4 Regions Where Fall Foliage Will Peak This Month

Part of leaning into “fall core” is taking some time to enjoy the stunningly colorful show nature puts on for us each year. Of course, some states’ fall foliage is arguably better than others. But the true leaf-peeping planners know that in reality, timing your trip just right can be just as important as picking the right place. And now that October is finally here, some regions are about to really pop off with peak fall foliage in the coming weeks.

RELATED: When 5 U.S. Regions Will Hit Peak Fall Foliage This Year.

The Northeast will start the month off strong.

Depending on where you live, the first signs of those reds, yellows, and oranges might be starting to pop through on some of the trees in your area. And now that October has arrived, most of the U.S. will start to hit its peak before the month even finishes.

The first areas to hit their peak will mostly be concentrated in the north, according to ExploreFall.com. This includes northern New England (and most of Maine), the Adirondack region of New York, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, northern Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, northern North Dakota, much of Montana, most of Wyoming, and much of eastern Idaho.

Parts of central Oregon and Washington, as well as northwestern Nevada, will also likely hit full fall color blast in the first half of the month. You can also expect some change in central, western, and northern New Mexico around this time.

The middle of the month will bring even more color.

Towards the middle of the month, an even wider swath of the country will get its autumn glow up. Coastal Maine and southern New England will see leaves change, along with central New York; northern and western Pennsylvania; the northern part of the Michigan “mitten”; central and southern Wisconsin and Minnesota; southern North Dakota; northern and western South Dakota; northern Iowa; western Nebraska; and eastern Colorado.

Things get a little more confusing around the western U.S., where pops of color still start springing up in parts of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, California, and northern Arizona.

RELATED: 7 Best Fall Foliage Trees to Peep in Your Region.

Late October hits the Heartland and Midwest.

Those bright, beautiful colors will continue to trickle south as we head towards Halloween and finish up the month. The tail end of October will see fall foliage hit its peak in coastal Massachusetts; New York City; New Jersey; southern Pennsylvania; western Virginia; most of West Virginia; Ohio; eastern Kentucky; Indiana; Illinois (including Chicago); southern Iowa; Missouri; southeastern South Dakota; southern Iowa; eastern Nebraska; most of Kansas; the Oklahoma panhandle; northern Texas; and eastern New Mexico.

There’s also a smattering of color changes happening throughout the western states, including along the California coast. If you’ve been holding out for a special seaside road trip, this might be the best time of the season to hit the road to leaf-peep across the Golden State.