When do the leaves change in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire's White Mountains produce some of New England's most vivid color, with the Kancamagus Highway as the signature drive.
Peak: October 14–October 18
Color builds from October 1 · mostly bare by November 6
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model; terrain shifts timing ~1 day earlier per 300 m of elevation. Temperature alone can’t tell a maritime autumn from a continental one — two places at the same latitude and the same September can peak weeks apart, because the trees differ — so each region is also calibrated against published peak dates. Estimates, not promises: typically within a few days, occasionally a week or more out. Check locally before you travel.
Known for
Things to do in fall in New Hampshire
11 iconic stops — scenic drives, farms, haunts, and the views locals plan their October around.
Kancamagus Highway
Scenic drivePeak 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
Franconia Notch State Park
State parkPeak October 12
The White Mountains' other great pass carries I-93 as a two-lane parkway past Cannon Mountain and Echo Lake to the Flume Gorge, an 800-foot boardwalk chasm through 12,000-year-old granite walls draped in ferns and, by October, flaming maple.
Don’t miss: Flume Gorge boardwalk trail · Cannon Mountain aerial tramway · Site of the former Old Man of the Mountain
Mount Washington Cog Railway
Scenic railwayColor nearby peaks October 8
The world's first mountain-climbing rack railway has hauled passengers up Mount Washington's west slope since 1869. Biodiesel and vintage steam locomotives grind up a 37% grade past treeline, fall color giving way to alpine tundra near the 6,288-foot summit.
Don’t miss: Operating since 1869 · Steam and biodiesel locomotives · Climbs above treeline to New England's highest summit
Bath Covered Bridge
Covered bridgeColor nearby peaks October 11
Built in 1832 over the Ammonoosuc River, this 375-foot bridge is the oldest working covered bridge in New Hampshire and still carries daily traffic in and out of Bath village, with fall foliage along the riverbank framing its weathered lattice trusses.
Don’t miss: Built in 1832, still carries daily traffic · 375 feet over the Ammonoosuc River · New Hampshire's oldest working covered bridge
Coppal House Farm
FarmColor nearby peaks October 20
A 1740s working farm in Lee that plows its six-acre corn maze into a new aerial design every year, with sheep, hogs, and Belgian draft horses sharing the fields, alongside a fall sunflower festival, pumpkin harvest, and farm-stand cider doughnuts.
Don’t miss: New aerial maze design each season · Belgian draft horses work the fields · Fall sunflower festival
Applecrest Farm Orchards
OrchardColor nearby peaks October 22
Continuously operated since 1913 on land settled in 1665, Applecrest is the oldest working apple orchard in the United States and New Hampshire's largest, growing 40-plus varieties across grounds that still include its 1812 farm market and 1815 farmhouse.
Don’t miss: Oldest continuously operated apple orchard in the US · 40-plus apple varieties · 1812 farm market building still in use
Castle in the Clouds
ViewpointPeak October 14
Shoe magnate Thomas Plant's 1914 mountaintop mansion, Lucknow, sits on a 5,500-acre former estate above Lake Winnipesaukee, with trails past waterfalls and carriage roads opening onto some of the Lakes Region's widest fall-foliage panoramas.
Don’t miss: 1914 Arts and Crafts mansion tours · Trails to waterfalls on the estate · Panoramic views over Lake Winnipesaukee
Fright Kingdom
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks October 20
The largest indoor haunted house in New England, forty minutes from Boston, built around five separately themed attractions from the gothic Bloodmare Manor to the sci-fi Apocalypse Z. Live actors work every room, and a costumed cast keeps the line outside entertained before you're let in.
Don’t miss: Five themed haunted attractions · Largest indoor haunted house in New England · 40 minutes from Boston
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.
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.
Understand the season in New Hampshire
Short explainers on why and when the color arrives here.
Photography & Observation
Editing Fall Foliage Photos: A Simple Workflow
A repeatable fall foliage editing workflow: fix white balance, recover exposure, add contrast, and use vibrance instead of saturation so color stays believable.
2026-07-18 · 6 min read
Leaf Science
How to Identify Trees by Their Fall Leaves
A field method for naming trees by autumn leaves: check the branching pattern first, then leaf shape, then color, and most common species sort themselves out fast.
2026-07-18 · 6 min read
Activities & Food
Apple Picking, Explained: Timing, Varieties, and Orchard Etiquette
How apple picking timing actually works, which varieties ripen early versus late, and the orchard etiquette that keeps pick-your-own farms running smoothly.
2026-07-17 · 5 min read
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in New Hampshire in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 14–October 18 (best estimate October 16). Color starts around October 1 and trees are mostly bare by November 6.
- How reliable is the New Hampshire forecast?
- The forecast blends recent-year weather normals with photoperiod and elevation; it tightens as the season approaches. Against published peak dates the model lands within a few days for most regions, but it can be a week or more out — mountains and coastlines are the hardest. Higher elevations turn roughly one day earlier per 300 m.
- When is New Hampshire's autumn season?
- New Hampshire colors during autumn (September–November). New Hampshire's White Mountains produce some of New England's most vivid color, with the Kancamagus Highway as the signature drive.
- What are the best things to do in fall in New Hampshire?
- The iconic stops: Kancamagus Highway, Franconia Notch State Park, Mount Washington Cog Railway, Bath Covered Bridge, Coppal House Farm, Applecrest Farm Orchards. Every one is mapped on this page with its peak-color timing.
- What are the best things to do in autumn in New Hampshire?
- Autumn — autumn (September–November) — is peak season here. Pair the color with Kancamagus Highway, Franconia Notch State Park, Mount Washington Cog Railway, Bath Covered Bridge, Coppal House Farm; each is on the map above with the window to catch it.
Nearby & similar
Season by season
2026 (forecast)
Peak October 14–October 18
October 1 → November 6