State guide
When to catch Vermontthrough the year
We follow 6 places in Vermont for fall foliage: fall at Green Mountain National Forest and Manchester. Each timing below is the place's own source, in its words; none is a forecast.
When are you going?
Fall in Vermont
- CURRENT REPORT · FALL FOLIAGENulhegan BasinModerateVermont
Moderate, reported Sep 23 · Vermont Tourism ↗
Also good in fall
- Green Mountain National ForestFall color across Vermont
- ManchesterFall color across Vermont
- StoweFall color across Vermont
- WoodstockFall color across Vermont
From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.
Winter in Vermont
Next peak here after winter
First color, reported Sep 23 · Vermont Tourism ↗
Spring in Vermont
Next peak here after spring
First color, reported Sep 23 · Vermont Tourism ↗
Summer in Vermont
Next peak here after summer
First color, reported Sep 23 · Vermont Tourism ↗
Places in Vermont
- Fall
Places on this map, as a list
Planning a Vermont trip
Browse by season and event
- Fall foliage · 6 places hereFall foliage in Vermont →Fall foliage, everywhere →
Questions people ask
Where can I pull over to look at the color at Green Mountain National Forest?
The Forest Service asks drivers to use the pull-offs, and if one is already full, to keep going to the next one rather than stopping on the road.Source: US Forest Service, Green Mountain National Forest scenic drives ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Which trees color the woods around Lye Brook at Manchester?
About 80% of the Lye Brook Wilderness, east of Manchester Center, is northern hardwood forest: birch, beech and maple, with thickets of small spruce. Most of it is a plateau above 2,500 feet.Source: US Forest Service, Lye Brook Wilderness ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How long is the hike to Lye Brook Falls at Manchester?
The spur to the 125-foot falls leaves the blue-blazed trail at 1.8 miles, on a steady, gradual climb along old logging railroad grades. The Forest Service warns the rocks are slippery: don't climb the falls.Source: US Forest Service, Lye Brook Falls Trail ↗ (opens in a new tab)
When do the colors peak at Missisquoi Refuge?
Early October, per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which also points to the refuge's yearly fall migration of more than 20,000 ducks.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, A fall foliage tour of the Northeast ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Are the trails open during hunting season at Missisquoi Refuge?
Not all of them. Every trail closes during the rifle and muzzleloader deer seasons except the Black Creek & Maquam Creek trail, and deer and waterfowl seasons bring advisories on some trails. The refuge's phone line, (802) 868-4781, has the latest.Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missisquoi NWR, Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missisquoi NWR, Trails ↗ (opens in a new tab)
When do the leaves peak here at Nulhegan Basin?
Early October, per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The basin sits high, so its sugar maples turn earlier than much of Vermont.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, A fall foliage tour of the Northeast ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Nearby state guides: New Hampshire · Massachusetts · New York · Maine
Vermont in pictures
How we know
- Sep 29Official reportVermont's general statewide pattern: peak foliage usually the last week of September and first week of October, color starting high before the valleysSource (opens Vermont Tourism, Foliage Forecaster Map in a new tab)
- 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)