When do the leaves change in Boston?
Boston sits at the doorstep of New England's famous color: the Common and the Emerald Necklace turn in late October, and the White Mountains and the Berkshires are both an easy weekend drive away.
Peak: October 21–October 25
Color builds from October 8 · mostly bare by November 13
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Boston’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Boston itself at 9 m elevation. Estimates, not promises — street trees vary block to block. Check locally before you plan around a weekend.
Fall activities in Boston
Walden Pond State Reservation
16 miState park
Peak October 21
Thoreau's kettle pond in Concord rings itself in oak, maple, and hickory color by mid-to-late October. The 1.7-mile shore path is an easy morning walk, with the clearest light early and the fewest people on a weekday.
Don’t miss: Shore path loop · Thoreau house site
in Massachusetts
Colt State Park
48 miState park
Peak October 26
Industrialist Samuel Colt's former farm gives Bristol 464 acres of Narragansett Bay shoreline, its open fields lined by a mile of stone walls and a tree-shaded loop drive that's especially popular for fall cycling and picnicking with bay views.
Don’t miss: 464 acres of Narragansett Bay waterfront · Stone-wall-lined loop drive · Popular fall cycling route
in Rhode Island
Newport Cliff Walk
63 miTrail
Peak October 26
A 3.5-mile National Recreation Trail traces Newport's rocky Atlantic shoreline below the Gilded Age mansions of Bellevue Avenue, from Easton's Beach past The Breakers and Marble House to Bailey's Beach, with dramatic surf and ocean light through the fall.
Don’t miss: 3.5 miles along the Atlantic shoreline · Passes below The Breakers and Marble House · National Recreation Trail
in Rhode Island
Mount Greylock State Reservation
109 miState park
Peak October 10
Massachusetts' highest summit rises 3,491 feet over the Berkshires, and its northern hardwood forests turn a week or more ahead of Boston. The auto road's overlooks stack ridgelines of early-October color.
Don’t miss: Summit auto road · Veterans War Memorial Tower
in Massachusetts
Kancamagus Highway
117 miScenic drive
Peak October 12
New Hampshire's Route 112 through the White Mountains is New England's benchmark foliage drive: 34.5 miles of maple, birch, and beech over Kancamagus Pass, with pullouts at Sabbaday Falls, Rocky Gorge, and the Swift River.
Don’t miss: Kancamagus Pass overlook · Sabbaday Falls · Albany covered bridge
in New Hampshire
Where locals go
Boston Public Garden
GardenPeak October 23
America's first public botanical garden colors gently through late October, with weeping willows around the lagoon, ginkgos and maples over the promenades, and the Common's big oaks and elms right across Charles Street.
Don’t miss: Lagoon willows · Commonwealth Avenue Mall next door
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Garden cemeteryPeak October 23
America's first garden cemetery is quietly one of Greater Boston's best foliage walks: 175 acres of century-old sugar maples, beeches, and oaks over Victorian monuments, with a tower view back to the Boston skyline.
Don’t miss: Washington Tower view · Auburn Lake dell
Arnold Arboretum
ArboretumPeak October 23
Harvard's 281-acre living museum in Jamaica Plain holds one of North America's great tree collections (maples, hickories, ginkgos, and conifer-framed hillsides), usually at its best from mid-October to early November.
Don’t miss: Maple collection · Peters Hill view of the skyline
Middlesex Fells Reservation
State parkPeak October 22
Twenty-five hundred acres of rocky oak-and-hickory woodland just north of the city. The Skyline Trail's ledges open over reservoirs ringed in October color, close enough to reach on the Orange Line.
Don’t miss: Skyline Trail ledges · Wright's Tower
Things to do in fall in Boston
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season — the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Boston.
Spellbound Tours
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks October 23
Salem's original paranormal walking tour, running since 2001 and starting at the Revere Bell outside the visitor center downtown. The ninety-minute route covers the real history behind the witch trials along with documented ghost stories and local vampire lore, rain or shine.
