Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Black Hill Regional Park
Peak fall color is predicted around October 28. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 23 to November 2.
The prediction comes from 14 years of fall color records at this spot, checked against what observers on the ground saw. 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. Explore fall color around Montgomery County and across Maryland.
That is 2 days later than usual (October 26): the six weeks to October 13 ran 1.5°F warmer than the 2001–2025 average, and a warmer run before peak delays the color. This will settle about ten days before peak, as the weather comes in.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Black Hill Regional Park
30 to 60 minutes
- Sugarloaf Mountain12 mi · 33 minPeak: Oct 30Status: Moderate color
- George Washington Memorial Parkway24 mi · 38 minVirginiaPeak: Oct 28Status: Moderate color
- Northern Virginia Parks28 mi · 46 minVirginiaPeak: Oct 28Status: Moderate color
- Cunningham Falls State Park33 mi · 49 minPeak: Oct 23Status: Early color
- Washington Monument State Park31 mi · 51 minPeak: Oct 30Status: Early color
- Sweet Run State Park37 mi · 52 minVirginiaPeak: Oct 26Status: Early color
- Patapsco Valley State Park32 mi · 56 minPeak: Oct 25Status: Moderate color
- Great Falls Park30 mi · 57 minVirginiaPeak: Oct 28Status: Moderate color
- Historic National Road33 mi · 1 hrPeak: Oct 22Status: Moderate color