6 Regions Where Fall Foliage Will Peak This Month
With Labor Day weekend behind us, we can now focus on more important matters: pumpkin spice latte and fall foliage season. Every autumn, thousands of travelers flock to New England and the Rockies to take in the brilliant pops of red, orange, and yellow. And with the crisp fall morning air already settling in, foliage chasers are eager to start planning their leaf-peeping road trip. Leaves could start changing colors as early as late September. Here’s everything you need to know.
RELATED: 12 Best U.S. Road Trips to See Fall Foliage.
Let’s start with the good news first: AccuWeather experts are predicting a more “vibrant” fall foliage season for 2025 compared to last year. The caveat? Peak colors are expected to be short-lived.
“There will be drastic differences in fall foliage across this country this year,” said AccuWeather lead long-range expert Paul Pastelok in a statement shared with Best Life. “We expect vibrant colors across much of New England and the Midwest this autumn. Don’t wait too long to check out the leaves as they approach peak color. The fall foliage may not last very long this year.”
According to the weather agency, the perfect recipe for “spectacular” fall foliage is “a healthy growing season with steady rainfall in the spring and summer, sunny afternoons and cool nights in the early fall, and minimal disruption from insects, drought and wind.”
If this sounds like your neck of the woods, you might be in store for a colorful start to fall.
Leaf-peeping season runs from mid-September through early November, with most regions reaching peak foliage around mid-October. Insider tip: Cities in the north, like those along the Canadian border, are typically the first to turn. As the days and weeks go by, those pops of crimson red and golden yellow will venture south.
So, where will fall foliage peak in September? The Weather Channel has already spotted changing leaves across the Rocky Mountain range in Montana, Wyoming, Northern Colorado, and parts of Utah. The Northern Tier, including the Great Lakes region, has leaves turning colors, as well as areas in New England.
Meanwhile, the Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting peak fall foliage “in the northern tier states out West and in the Midwest by late September.” Below is a list of some of the best cities to see peak fall foliage this month.
- Black Hills, South Dakota
- Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina
- Jackson, Wyoming
- Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
- The Berkshires, Massachusetts
- Taos, New Mexico
Also available on the Old Farmer’s Almanac website is an animated map that shows the daily progression of fall foliage across the U.S. based on previous reports from Almanac readers. So you can plan your leaf-peeping road trip down to the exact day.
On that note, you’ll also want to keep an eye on the weather as “heavy rain, strong winds, or early frost can shorten the season.” The most vibrant colors will crop up in regions with “cool nights, sunny days, and moderate rainfall,” says the Almanac.
RELATED: 15 Secret Places in the U.S. to See Fall Foliage.
The types of trees in a region also matter. “As sunlight decreases and cold increases, tree growth slows, and the production of green chlorophyll in leaves begins to slow, revealing fall leaves’ brilliant hues of yellow, orange, and red,” with “oak, birch, [and] beech” trees showcasing the most flamboyant hues,” per the Almanac.
According to AccuWeather, these popular tree species are known to exude the following fall leaf colors:
- Aspens: golden yellow
- Beech: light tan
- Black Maple: glowing yellow
- Black Tupelo: crimson
- Dogwood: purplish red
- Hickories: golden bronze
- Oaks: red, brown, russet
- Red Maple: brilliant scarlet
- Sourwood: crimson
- Stripled Maple: Colorless
- Sugar Maple: orange-red
- Yellow-Poplar: golden yellow
Looking at the 2025 fall foliage season at a glance, AccuWeather said, “Vivid fall colors are expected across parts of 25 states, while dull fall foliage is predicted to span through 23 states.”