Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Wachusett Mountain
Peak fall color is predicted around October 19. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 14 to October 24.
Predicted peakOctober 19
Best windowOctober 14 – October 24
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 Wachusett Mountain
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
Under 30 minutes
30 to 60 minutes
1 to 2 hours
- Great Road (Lincoln)Rhode Island46 mi · 1 hr 4 minPeak around Oct 24
- Route 169Connecticut45 mi · 1 hr 10 minPeak around Oct 19
- Wolf Hill Forest Preserve (Smithfield)Rhode Island54 mi · 1 hr 17 minPeak around Oct 25
- Mohawk Trail55 mi · 1 hr 18 minPeak around Oct 23
- Middlesex Fells Reservation56 mi · 1 hr 21 minPeak around Oct 29
- The White MountainsNew Hampshire45 mi · 1 hr 21 minPeak around Oct 21
- BrattleboroVermont57 mi · 1 hr 21 minPeak around Oct 17