The predicted color stage on the selected date, modelled from years of fall color records. A forecast, not a live observation.When each area's color is predicted to peak this season. The date doesn't change this view.
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Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Whiteface Mountain
Peak fall color is predicted around October 3. Plan for the strongest viewing window from September 28 to October 8.
Predicted peakOctober 3
Best windowSeptember 28 – October 8
Confidence range±5 days
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 Essex County and across New York.
That is 3 days earlier than usual (October 7): the six weeks to September 24 ran 2.8°F cooler than the 2001–2025 average, and a cooler run before peak brings forward the color.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Whiteface Mountain
30 to 60 minutes
2 to 3 hours
Over 3 hours
- Smugglers' Notch (Route 108)129 mi · 3 hr 1 minVermontPeak: Oct 7Status: Peak color
- Cohoes Falls137 mi · 3 hr 4 minPeak: Oct 18Status: Early color
- Albany Pine Bush Preserve143 mi · 3 hr 12 minPeak: Oct 19Status: Moderate color
- Peebles Island State Park139 mi · 3 hr 12 minPeak: Oct 18Status: Moderate color