Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Great North Woods
Peak fall color is predicted around October 2. Plan for the strongest viewing window from September 27 to October 7.
Predicted peakOctober 2
Best windowSeptember 27 – October 7
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 Great North Woods
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
2 to 3 hours
- Mount Willard77 mi · 2 hr 2 minPeak around Oct 5
- BethelMaine73 mi · 2 hr 3 minPeak around Oct 11
- Crawford Notch State Park79 mi · 2 hr 4 minPeak around Oct 9Just starting
- RangeleyMaine79 mi · 2 hr 10 minPeak around Oct 2
- Franconia Notch State Park87 mi · 2 hr 19 minPeak around Oct 9Building
- Lincoln91 mi · 2 hr 23 minPeak around Oct 11Just starting
- Kancamagus Highway (Route 112)94 mi · 2 hr 29 minPeak around Oct 11
- Jackson90 mi · 2 hr 31 minPeak around Oct 13