Vermontfall foliage
No reports yet this season. Next up: Missisquoi Refuge, typically Oct 1–10.
When is peak fall foliage in Vermont?
Across the state, Wikivoyage's Vermont guide says foliage season begins in mid to late September, with color building to a peak around the first or second week of October. It comes sooner in the north and at higher elevations, then moves south and downhill. That's statewide, not any one town's timing: each place below shows its own latest status.
Checked Sep 28. Source: Wikivoyage, Vermont ↗ (opens in a new tab)
This week in Vermont · Updated Sep 28
We haven't logged an official report for Vermont yet this fall; the first places here usually turn around Sep 15. The forecast looks best on Tue–Sun, and no frost in sight: the coldest night is 37°F at Nulhegan Basin. 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
Wind up to 26 mph at Smugglers’ Notch. No frost yet: the coldest night is 37°F at Nulhegan Basin.
- Smugglers’ NotchStatewide: Sep 15–Oct 15Todayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThuwind to 26 mphFriwind to 20 mphSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- StoweStatewide: Sep 15–Oct 15Todayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- WoodstockStatewide: Sep 15–Oct 15Todayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- Missisquoi RefugeUsually Oct 1–10Todayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- Nulhegan BasinUsually Oct 1–10Todayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- Green Mountain National ForestNo timing on recordTodayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- Jay PeakNo timing on recordTodayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- KillingtonNo timing on recordTodayrain likely, wind to 20 mphTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- Lake WilloughbyNo timing on recordTodayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- LudlowNo timing on record · On the Woodstock pageTodayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- ManchesterNo timing on recordTodayrain likelyTuedry and calmWeddry and calmThudry and calmFridry and calmSatdry and calmSundry and calm
- WaterburyNo timing on record · On the Stowe pageTodayrain 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smugglers’ Notch | Statewide: Sep 15–Oct 15 | No report | Today | 39°F | 2,159 ft |
| Stowe | Statewide: Sep 15–Oct 15 | No report | Today | 39°F | 720 ft |
| Woodstock | Statewide: Sep 15–Oct 15 | No report | Today | 41°F | 703 ft |
| Missisquoi Refuge | Oct 1–10 | No report | Today | 46°F | 97 ft |
| Nulhegan Basin | Oct 1–10 | No report | Today | 37°F | 1,821 ft |
| Green Mountain National Forest | — | No report | Today | 41°F | 875 ft |
| Jay Peak | — | No report | Today | 39°F | 3,848 ft |
| Killington | — | No report | Today | 41°F | 4,205 ft |
| Lake Willoughby | — | No report | Today | 40°F | 1,169 ft |
| Ludlow | — | No report | Today | 40°F | 1,003 ft |
| Manchester | — | No report | Today | 42°F | 885 ft |
| Waterbury | — | No report | Today | 41°F | 441 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 →
Vermont's byways and fall favorites
Lincoln Gap Road
Warren to Lincoln, up and over the Green Mountain range. Steep and winding, not recommended for trailers. Closed in winter.
Molly Stark Scenic Byway
Route 9 between Bennington and Wilmington, with national forest on both sides. Watch for signs to Woodford State Park and Somerset Reservoir.
Scenic Route 100 Byway
A stretch of the Skier's Highway along the eastern edge of the Green Mountains, past several popular ski areas.
Somerset Road
Forest Road 71, from Route 9 along the Deerfield River to Somerset Reservoir. At Shep Meadows, an old beaver pond, moose can sometimes be seen.
Pins mark the towns each byway's official description names; the road runs between them. The Connecticut River and Lake Champlain byways name no towns, so they have no pins.
Source: US Forest Service, Green Mountain National Forest scenic drives ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Planning a Vermont fall foliage trip
Hotels, restaurants and roads fill quickly in foliage season, so book early: Columbus Day weekend is usually the most crowded. Several ski resorts run foliage lift rides up to mountaintop overlooks.
Stowe sits at the base of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak, where Routes 100 and 108 meet; in summer a gondola and a toll road go up the mountain, and a 5-mile recreation path runs through the valley. Route 108 climbs on to Smugglers' Notch, the pass between Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, where a trail from the state park rises 900 feet to Sterling Pond.
In Woodstock, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park starts half a mile north of the village: 20 miles of trails and carriage roads, open daily from dawn to dusk, through the Mount Tom Forest.
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 ServiceTrail closures in deer seasons; Migratory Bird Day; fall waterfowlSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missisquoi NWR, Visit Us in a new tab)
- Sep 28Park ServiceTrail descriptions; Mac's Bend Road open to cars Sept–Dec; Jeep Trail open Aug 1–Apr 1Source (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missisquoi NWR, Trails in a new tab)
Show all 10
- Sep 28Park ServiceVisitor center location; largest waterfowl concentration on Lake ChamplainSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge in a new tab)
- Sep 28Park ServiceNulhegan Basin overlooks, boardwalks, trails and gravel roads (Memorial Day to mid-December)Source (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Silvio O. Conte NFWR, Vermont Divisions and Units in a new tab)
- Sep 28Park ServiceNulhegan winter grooming; snowmobile season Dec 16–Apr 15; gates locked until Memorial Day weekendSource (opens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Silvio O. Conte NFWR, Trails in a new tab)
- Sep 28Park ServiceHalf a mile north of Woodstock; 20 miles of trails and carriage roads, dawn to dusk; visitor center Memorial Day weekend–Oct 31Source (opens National Park Service, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller: Plan Your Visit in a new tab)
- Sep 28Park Service550-acre Mount Tom Forest; the 14-acre Pogue; no bicycles on carriage roads; winter skiing and snowshoeingSource (opens National Park Service, Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller: FAQ in a new tab)
- Sep 27Park ServiceEast of Manchester Center; about 80% northern hardwoods (birch, beech, maple); plateau mostly above 2,500 ftSource (opens US Forest Service, Lye Brook Wilderness in a new tab)
- Sep 27Park ServiceBlue-blazed trail into the 18,122-acre Lye Brook Wilderness; spur at 1.8 miles to the 125-foot falls; slippery rocks, don't climb the fallsSource (opens US Forest Service, Lye Brook Falls Trail in a new tab)
Questions people ask
When is peak fall foliage in Vermont in 2026?
It depends on the place. In a typical year: Missisquoi Refuge, Oct 1–10 and Nulhegan Basin, Oct 1–10. Each place page has its own dates.
Where can I see fall foliage in Vermont?
We track 10 places: Missisquoi Refuge (usually Oct 1–10), Nulhegan Basin (usually Oct 1–10), Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont, Jay Peak, Vermont, Killington, Vermont, Lake Willoughby, Vermont, Manchester, Vermont, Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont, Stowe, Vermont and Woodstock, Vermont.
How long does the fall foliage season last in Vermont?
Across the places we track, from about Oct 1 (Missisquoi Refuge) to Oct 10 (Nulhegan Basin). Each place's own window is shorter.
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.