Peak color lands around Oct 29 in most of Virginia, but it moves 25 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
Virginia fall foliage map for the week of Nov 9
When is peak fall foliage in Virginia in 2026?
Most of Virginia peaks between Oct 23 and Nov 3: the high country first, around Oct 25, and the low ground last, around Nov 3. The first county to peak is Page County, around Oct 12, and the last is City of Portsmouth, around Nov 6.
Elevation does most of the work here. Color runs down a mountain at roughly a day and a half per 100 meters, so a ridge and the valley below it can be two weeks apart in the same county. On the coast the water adds its own delay, the shoreline itself 4 days behind the same trees inland. This fall is running 4 days late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Mountain Lake Wilderness, Ramseys Draft Wilderness, Peters Mountain Wilderness and 4 counties | Starting to turn |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, Blue Ridge Parkway and 32 counties | Nearly peak |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Prince William Forest Park, James River Face Wilderness and 66 counties | Peak color |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Assateague Island National Seashore, Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and 31 counties | Just past peak |
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 16 long-running forest monitoring sites in this part of the country and publish what it got wrong.
11 of 133 counties here are corrected by people who have actually looked at the trees this season. 108 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.
Early-to-mid October at the highest elevations, late October on Skyline Drive, early November in the Piedmont is how Virginia is usually described.
Virginia’s season place by place
The 24 places closest to their peak in Virginia, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 10.
First: Shenandoah National Park, Oct 11. Last: Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Nov 8.
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 Virginia
The destinations we cover in Virginia, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- Mackay Island National Wildlife RefugeNear peakPeak Nov 7 best Nov 6 to 9
- Back Bay National Wildlife RefugeNear peakPeak Nov 8 best Nov 7 to 10
- Past peakPeak Oct 11 best Oct 10 to 13
- Ramseys Draft WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 16 best Oct 15 to 18
- Past peakPeak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19
- Peters Mountain WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 17 best Oct 16 to 19
- Saint Mary's WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 19 best Oct 18 to 21
- Mount Pleasant National Scenic AreaPast peakPeak Oct 19 best Oct 18 to 21
- Lewis Fork WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 19 best Oct 18 to 21
- Beartown WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 19 best Oct 18 to 21
- Past peakPeak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Shawvers Run WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Seng Mountain National Scenic AreaPast peakPeak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Past peakPeak Oct 20, oak Oct 24 best Oct 19 to 22
- Hunting Camp Creek WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Priest WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Barbours Creek WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21, oak Oct 24 best Oct 20 to 23
- Little Wilson Creek WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Three Ridges WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Raccoon Branch WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Garden Mountain WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Kimberling Creek WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 22 best Oct 21 to 24
- Bear Creek National Scenic AreaPast peakPeak Oct 22 best Oct 21 to 24
- Little Dry Run WildernessPast peakPeak Oct 22 best Oct 21 to 24
Also forecast in VirginiaAssateague Island National SeashoreGeorge Washington and Jefferson National ForestsGeorge Washington Memorial ParkwayMount Rogers National Recreation AreaPetersburg National Battlefield ParkPrince William Forest Park
Questions people ask about Virginia fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in Virginia?
Most of Virginia peaks between Oct 23 and Nov 3: the high country first, around Oct 25, and the low ground last, around Nov 3. The first county to peak is Page County, around Oct 12, and the last is City of Portsmouth, around Nov 6. This fall is running 4 days late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
- Where is the best fall foliage in Virginia right now?
As of Nov 10, Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge and Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge are at peak.
- How long does peak last in Virginia?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across Virginia as a whole, peak moves 25 days from Page County to City of Portsmouth, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 29 days.
- Is Virginia past peak?
Yes. As of Nov 10, every one of Virginia's 133 counties is past peak by our forecast. City of Portsmouth was the last, around Nov 6.
- How far along is Virginia's fall foliage today?
On Nov 10, no county in Virginia is at peak yet: 133 of Virginia's 133 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 Virginia?
The first color shows in Page County around Sep 21 and peaks there around Oct 12. City of Portsmouth is the last of Virginia's 133 counties, peaking around Nov 6. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Oct 29.
- What's the best time to visit Virginia for fall foliage?
The week of Oct 29 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Oct 28 to 31. That's the leaf peeping window for Virginia as a whole. For Page County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Oct 12; for City of Portsmouth and its neighbors, the week of Nov 6.
What actually turns
Shenandoah's overlooks reveal a warm mosaic of gold tulip poplars, scarlet maples, bronze hickories, and the deep wine of white oaks stretching along the Blue Ridge.
- Red Maple
- Tulip Poplar
- White Oak
- Hickory
- Sourwood
Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park is 105 miles with 75 overlooks, and the section from Thornton Gap to Swift Run Gap is the most color-dense stretch.
Worth the drive
Madison County lies at the heart of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia's Blue Ridge. Skyline Drive passes through the county for roughly 30 miles, and the old-growth hemlock groves in the hollows create a dark backdrop that makes the hardwood color pop. This section of the park between Thornton Gap and Swift Run Gap is widely considered the most color-dense stretch of Skyline Drive.
Every county by peak week
Page observed
Fairfax observed, Giles observed, Highland, Warren observed
Albemarle, Alleghany observed, Amherst regional, Augusta regional, Bath regional, Bland regional, Bristol city, Buchanan, Carroll, Clarke regional, Covington city regional, Craig, Culpeper regional, Dickenson, Fairfax city, Falls Church city, Fauquier observed, Floyd, Frederick, Galax city, Grayson corrected, Greene, Harrisonburg city, Loudoun regional, Madison, Manassas Park city, Montgomery observed, Norton city, Patrick, Prince Edward observed, Pulaski regional, Radford city regional, Rappahannock regional, Roanoke, Rockbridge observed, Rockingham, Russell, Salem city, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Staunton city regional, Tazewell, Washington, Waynesboro city regional, Winchester city regional, Wise, Wythe
Accomack, Alexandria city, Amelia regional, Appomattox regional, Arlington corrected, Bedford regional, Botetourt regional, Brunswick regional, Buckingham regional, Buena Vista city regional, Campbell regional, Caroline, Charles City, Charlotte regional, Charlottesville city, Chesterfield, Colonial Heights city, Cumberland regional, Danville city regional, Dinwiddie regional, Emporia city, Essex, Fluvanna regional, Franklin, Franklin city, Fredericksburg city regional, Gloucester, Goochland regional, Greensville, Halifax regional, Hanover, Henrico, Henry, Isle of Wight, James City, King and Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Lee, Lexington city regional, Louisa, Lunenburg regional, Lynchburg city, Manassas city, Martinsville city regional, Mecklenburg regional, Middlesex, Nelson, New Kent, Northumberland, Nottoway regional, Orange, Petersburg city, Pittsylvania, Powhatan regional, Prince George, Prince William, Richmond, Richmond city, Roanoke city, Southampton, Spotsylvania regional, Stafford, Sussex, Westmoreland, Williamsburg city
Chesapeake city, Hampton city, Hopewell city, Mathews, Newport News city, Norfolk city, Northampton, Poquoson city, Portsmouth city, Suffolk city, Surry, Virginia Beach city, York
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.