National Seashore·Massachusetts·27,298 acres
Cape Cod National Seashore
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Photograph: More Than Just Parks
Roadsides and wetland edges turn first, and the woods behind them run a few days later.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Cape Cod National Seashore in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Cape Cod National Seashore around Oct 21, and the four days to aim for are Oct 20 to 23.
| Week | In the seashore | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Starting to turn | |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Nearly peak | |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Peak color | -1,000 to 0 ft, 0 to 1,000 ft |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
- 0–1,000 ftFadingpeak Oct 2172%
- -1,000–0 ftFadingpeak Oct 2128%
Height off 3DEP inside the seashore’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the seashore stands in it.
If you can only come on certain days
Set the days you can be here. Everything under them answers for those days, not for peak.
Tuesday, October 20 to Wednesday, October 21
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- 0–1,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 21
- -1,000–0 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 21
- Where to drive
- Route 169, about 97 miles
- What turns
- sweetgum, blackgum, red maple, water oak, bald cypress
What turns, and when
- sweetgum17%
- blackgum17%
- red maple17%
- water oak17%
- bald cypress13%
- willow oak7%
Also named across Massachusetts, outside what the canopy read measures here: Sugar Maple, Red Oak, White Birch, American Beech.
The Berkshires produce classic New England color with sugar maples blazing orange and scarlet, birches going gold, and red oaks anchoring the ridges in deep burgundy.
Questions people ask about Cape Cod National Seashore
- When is peak fall foliage at Cape Cod National Seashore?
Our forecast puts peak color at Cape Cod National Seashore around Oct 21, and the four days to aim for are Oct 20 to 23.
- Where is the best fall color at Cape Cod National Seashore right now?
On Nov 10 the seashore is fading. The last band to peak was -1,000 to 0 feet, around Oct 21.
- How long does peak last at Cape Cod National Seashore?
About four days at the top, Oct 20 to 23, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Cape Cod National Seashore past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 21, and on Nov 10 it's fading.
- What trees turn color at Cape Cod National Seashore?
Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Red Oak, White Birch, American Beech. The Berkshires produce classic New England color with sugar maples blazing orange and scarlet, birches going gold, and red oaks anchoring the ridges in deep burgundy.
This forecast is built from the species that stand here, their elevation and this September’s weather, and corrected in season by cameras, foresters and our own crew. We score it here against 27 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 10 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made
Nearby, and when they turn
Monomoy is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 15 best Oct 14 to 17
- Peak Oct 18 best Oct 17 to 20
- Peak Oct 15 best Oct 14 to 17
- Peak Oct 18 best Oct 17 to 20
- Peak Oct 18 best Oct 17 to 20
Fall color roads near Cape Cod National Seashore
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the seashore, so allow more by road.
- Route 169
Designated a National Scenic Byway, this quiet road through the Last Green Valley is Connecticut's best-kept fall secret. Peaks late October.