When do the leaves change in Baltimore?
Baltimore's stream valleys do the heavy lifting. Patapsco Valley and Gunpowder Falls state parks wrap the city in oak and tulip-poplar gold, Cylburn Arboretum is a quiet pocket of maples, and the wooded shores of Loch Raven Reservoir glow on a still morning. Druid Hill Park brings real color inside the city itself.
Peak: November 2–November 6
Color builds from October 20 · mostly bare by November 26
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Baltimore’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Baltimore itself at 29 m elevation. Estimates, not promises — street trees vary block to block. Check locally before you plan around a weekend.
Fall activities in Baltimore
Great Falls Park
40 miNational park
Peak November 2
The Potomac drops 76 feet over jagged bedrock cascades at this 800-acre National Park Service site near McLean, with cliffside trails past the ruins of George Washington's Patowmack Canal offering some of the region's most dramatic river-gorge foliage views.
Don’t miss: 76-ft Potomac River cascades · Historic Patowmack Canal ruins · Cliffside overlook trails
in Virginia
Cunningham Falls State Park
50 miState park
Peak October 29
Cunningham Falls tumbles 78 feet down a rock face in the Catoctin Mountains, the largest cascading waterfall in Maryland, reached by a short trail from the Houck day-use area of this roughly 6,000-acre park established in 1954 alongside the 43-acre Hunting Creek Lake.
Don’t miss: 78-ft Cunningham Falls · Catoctin Mountain fall color · Hunting Creek Lake
in Maryland
Longwood Gardens
64 miGarden
Peak November 1
Pierre S. du Pont's 1,100-acre estate near Kennett Square anchors its fall season with the Chrysanthemum Festival (some 4,500 mums, including an 18-month-trained 'thousand bloom' specimen) set against woodland and meadow color running into mid-November.
Don’t miss: Chrysanthemum Festival · 1,100 acres of gardens and meadow · Conservatory displays
in Pennsylvania
Winterthur
65 miGarden
Peak November 2
Henry Francis du Pont's 979-acre former estate near Wilmington, opened as a museum in 1951, pairs a renowned American decorative-arts collection with a 60-acre naturalistic garden, where mature oaks, tulip poplars, and Japanese maples color 25 miles of trails into late October.
Don’t miss: 60-acre naturalistic garden · 25 miles of garden trails · Enchanted Woods children's garden
in Delaware
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in Baltimore
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season — the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Baltimore.
Original Fells Point Ghost Walk
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks November 4
An all-ages walking tour of Baltimore's waterfront Fells Point, run by Baltimore Ghost Tours since 2001 and departing from Broadway Square by Max's Taphouse. Guides tell haunting tales drawn from real events across the cobblestone district on Friday and Saturday nights, spring through November.
Don’t miss: Departs Broadway Square by Max's Taphouse · Running since 2001 · Fri & Sat nights, spring through November
Ellicott City
Historic townColor nearby peaks November 4
Three Quaker brothers founded this mill town on the Patapsco River in 1771, and its steep Main Street still holds the granite storefronts that grew up around their mills. Filled today with antique shops and restaurants, the historic district anchors the oldest surviving train station in the country, a short drive from both Baltimore and Washington.
Don’t miss: Granite mill-town Main Street · Oldest surviving US train station · Antique shops and restaurants
Clark's Elioak Farm
FarmColor nearby peaks November 3
Once home to figures from Baltimore's old Enchanted Forest storybook park, Clark's Elioak Farm folds those fairy tale statues into a working petting farm outside Ellicott City. Its fall pumpkin patch runs alongside the usual barnyard animals and play areas, open most of the year from late March into November.
Don’t miss: Enchanted Forest storybook statues · Fall pumpkin patch · Petting farm and play areas
Maryland Renaissance Festival
20 miFall festival
Color nearby peaks November 5
A wooded fairground in Crownsville turns into a 16th century village every fall weekend, with jousting, jesters, and more than a hundred craft and food vendors under the trees. The 2026 run spans nineteen days between August 29 and October 25, weekends only, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., a short drive from both Annapolis and Baltimore.
Don’t miss: Jousting and live entertainment · 16th century village setting · Weekends, late August to late October
in Maryland
Brad's Farm Market
25 miFarm
Color nearby peaks November 2
A seasonal produce farm and market on Asbury Road in Churchville, Harford County, open April through October. Every weekend in October it turns into a fall festival, with the farm stand carrying fresh local produce daily from 9 a.m. through the picking season northeast of Baltimore.
Don’t miss: Fall festival every October weekend · Farm market open April to October · Fresh local produce daily
in Maryland
Larriland Farm
26 miFarm
Color nearby peaks November 2
Three generations deep in Woodbine, Larriland Farm has grown its own produce since 1973 rather than buying it in, and the pick-your-own season runs from late May clear through mid-November across more than 20 crops. By fall that means apples and pumpkins alongside the farm's own fields, with a field ticket needed to start picking.
Don’t miss: 20-plus u-pick crops · Season runs into mid-November · Family-run since 1973
in Maryland
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Baltimore in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for November 2–November 6 (best estimate November 4). Color starts around October 20 and trees are mostly bare by November 26. These dates are computed for Baltimore itself — at 29 m elevation — from the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in Baltimore?
- Baltimore colors during autumn (September–November). Baltimore's stream valleys do the heavy lifting. Patapsco Valley and Gunpowder Falls state parks wrap the city in oak and tulip-poplar gold, Cylburn Arboretum is a quiet pocket of maples, and the wooded shores of Loch Raven Reservoir glow on a still morning. Druid Hill Park brings real color inside the city itself.
- What's the best foliage near Baltimore?
- Great Falls Park (40 mi); Cunningham Falls State Park (50 mi); Longwood Gardens (64 mi). For a longer trip: Maryland (13 mi, peak ~November 3); Delaware (63 mi, peak ~November 6); New Jersey (116 mi, peak ~November 7).
- What are the best things to do in fall in Baltimore?
- Beyond the leaves: Original Fells Point Ghost Walk (1 mi); Ellicott City (10 mi); Clark's Elioak Farm (14 mi); Maryland Renaissance Festival (20 mi); Brad's Farm Market (25 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.
- What are the best things to do in autumn near Baltimore?
- Come autumn — autumn (September–November) — locals head for Original Fells Point Ghost Walk (1 mi); Ellicott City (10 mi); Clark's Elioak Farm (14 mi); Maryland Renaissance Festival (20 mi); Brad's Farm Market (25 mi). Each is on the map with the distance from Baltimore.