New Hampshirefall foliage
No reports yet this season.
When is peak fall foliage in New Hampshire?
No official source we can use gives New Hampshire a peak date, so we go by what volunteer observers record: across the state, fall color is usually well under way by early October (USA National Phenology Network, typical falls). Each place below shows its own latest status and the week ahead.
Checked Sep 27. Source: USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations ↗ (opens in a new tab)
This week in New Hampshire · Updated Sep 28
We haven't logged an official report for New Hampshire yet this fall; the first places here usually turn around Oct 4. The forecast looks best on Tue–Sun, and no frost in sight: the coldest night is 36°F at Crawford Notch and Zealand Valley. In New England's volunteer tree counts for Sep 15–21, red maple is ahead of a typical year; the rest are close to typical.
When each place peaks, and the week ahead
Best days to go: Tue–Sun
No strong wind in the forecast. No frost yet: the coldest night is 36°F at Crawford Notch and Zealand Valley.
- Crawford Notch and Zealand ValleyStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 7Todayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- Pinkham NotchStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 7Todayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- Waterville ValleyStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 7Todayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- White Mountain National ForestStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 7Todayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- Great Bay RefugeMarsh color, per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceTodayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
All the numbers
| Place | Usual peak | This week | Rain likely | Coldest night | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford Notch and Zealand Valley | Statewide: well under way by ~Oct 7 | No report | Today | 36°F | 1,417 ft |
| Pinkham Notch | Statewide: well under way by ~Oct 7 | No report | Today | 38°F | 2,032 ft |
| Waterville Valley | Statewide: well under way by ~Oct 7 | No report | Today | 37°F | 1,495 ft |
| White Mountain National Forest | Statewide: well under way by ~Oct 7 | No report | Today | 38°F | 461 ft |
| Great Bay Refuge | Marsh color, per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | No report | Today | 46°F | -5 ft |
Solid bars: each place's usual window from its official sources; dashed: a regional or statewide timing, not the place's own. Stages from the latest official report. Weather: National Weather Service forecast for each place, issued Sep 28. A best day is dry and calm at most of these places.
New England, site by site
Color moving across New England
139 volunteer sites this week (seen in at least 2 of the falls 2020–2025)
- Green
- Yellow
- Orange
- Red
- Brown, leaves down
Typical year, not a prediction. Each dot is a real USA-NPN volunteer site: the middle stage its trees had that week across the falls 2020–2025. Green: under 5% of leaves colored · yellow 5–24% · orange 25–49% · red half or more · brown: leaves mostly down. Sites within a few hundred yards of each other (a research forest, a park) share one dot, with their number on it. Data: USA National Phenology Network (CC BY 4.0).
New England, Sep 15–21
11% this week (62 observations) · typical 6%
0% this week (56 observations) · typical 3%
4% this week (47 observations) · typical 0%
Black cherry
2% this week (42 observations) · typical 0%
Red maple is ahead of a typical year; the rest are close to typical. Only species with at least 15 observations that week; the line marks the typical share for the same week (2020–2025). Updated Sep 27. Data: USA-NPN. Which trees turn when in New England →
Planning a New Hampshire fall foliage trip
The Kancamagus Scenic Byway, 34 miles through the White Mountain National Forest, is one of the country's most celebrated fall drives, says the Forest Service, with sugar maples, birch and beeches lighting up the slopes. Stop at Sabbaday Falls, a series of cascades in a narrow flume 15 miles west of Conway, and at Rocky Gorge, eight miles west of Conway, where a footbridge looks upstream at the Swift River.
In Pinkham Notch, a Civilian Conservation Corps site leads on a short hike to 66-foot Glen Ellis Falls (a recreation fee is charged). Around Crawford Notch and the Zealand Valley, the Crawford Path is the oldest continuously maintained hiking path in America, 8.5 miles long, and the Caps Ridge trailhead, at 3,008 feet, is the highest on a public road in the White Mountains.
Forest Service campgrounds such as Sugarloaf near Zealand are open from mid-May to mid-October, and roads like Jefferson Notch Road aren't maintained for winter travel. Waterville Valley is 10 miles up Route 49 from exit 28 of Interstate 93.
Sources (10)
- US Forest Service, White Mountain NF scenic drives ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Fall Colors ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Sabbaday Falls ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Rocky Gorge Scenic Area ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Glen Ellis Scenic Area ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Crawford Path Trailhead ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Caps Ridge Trailhead ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Sugarloaf I Campground ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, White Mountain NF forest roads status ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- US Forest Service, Waterville Campground ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Official reports
- Sep 28Park ServiceUsual peak by refuge: early October at Aroostook, Nulhegan Basin and Missisquoi; mid-October at Moosehorn, Rachel Carson and Great Bay (marsh)Source (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, A fall foliage tour of the Northeast in a new tab)
- Sep 28Park ServiceHow to enter the refugeSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Great Bay NWR, Visit Us in a new tab)
- Sep 28Park ServiceRefuge overview; wintering bald eaglesSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge in a new tab)
Show all 5
- Sep 28Park ServiceTrail names and lengthsSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Great Bay NWR, Trails in a new tab)
- Sep 28Park ServiceYouth turkey hunt late April; fall archery huntSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Great Bay NWR, Hunting in a new tab)
Questions people ask
Where can I see fall foliage in New Hampshire?
We track 5 places: Crawford Notch and Zealand Valley, New Hampshire, Great Bay Refuge, Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire, Waterville Valley, New Hampshire and White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire.
Why does color come earlier in some places?
Higher ground turns first. In the Great Smoky Mountains, color can start as early as mid-September at the highest elevations, develops above 4,000 feet from early to mid-October, and reaches the lower and middle slopes between mid-October and early November.Source: National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains fall color ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How do you track fall foliage?
Each place moves through 6 stages: Still green, First color, Moderate, High color, Peak and Past peak. Every stage we show comes from a dated report with its source, and every forecast lists its sources.