Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Lake Sunapee Scenic Byway
Peak fall color is predicted around October 12. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 7 to October 17.
Predicted peakOctober 12
Best windowOctober 7 – October 17
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 Lake Sunapee Scenic Byway
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
1 to 2 hours
- WoodstockVermont43 mi · 1 hr 3 minPeak around Oct 11
- The White Mountains54 mi · 1 hr 10 minPeak around Oct 21
- Lincoln65 mi · 1 hr 34 minPeak around Oct 11Just starting
- BrattleboroVermont67 mi · 1 hr 35 minPeak around Oct 17
- Mohawk TrailMassachusetts73 mi · 1 hr 38 minPeak around Oct 23
- Kancamagus Highway (Route 112)68 mi · 1 hr 40 minPeak around Oct 11
- Franconia Notch State Park72 mi · 1 hr 41 minPeak around Oct 9Building
- Pleasant Valley RoadVermont69 mi · 1 hr 42 minPeak around Oct 16
- Route 100Vermont92 mi · 1 hr 51 minPeak around Oct 9