It’s almost here: Mornings are getting colder, the light is changing...we’re almost there for the season where we expect pumpkin-flavored everything, taking leisurely tours through trees spectacular with fall colors and walking through apple orchards to pick our own. And here to help you plan your next leaf peeping session, Yankee magazine has recently released its 2025 fall foliage forecast, with peak color timings and weather insights.
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And speaking of weather, thanks to a wet spring—with a streak of rain or snow on 12 Saturdays in a row—leaf peepers may have to do a little more foraging to find those spectacular colors. The persistent precipitation this spring meant more fireflies (yay) and more horseflies (boo). The forests of New England are also changing due to beech leaf disease and emerald ash borers, affecting two of our strong colorful foliage producers.
The good news is that fall colors are just about a month away. But because of that rainfall and, paradoxically, an increasing drought index, we may have to go to different elevations than usual to find them. Already some birch trees are showing yellows, and all signs point to a plentiful array of colors. Typically, the peak for New England overall is right around the last week of October, according to this visualizer, although regions in northern New Hampshire and northern Maine will already be past peak by then. We tend to steer people towards Vermont, where the entire state seems to peak at once and where the best cider donuts (tangy, not sweet) in the entire world are made—there's a map for that, too!
The oncoming weeks’ weather will determine how everything shakes out; experts are hoping for warm, sunny days and crisp, clear nights to firm up the foliage display. Cross your fingers and brew some orange pekoe.