Peak color lands around Oct 17 in most of Rhode Island, but it moves 11 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
Rhode Island fall foliage map for the week of Nov 9
When is peak fall foliage in Rhode Island in 2026?
Most of Rhode Island peaks between Oct 9 and Oct 20. The first county to peak is Providence County, around Oct 9, and the last is Bristol County, around Oct 20.
The ocean does a lot of the work here. The coast itself turns 4 days after the woods inland at the same latitude, and the counties along it run a few days behind, because water that soaked up a summer of heat gives it back all fall and holds the first hard frosts off. This fall is running 1 day early on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Providence County | Nearly peak |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Kent County, Washington County, Newport County | Peak color |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge, Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge and 1 county | Peak color |
Each date is the middle of the four days we’d aim a trip at, and each place page names them. We score the model against 27 long-running forest monitoring sites in this part of the country and publish what it got wrong.
1 of 5 counties here are corrected by people who have actually looked at the trees this season. 4 reports from official state sources have moved those dates off the model and narrowed their windows. Counties with neither keep the model forecast and say so. Which is which is marked in the table below.
Mid-to-late October, with the coast lagging into early November is how Rhode Island is usually described.
Rhode Island’s season place by place
Every place we forecast in Rhode Island, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 10.
First: Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, Oct 20. Last: Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, Oct 22.
The dashed rule is today; the solid one is the median of the places on this chart, Oct 21. The date at the top of the page is the median county, which includes the low ground between them.
Where to go in Rhode Island
The destinations we cover in Rhode Island, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- Sachuest Point National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Ninigret National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Trustom Pond National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- John H. Chafee National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Block Island National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 22 best Oct 21 to 24
Questions people ask about Rhode Island fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in Rhode Island?
Most of Rhode Island peaks between Oct 9 and Oct 20. The first county to peak is Providence County, around Oct 9, and the last is Bristol County, around Oct 20. This fall is running 1 day early on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
- Where is the best fall foliage in Rhode Island right now?
Peak has passed in the places we cover in Rhode Island as of Nov 10. Block Island National Wildlife Refuge and four more was the last, around Oct 22. The live map still shows where russet and late gold are holding.
- How long does peak last in Rhode Island?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across Rhode Island as a whole, peak moves 11 days from Providence County to Bristol County, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 15 days.
- Is Rhode Island past peak?
Yes. As of Nov 10, every one of Rhode Island's 5 counties is past peak by our forecast. Bristol County was the last, around Oct 20.
- How far along is Rhode Island's fall foliage today?
On Nov 10, no county in Rhode Island is at peak yet: 5 of Rhode Island's 5 counties (100 percent) are past peak. The county map above paints each one, and the live map lets you scrub the day.
- When do the leaves change in Rhode Island?
The first color shows in Providence County around Sep 18 and peaks there around Oct 9. Bristol County is the last of Rhode Island's 5 counties, peaking around Oct 20. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Oct 17.
- What's the best time to visit Rhode Island for fall foliage?
The week of Oct 17 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Oct 16 to 19. That's the leaf peeping window for Rhode Island as a whole. For Providence County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Oct 9; for Bristol County and its neighbors, the week of Oct 20.
What actually turns
Rhode Island's fall color is concentrated in the rural western hills, where red maples turn scarlet in the swamp edges and oaks color the ridges in burgundy and rust.
- Red Maple
- Red Oak
- White Oak
- Hickory
- American Beech
Arcadia Management Area in the western part of the state is the largest wild area in Rhode Island and produces the best concentrated fall color.
Every county by peak week
Providence observed
Bristol regional, Kent regional, Newport regional, Washington regional
Every date on this site is a forecast: a model corrected by ground reports, carrying a measured error, published in full. Check conditions with the land manager before you travel. Last reviewed September 2026. Open the live map
See it on the map
The live map covers every county in the country, with a timeline you can scrub through the season, the nearest forest monitoring camera, and the long-term record where we hold one. If you’re going this weekend, the weekend report names where color is at peak right now, region by region.
Before you drive, it’s worth checking fire and smoke conditions for the same forests. A perfect color week is no good under a smoke plume.