOctober 10 – October 20
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 The Berkshires (Western Massachusetts)
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
Under 30 minutes
30 to 60 minutes
1 to 2 hours
- Route 236 mi · 1 hr 12 minPeak around Oct 16
- West Cornwall Covered BridgeConnecticut46 mi · 1 hr 23 minPeak around Oct 20
- Route 7Connecticut49 mi · 1 hr 28 minPeak around Oct 20
- Litchfield Hills (Litchfield, Kent, Washington, Cornwall)Connecticut54 mi · 1 hr 32 minPeak around Oct 19
- Mohawk State Forest (Cornwall)Connecticut51 mi · 1 hr 38 minPeak around Oct 18
- Kent Falls State ParkConnecticut55 mi · 1 hr 39 minPeak around Oct 20