Don’t miss: Salem's original paranormal tour, since 2001 · 90-minute walking route downtown · Runs rain or shine
Salem
Historic townColor nearby peaks October 23
The site of the 1692 witch trials leans fully into October, when Essex Street's pedestrian mall, museums, and Salem Common host Haunted Happenings, a month-long calendar of parades, psychic fairs, and costumed crowds that peaks on Halloween weekend.
Don’t miss: Month-long Haunted Happenings festival · Salem Witch Museum and Witch House · Essex Street pedestrian mall
Lookout Farm
OrchardColor nearby peaks October 22
Farmed continuously since 1651, Lookout Farm ranks among the oldest working farms in America. Its 160 acres along the Charles River in South Natick grow 29 apple varieties for pick-your-own, alongside a taproom pouring farm-made hard cider.
Don’t miss: Farmed continuously since 1651 · 29 apple varieties, pick-your-own · On-site cidery and taproom
Barrett's Haunted Mansion
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks October 25
A mansion-themed haunted house south of Boston that combines indoor sets with an outdoor haunted trail, built up over more than two decades into one of the bigger scares on the South Shore. Timed tickets keep the line moving and go on sale night by night once the season is announced.
Don’t miss: Indoor mansion and outdoor trail · South Shore Halloween staple · Timed, date-specific tickets
Connors Farm
Corn mazeColor nearby peaks October 23
A working farm on the North Shore where the corn maze gets a new theme every year, this season built around bumble bees as the Bee Happy Maze. General admission covers the petting zoo, pig races, hayrides, and pedal carts, with apple and pumpkin picking priced separately.
Don’t miss: New corn maze theme every year · Petting zoo and pig races included · Cider doughnuts at the farm stand
Topsfield Fair
19 miFall festival
Color nearby peaks October 23
Running since 1818, America's oldest agricultural fair fills the Topsfield Fairgrounds for ten October days with livestock shows, a midway, and the All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off, where growers' entries have topped 2,500 pounds.
Don’t miss: America's oldest agricultural fair, since 1818 · Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off · Ten days in early-to-mid October
in Massachusetts
Guides
2026 Fall Foliage Forecast: When Leaves Peak in Every State
Our 2026 fall foliage forecast for the US and Canada, region by region, built from ERA5 weather data and a phenology model, with live peak dates on the map.
What's New: A Map of 465 Fall Destinations
Autumn Guide's Explore hub now covers 465 spots worldwide (orchards, scenic drives, hikes, and festivals) with category pins, live status, and a near-me search.
The Best Fall Hikes in New England
Eight trail-tested fall hikes across Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts, from short overlooks to a full above-treeline ridge walk.
5 Leaf-Peeping Road Trips for 2026
Five real fall road trips for 2026, from Vermont's Route 100 to Germany's Alpine Road, with route feel, standout stops, and how many days to plan for each.
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Boston in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 21–October 25 (best estimate October 23). Color starts around October 8 and trees are mostly bare by November 13. These dates are computed for Boston itself — at 9 m elevation — from the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in Boston?
- Boston colors during autumn (September–November). Boston sits at the doorstep of New England's famous color: the Common and the Emerald Necklace turn in late October, and the White Mountains and the Berkshires are both an easy weekend drive away.
- What's the best foliage near Boston?
- Walden Pond State Reservation (16 mi); Colt State Park (48 mi); Newport Cliff Walk (63 mi). For a longer trip: Massachusetts (38 mi, peak ~October 20); New Hampshire (95 mi, peak ~October 16); Vermont (144 mi, peak ~October 10).
- What are the best things to do in fall in Boston?
- Beyond the leaves: Spellbound Tours (14 mi); Salem (14 mi); Lookout Farm (15 mi); Barrett's Haunted Mansion (16 mi); Connors Farm (18 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.
- What are the best things to do in autumn near Boston?
- Come autumn — autumn (September–November) — locals head for Spellbound Tours (14 mi); Salem (14 mi); Lookout Farm (15 mi); Barrett's Haunted Mansion (16 mi); Connors Farm (18 mi). Each is on the map with the distance from Boston.