Planning a fall foliage trip to coincide perfectly with peak colors can be difficult. If you go too early, you’ll see more green than orange and red. Too late? You risk being greeted by a forest full of brown leaves.
To help avoid disappointment, SmokyMountains.com just released its 2025 fall foliage prediction map, which uses historical data and forecast information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to predict the timing of peak fall foliage for the continental United States each year.
And because the National Weather Service is forecasting above-average temperatures this fall from coast to coast, potentially delaying foliage season across the country, it will be especially important to plan ahead if you want to catch the changing colors.
While no weather prediction tool is 100 percent accurate, this interactive fall color map shows you the best opportunities for when and where leaves will be near peak, at peak, and past peak in 2025, as you move the slider at the bottom of the map between weeks throughout the season. So go ahead and use this online tool to schedule your fall road trip, whether you plan on seeing the sugar maples turn red in Tennessee or the aspens go for gold in Colorado.
When will fall foliage peak this year?
Central and northern areas of the country will begin experiencing peak fall colors by the end of September.
Courtesy of SmokyMoutains.com
By September 29, the map shows that parts of Colorado, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Washington, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will be at peak fall foliage, which is a week earlier than last year’s optimal timing in those parts of the country.
By October 6, much of the rest of Michigan, New York, and Connecticut, along with all of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts, will peak. But by October 13, the leaves in many parts of those prime leaf-peeping states will be past their prime—a reminder that timing is everything.
Much of New England will be at or near peak fall color by early October 2025.
Courtesy of SmokyMountains.com
Where to go to see fall colors
On the East Coast, head out for a weekend trip to New York’s Hudson River Valley or Catskill Mountains, where peak fall foliage is expected around the week of October 13. Check into the Eastwind, Oliverea Valley in the Catskills or Wildflower Farms Resort in the Hudson Valley for unique stays with rooms that offer great leaf views. Or spend some time exploring a charming New England small town, like Williamstown, Massachusetts (known for its arts and academics), or Conway, New Hampshire, where you can view autumn’s kaleidoscope of colors from the Conway Scenic Railroad’s Mountaineer train ride.
For those looking to head to western North Carolina for Blue Ridge Parkway landscapes bursting in warm hues, it looks like the weeks of October 13 and 20 are your best bet. Make Asheville your home base and be treated to an impressive culinary scene that is getting James Beard nods left and right (including chef Ashleigh Shanti, who this year won an award for her cookbook, Our South: Black Food Through My Lens, and is serving up fried-catfish sandwiches at Good Hot Fish). Rest your head at one of Afar’s favorite Asheville hotels like the design-forward Blind Tiger Asheville or the hunting lodge themed Grand Bohemian, which reopened in May following Hurricane Helene restoration.
Or consider autumn leaves in California wine country. The week of October 27 is when the grapevines should be at or near peak in Sonoma County, timed perfectly to the fall harvest season when wineries and hotels often host special events and menus to celebrate the season’s bounty. Some of the best hotels in the area, including Montage Healdsburg and the Madrona, offer stunning vineyard views, and their on-site dining venues are among the best in the region.
To see when the fall foliage near you—or your favorite autumn destination—will change this year, and to book a trip accordingly, simply visit the map at SmokyMountains.com.
This article originally appeared online in 2018; it was most recently updated on September 4, 2025, to include current information.
