Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Eastern Shore Waterways
Peak fall color is predicted around October 31. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 26 to November 5.
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 Easton and across Maryland.
That is 2 days later than usual (October 30): the six weeks to October 13 ran 1.4°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.
Fall color at Eastern Shore Waterways begins as early as October 14 in some spots and continues through November 8 in others — a 25-day window where you can catch peak color somewhere in the area regardless of when you visit.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Eastern Shore Waterways
30 to 60 minutes
1 to 2 hours
- Annapolis42 mi · 1 hr 1 minPeak: Nov 4Status: Early color
- Killens Pond State Park37 mi · 1 hr 3 minDelawarePeak: Oct 27Status: Moderate color
- Trap Pond State Park46 mi · 1 hr 19 minDelawarePeak: Oct 25Status: High color
- Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge54 mi · 1 hr 30 minDelawarePeak: Oct 28Status: Moderate color
- Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge57 mi · 1 hr 37 minDelawarePeak: Oct 23Status: Moderate color
- Junction & Breakwater Trail61 mi · 1 hr 38 minDelawarePeak: Nov 2Status: Moderate color
- Druid Hill Park65 mi · 1 hr 41 minPeak: Oct 31Status: Moderate color
- Cape Henlopen State Park63 mi · 1 hr 45 minDelawarePeak: Oct 30Status: Moderate color