Seasonal outlook
Fall Foliage Map
Pick a state and a region, and see the week that region usually turns, which trees carry the colour there, and the road to drive when it does.
Four states, written region by region · a phenology-based predictor, not a live map
Jump to the predictor ↓
The colour predictor
What this is, and what it is not. This is a predictor, not a live reading. We do not have a real-time canopy data source, and we are not going to pretend we do. The output is estimated from historical phenology — the order species turn, and how latitude, elevation and species mix shift that order. The sequence is dependable; the exact week is not. A hard frost or a warm autumn will move a region by a week or more.
The four states
Wisconsin Fall Foliage Map
Wisconsin's colour arrives as two waves, not one. The northern third turns first and the southern third turns last, and between them the state's glaciated ridges break the canopy into bands you can watch move down a hillside.
Earliest: late Sep5 regionsMinnesotaMinnesota Fall Foliage Map
Minnesota's colour runs diagonally. The northeast tip of the state fires first, the Twin Cities area sits in the middle of the schedule, and the southeast bluff country finishes the season weeks after the North Shore is bare.
Earliest: mid–late Sep5 regionsMaineMaine Fall Foliage Map
Most of Maine is forest, so the state does not have foliage — it has a foliage surface. The season starts in the far north in late September and reaches the coast about a month later, and the evergreen north keeps the palette greener than the postcards suggest.
Earliest: late Sep5 regionsVermontVermont Fall Foliage Tracker
Vermont's colour does not sweep across the state — it comes down the Green Mountains. The Northeast Kingdom turns first, the spine follows, and the Champlain and Connecticut valleys finish last, which means two places at the same latitude can be a week apart.
Earliest: late Sep5 regionsPeak windows at a glance
| State | Region | Typical peak |
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | Northwoods (Bayfield, Vilas, Oneida, Forest counties) | late Sep |
| Wisconsin | Lake Superior shore and the Bayfield Peninsula | early Oct |
| Wisconsin | Northwest lake country (Burnett, Washburn, Sawyer counties) | early–mid Oct |
| Wisconsin | Door County peninsula | mid Oct |
| Wisconsin | Southern third, including the Driftless Area | mid–late Oct |
| Minnesota | Arrowhead and the North Shore (Cook, Lake, St. Louis counties) | mid–late Sep |
| Minnesota | Iron Range and the border lakes | late Sep |
| Minnesota | Brainerd lakes and Mille Lacs country | early Oct |
| Minnesota | Twin Cities metropolitan area | early–mid Oct |
| Minnesota | Southeast bluff country along the Mississippi | mid Oct |
| Maine | Aroostook County and the St. John valley | late Sep |
| Maine | The western highlands and Grafton Notch | early Oct |
| Maine | Western mountains and the Rangeley Lakes | early–mid Oct |
| Maine | Central Maine and the Kennebec valley | mid Oct |
| Maine | Downeast and the southern coast | mid–late Oct |
| Vermont | Northeast Kingdom (Essex, Orleans, Caledonia counties) | late Sep |
| Vermont | Northern Green Mountains and the gaps | early Oct |
| Vermont | Central Green Mountains (Sugarbush, Killington) | early–mid Oct |
| Vermont | Champlain Valley | mid Oct |
| Vermont | Southern Vermont and the Connecticut River valley | mid–late Oct |
Questions
Is this a live foliage map?
No — and we want to be blunt about that, because the difference matters. This is a predictor built from historical phenology: the order in which species turn, the elevation and latitude effects that shift that order, and the typical week each region reaches peak. It is not satellite imagery and not a live canopy reading. If you need current, observed conditions, use a source that actually measures them.
How accurate is a phenology-based outlook?
The sequence is reliable; the dates are not. Which region turns before which is driven by latitude, elevation and species mix, and that order is stable year to year. The exact week depends on the weather in that particular season, so treat every date here as a typical window rather than a forecast. A hard early frost or a warm, wet September will move a region by a week or more in either direction.
Why only four states?
Because those are the four where we have enough region-by-region detail to say something specific rather than something generic. The variable that matters is the combination of state and the search phrasing people actually use, and we have only systematically checked a subset of that space. We would rather publish four states with real detail than fifty with filler.
Which state peaks first?
Of the four here, Minnesota's Arrowhead region is typically first, peaking in mid to late September. Wisconsin's Northwoods and Maine's Aroostook County follow in late September, and Vermont's Northeast Kingdom runs alongside them. The coastal and southern regions of every state peak roughly three to five weeks later.
What actually determines when a region peaks?
Three things, in order: latitude, elevation, and species mix. Latitude sets the baseline — northern regions turn first. Elevation modifies it locally, which is why a mountain gap can run days ahead of the valley below it. Species mix sets the texture, because sugar maple, aspen and tamarack each run on their own clock.
