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Forecast issued Nov 12, 5:26pm ET

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The road through Buels Gore bending across peak orange and red in the northern Green Mountains, seen from the air.

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National Forest·Vermont·412,402 acres

Green Mountain National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 12, 5:26pm ET

Photograph: More Than Just Parks

Peak colorOct 6Aim for Oct 5 to 8
In the forest today, Nov 12Leaves down
SepOctNov

Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.

No new reports from the ground here this week.

I-88I-81I-93US 101BostonRutlandAlbanyWorcesterSpringfieldSchenectadyClaremontNashuaWhite Mountainpeak Oct 18Green Mountain
I-88I-93US 101I-89RutlandKeeneAlbanyGlens FallsSaratoga SpringsRockinghamSpringfieldSchenectadyWhite Mountainpeak Oct 18Green Mountain
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Green Mountain National Forest Bennington County holds most of the forest and is leaves down today. Addison County, to the north, is 2 days ahead. Rutland County, to the northwest, is 1 day ahead.
Green Mountain National Forest fall foliage map 2026: the unit and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 12. Peak forecast around Oct 6, best Oct 5 to 8.
Save or share this mapToday’s Green Mountain National Forest fall foliage map as a picture, redrawn every morning. Free to reuse with credit to More Than Just Parks and a link back; the terms.Save the mapPin itFacebookXEmail

When is peak fall foliage at Green Mountain National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Green Mountain National Forest around Oct 6, and the four days to aim for are Oct 5 to 8.

The forest runs from about 897 to 2,790 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 7 days: the high stands around Oct 5, the low ground around Oct 10. That's 1 day earlier than our model alone would say, because this September has been running cool.

Green Mountain, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the forestElevation at peak
Sep 21 to Sep 27Starting to turn
Sep 28 to Oct 4Nearly peak
Oct 5 to Oct 11Peak color500 to 1,000 ft, 1,000 to 1,500 ft, 1,500 to 2,000 ft, 2,000 to 2,500 ft, 2,500 to 3,000 ft
Oct 12 to Oct 18Just past peak
Oct 19 to Oct 25Fading
By elevation The forest runs from about 897 to 2,790 feet. That’s 7 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Oct 5, the low ground holds until about Oct 10, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 2,000 to 2,500 foot band.
  1. 2,500–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 511%
  2. 2,000–2,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 631%
  3. 1,500–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 732%
  4. 1,000–1,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 917%
  5. 500–1,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 107%

Height off 3DEP inside the forest’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the forest stands in it.

That’s 1 day earlier than our model alone would say. This September has been running cool, which shifts peak color.

Plan this trip

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.

Thursday, November 12 to Friday, November 13

You’ll find it with the leaves down.

Peak color was 38 days before you arrive, around Oct 6.

  • 2,500–3,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 5
  • 2,000–2,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 6
  • 1,500–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 7
  • 1,000–1,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 9
What turns
sugar maple, red maple, paper birch, yellow birch, American beech

What turns, and when

Also named across Vermont, outside what the canopy read measures here: White Birch.

Sugar maples turn brilliant orange and scarlet, birches go gold, beeches fade to bronze, and against the dark green of spruce the effect is iconic.

Questions people ask about Green Mountain National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Green Mountain National Forest?

Our forecast puts peak color at Green Mountain National Forest around Oct 6, and the four days to aim for are Oct 5 to 8.

Where is the best fall color at Green Mountain National Forest right now?

On Nov 12 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 500 to 1,000 feet, around Oct 10.

How long does peak last at Green Mountain National Forest?

About four days at the top, Oct 5 to 8, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 7 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 11 days.

Is Green Mountain National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 6, and on Nov 12 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Green Mountain National Forest?

Sugar maple is 30 percent of the trees that turn here, then red maple (20 percent), paper birch (20), yellow birch (10), American beech (10) and quaking aspen (10). Sugar maple and red maple turn red; paper birch, yellow birch and quaking aspen turn yellow or gold; American beech turns russet. What turns, and when

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

All of Vermont

Nearby, and when they turn

  1. Joseph Battell WildernessVT · about 33 miles
    Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
  2. Glastenbury WildernessVT · about 33 miles
    Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
  3. Moosalamoo National Recreation AreaVT · about 35 miles
    Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
  4. Breadloaf WildernessVT · about 41 miles
    Peak Oct 4 best Oct 3 to 6
  5. Sandwich Range WildernessNH · about 85 miles
    Peak Oct 18 best Oct 17 to 20
  6. Pemigewasset WildernessNH · about 87 miles
    Peak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19

Fall color roads near Green Mountain National Forest

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.

  • Route 100 · about 29 miles, VT · 216 miles of road

    Runs the full length of Vermont through the Green Mountains. The section between Stowe and Killington is the postcard version of New England fall.

  • Mohawk Trail (Route 2) · about 54 miles, MA · 63 miles of road

    The original scenic highway in America, crossing the Berkshires. The Hairpin Turn overlook at Florida, MA offers a 60-mile view of color.

  • Route 112 (Lost River Road) · about 72 miles, NH · 21 miles of road

    A less-trafficked alternative to the Kanc, running through Kinsman Notch with excellent birch and maple color.

  • Kancamagus Highway · about 87 miles, NH · 34.5 miles of road

    One of America's finest fall drives through the White Mountains, peaking early-to-mid October. The stretch between Lincoln and Conway is jaw-dropping.

  • Route 30 (Great Northern Catskills) · about 101 miles, NY · 55 miles of road

    Runs through Schoharie Valley and into the northern Catskills. Less traffic than Route 28 with equally stunning maple color.

  • Route 28 through the Catskills · about 118 miles, NY · 48 miles of road

    From Kingston to Margaretville through the heart of the Catskill Mountains. Best in the first two weeks of October.