Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at The White Mountains
Peak fall color is predicted around October 21. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 16 to October 26.
Predicted peakOctober 21
Best windowOctober 16 – October 26
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 The White Mountains
Driving distance and time by road, not straight-line.
30 to 60 minutes
1 to 2 hours
- North Central MassachusettsMassachusetts36 mi · 1 hr 2 minPeak around Oct 21
- Fruitlands Museum (Harvard)Massachusetts43 mi · 1 hr 4 minPeak around Oct 23
- Boston Common & Public GardenMassachusetts51 mi · 1 hr 10 min
- Lake Sunapee Scenic Byway55 mi · 1 hr 12 minPeak around Oct 12Building
- Wachusett MountainMassachusetts47 mi · 1 hr 22 minPeak around Oct 19
- Arnold ArboretumMassachusetts61 mi · 1 hr 24 minPeak around Oct 30Not started
- Appleton Farms (Ipswich)Massachusetts48 mi · 1 hr 25 minPeak around Oct 26Just starting