When do the leaves change in Pittsburgh?
Few American cities sit in their foliage the way Pittsburgh does — the whole town is hills, and from Mount Washington the three rivers wind through a bowl of orange and gold. Frick and Schenley parks hold deep wooded ravines minutes from downtown, and the Laurel Highlands and Ohiopyle deliver mountain color about an hour east.
Peak: October 15–October 20
Color builds from October 7 · mostly bare by November 8
Sampled at Pittsburgh’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Pittsburgh itself at 236 m elevation. Street trees vary block to block, so check locally before you plan a weekend around it.
Pennsylvania is sampled at 22 weather points, then moved 3 days later so the model agrees with 2 published peak dates from almanac.com and smokymountains.com. Pennsylvania is running 4 days earlier than its own average this year. Peak dates spread about 9 days inside Pennsylvania, so the high ground turns well before the valleys. How the forecast works
Fall activities in Pittsburgh
Drag the date slider to see when color moves through the country around Pittsburgh, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
Forest
Peak October 15
A West Virginia state forest less than 15 miles east of Morgantown, famous for a sandstone overlook high above the Cheat River gorge that…
in West Virginia
State park
Peak October 11
Muddy Creek Falls, Maryland's highest free-falling waterfall, drops 53 feet through this 257-acre Garrett County park near Deep Creek Lake…
in Maryland
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in Pittsburgh
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season. These are the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Pittsburgh.
Hundred Acres Manor
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks October 18
Pittsburgh's big-ticket haunt threads multiple attractions and a themed maze into one dark walk through Bethel Park, with different themes…
Trax Farms
FarmColor nearby peaks October 18
Six generations and more than 150 years in, Trax sits 12 miles south of Pittsburgh on Route 88 and calls its fresh-pressed apple cider the…
Soergel Orchards
OrchardColor nearby peaks October 16
A German immigrant named John Conrad Soergel settled this spot in 1850 and began planting apple trees; six generations later the family…
Guides
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Pittsburgh in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 15–October 20 (best estimate October 17). Color starts around October 7 and trees are mostly bare by November 8. These dates are computed for Pittsburgh itself, at 236 m elevation, using the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in Pittsburgh?
- Pittsburgh colors during autumn (September to November). Counting from the first turn to bare branches that is about 32 days, and the best of it falls in the week either side of October 17.
- What's the best foliage near Pittsburgh?
- Coopers Rock State Forest (55 mi); Swallow Falls State Park (72 mi). For a longer trip: West Virginia (126 mi, peak ~October 15); Pennsylvania (136 mi, peak ~October 14); Ohio (148 mi, peak ~October 17).
- What are the best things to do in fall in Pittsburgh?
- Beyond the leaves: Hundred Acres Manor (7 mi); Trax Farms (11 mi); Soergel Orchards (13 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.