This is October's issue as readers with no state picked would get it. With a state, the “Near you” box becomes up to three places in season in that state. Sign up →

CATCH THE PEAK

In Season · October 2026

Fall color, monarch butterflies and elk: October's best

175 places we follow are in season in October, most for fall color. Here are five of the best.

The parkway winding through mountainsides of red, orange and yellow trees

Photo: Tanya Schoenhoff / USGS, public domain (cropped)

North Carolina

Fall color at the Blue Ridge Parkway

October, highest elevations first.

When to go →

Also at its best in October

A large flock of dark ducks taking off from blue water in front of brown reeds and bare trees

Minnesota

Rice Lake Refuge

Fall migratory birds

September and October are the best months for fall migratory birds.

When to go →

A pale white peacock butterfly with brown markings resting on a cluster of fuzzy blue-purple flowers

Texas

Santa Ana Refuge

Butterflies

Between October and December.

When to go →

Two elk with large antlers standing apart on a green grassy slope, one facing away, in hazy light

South Dakota

Wind Cave

Elk bugling

September to October.

When to go →

An orange and black monarch butterfly feeding on a pink coneflower among green leaves

New Jersey

Cape May Refuge

Monarch butterflies migrate through

In fall (September, October, and November).

When to go →

Near you

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Coming up in November

Redwood · California · Gray whale migration

November through December.

Puʻukoholā Heiau · Hawaii · Humpback whales offshore

Between November and April.

Chautauqua Refuge · Illinois · Waterfowl

Migration typically peaks in November.

The November calendar →

Photos: Tanya Schoenhoff / USGS (public domain); Donna Crider/USFWS (public domain); cricketsblog (CC BY 2.0); NPS photo / Peelee Clark (public domain); Laura Perlick / USFWS (CC BY 2.0). Every date comes from the place's own official source, linked on its page. Usual timing, not a forecast.

This is October's issue as a web page. Sign up for In Season →

Catch the Peak · 2054 Wirt Rd STE F, Houston, TX 77055