Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Baxter State Park
Peak fall color is predicted around October 4. Plan for the strongest viewing window from September 29 to October 9.
Predicted peakOctober 4
Best windowSeptember 29 – October 9
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 Baxter State Park
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
Over 3 hours
- Acadia National Park178 mi · 4 hr 45 minPeak around Oct 17
- Camden181 mi · 4 hr 45 minPeak around Oct 21Not started
- Moosehead Lake95 mi · 5 hr 15 minPeak around Oct 4
- Rangeley244 mi · 5 hr 57 minPeak around Oct 2
- Bethel259 mi · 6 hr 10 minPeak around Oct 11
- Great North WoodsNew Hampshire313 mi · 7 hr 58 minPeak around Oct 2