Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Sweet Run State Park
Peak fall color is predicted around October 26. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 21 to October 31.
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 Loudoun County and across Virginia.
That is 4 days later than usual (October 22): the six weeks to October 13 ran 3.1°F warmer than the 2001–2025 average, and a warmer run before peak delays the color. This will settle about ten days before peak, as the weather comes in.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Sweet Run State Park
30 to 60 minutes
- Washington Monument State Park19 mi · 34 minMarylandPeak: Oct 30Status: Early color
- Cunningham Falls State Park35 mi · 47 minMarylandPeak: Oct 23Status: Early color
- Sugarloaf Mountain32 mi · 48 minMarylandPeak: Oct 30Status: Moderate color
- Black Hill Regional Park36 mi · 51 minMarylandPeak: Oct 28Status: Moderate color
1 to 2 hours
- Patapsco Valley State Park53 mi · 1 hr 6 minMarylandPeak: Oct 25Status: Moderate color
- Northern Virginia Parks42 mi · 1 hr 6 minPeak: Oct 28Status: Moderate color
- Historic National Road55 mi · 1 hr 9 minMarylandPeak: Oct 22Status: Moderate color
- George Washington Memorial Parkway49 mi · 1 hr 11 minPeak: Oct 28Status: Moderate color
- Western Maryland (Garrett & Allegany Counties)54 mi · 1 hr 15 minMarylandPeak: Oct 23Status: Moderate color