Nature at its best.Know when to go.
Fall color, migrating birds, wildlife, wildflowers and more at 453 places across the US, with when each one is usually at its best, from the parks, refuges and forests themselves.
Use my locationto see what's in season within your drive
Checked against 1,507 official sources.How we check
The year at a glance
Places usually in season each month, and what starts. Year calendar
Usually at its best in October
October is fall color at 119 of the places we follow, plus fall & winter wildlife at 48 and wildlife at 14.
Coming up in November
Usual windows that start in November
Humboldt Bay RefugeWaterbirds and raptors in CaliforniaUsual peak: November through April
Talladega National ForestFall color in AlabamaStatewide timing: By early November
RedwoodGray whale migration in CaliforniaUsual peak: November through December
Sacramento RefugeDucks and geese in CaliforniaSeason: November and December
In Season, the monthly email
Know where to go, every month.
Once a month: where nature is usually at its best, what's in season in your state, and what's coming up next. Free.
- At its best this month
- In your state
- Coming up next month
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What's on near you
Your town and dates: what's usually in season within your drive, with the weather where the forecast is out.
Day trips from 17 big cities
Your town's nature year
Frost dates, first color and blooms near 344 towns. Find your town
In season now, state by state
Darker states have more in season this week. Pick a state to open its guide.
Everything we follow
Pick a topic for every place and when it's at its best
Park guides
What each park is best for, through the year.
How Catch the Peak works
Read how we check- 1
Each place has its own dates
Usual timing from the park, refuge, forest or agency that manages the place, with the source linked. Not a forecast.
- 2
The whole year, not just fall
Fall color, migrating birds, wildlife, wildflowers and more, so every month has places at their best.
- 3
Updates where they're posted
Where a park or state posts dated updates (Vermont's foliage reports, for one), we add them with their date and source.
- places
- 453
- places
- state guides
- 50
- state guides
- park guides
- 12
- park guides
- town pages
- 344
- town pages
- official sources checked
- 1,507
- official sources checked
Questions people ask
When is peak fall foliage in 2026?
It depends on the place. In a typical year it comes first to Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota (the last two weeks of September) and last to Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas (late November through early December). Each place page has its own dates.
What's in season in October?
Fall color at 119, fall & winter wildlife at 48 and wildlife at 14 of the places we follow. The October calendar lists all 171 places.
Where can I see bald eagles?
At Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (October–December), Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge (October–May), Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge (October–February) and 27 more. Numbers vary from year to year and day to day.Blackwater Refuge · October–DecemberMandalay Refuge · October–MayMaxwell Refuge · October–FebruaryNoxubee Refuge · OctoberSequoyah Refuge · October–FebruarySherburne Refuge · OctoberTwo Rivers Refuge · OctoberLake Meredith · September–OctoberSee all 30 →
Where can I see wildflowers?
We track 88 places. In season soonest: Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge (May through October), Figueroa Mountain Recreation Area (Los Padres National Forest) (Springtime (February through April)), Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (between February and April) and 85 more.Trinity River Refuge · May through OctoberFigueroa Mountain · Springtime (February through April)Organ Pipe Cactus · between February and AprilPoint Reyes · February through AugustGolden Gate · from late February through JuneNorth Cascades · late February in the low forests to early September in the alpineBuffalo River · March to MayChattahoochee River · early springSee all 88 →
Where do your dates come from?
From the agency that manages each place: the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Forest Service and others, plus NOAA and USA-NPN data. Each page links its sources and the date we checked them.