Fall foliage enthusiasts planning trips across New England this year will encounter a season marked by both exceptional beauty and unpredictable timing due to unusual weather patterns.
The 2025 fall foliage season is expected to progress from north to south across New England, with northern states like Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire seeing peak colors in late September through early October, while southern states like Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut will peak from mid to late October.
This year’s conditions are creating a more variable “patchwork” of colors that will require visitors to explore different elevations and regions to catch the best displays.
Peak viewing periods are typically brief, lasting only 7-10 days in any given location, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac.
Vermont
The state calls itself “home of the World’s Best Foliage,” a claim supported by its forest coverage of 70-75% of the state and the highest percentage of maple trees in the country. These sugar maples are particularly valued because they “are capable of producing all three pigments that give leaves their color, which is why you can pick one up off the ground with yellows, oranges, and reds in it,” according to SmokyMountains.com.
According to Vermont Tourism, fall foliage in the state “tends to start in the northern regions of the state, at the highest elevations first, before moving down from the mountains and geographically into the central and southern regions.”
However, drought conditions are significantly impacting this year’s display. WAMC Northeast Public Radio reported on September 2, 2025, that “the main areas that we’re seeing drought in right now are actually northern New York into Vermont and into New Hampshire and then northern New England.”
The National Integrated Drought Information System noted that “in some areas of Vermont, corn will not recover” due to drought severity, and “Lake Champlain water levels were near record low.”
New Hampshire
New Hampshire has been rated the second-best state in the country for fall foliage in 2025, according to Seacoast Online. The state expects approximately 3.7 million visitors during fall 2025, with an estimated visitor spending of $1.8 billion.
The White Mountains region, specifically the Kancamagus Highway (Route 112), is considered the premier location for fall foliage viewing in New Hampshire. Local sources suggested that “mid-October is typically the best time for peak fall colors, though exact timing is weather-dependent.”
But drought conditions are creating challenges there as well. New Hampshire Public Radio reported on September 8, 2025, that “this fall’s outlook isn’t looking too promising after a cool wet spring and a dry, hot summer. Now, most of the state is in a drought, with some of the worst conditions in the north.”
The state also faces another threat to its fall landscape. Beech leaf disease has “spread as far north as Woodstock and is likely to be present in most areas south of the White Mountains, even if it has not been formally reported yet.” With beech trees comprising about 30% of hardwoods in the state, their potential die-off could significantly alter the fall landscape.
Maine
Maine’s fall foliage season officially began in mid-September 2025, with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry providing weekly reports through their spokesperson Gale Ross. The state divides its foliage viewing recommendations by distinct regional zones: Northern, Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Maine.
According to the 2025 Fall Foliage Prediction Map by SmokyMountains.com, the northernmost parts of Maine will start to hit peak colors during the last week of September. This aligns with historical patterns, as WCVB reported that “trees up along the Canadian border don’t typically see colors coming to peak until late September.”
The travel blog Helene Sula predicted in July 2025 that “Northern Maine (particularly Aroostook County): Expect peak colors from September 27 to October 9. Due to a slightly warmer and wetter summer, the colors may arrive just a hair later than average.”
Maine’s coastal regions typically experience peak foliage later than inland areas, with coastal areas like “Belfast and Bar Harbor in Maine tend to have slightly different and later peak foliage periods compared to inland regions,” according to Jeff Foliage, a personal blog focused on New England fall colors.
Massachusetts
Moving south, Massachusetts typically experiences peak fall foliage later than its northern neighbors. According to Helene Sula’s travel blog, Central New England (including Massachusetts) should expect “peak colors likely from October 10 to October 21. Perfect timing for a road trip through classic New England towns.”
WCVB reported that fall colors “progress southward through October and peak in Boston toward the end of the month.”
Climate change is affecting Massachusetts’ fall season. WBUR reported on September 1, 2025, that “Boston’s average autumn temperature increased by 2.3 degrees between 1970 and 2024,” which “could have big impacts on everything from fall foliage to farmers’ crop schedules to the length of allergy season.”
Jim Salge, the foliage expert for Yankee Magazine, told WBUR that “in general, there may be more muted colors this season. The heat is playing a role in this, but Salge said so is all that rain we got in the spring. ‘That caused a lot of fungus that has really persisted through the forests into the summer,’ he said. ‘And then now we’re facing increasing drought conditions, and that’s gonna cause leaves to turn perhaps early and last less time on the trees.’”
Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s fall foliage typically peaks in October, with the state’s tourism website noting that “Rhode Island shows its brightest colors in October. Western and northern Rhode Island are heavily wooded.” The Providence Journal reported in late August 2025 that “this year will see another beautiful show, according to the fall foliage forecast from Yankee Magazine.”
Connecticut
Connecticut, as the southernmost New England state, typically experiences peak fall foliage later than its northern neighbors. According to the Herald News, “the southernmost New England states will likely peak the second week of October” in 2025.