Fall foliage by state

A guide to fall foliage in each of the 50 states: where the color usually starts, which direction the season moves, roughly when it happens and which trees produce it. States are grouped by region.

Timing is given as periods rather than dates, because a single date cannot describe a whole state.

New England

• ConnecticutConnecticut moves from the Litchfield Hills toward Long Island Sound over about two weeks.
• MaineMaine moves from the North Woods toward the coast over about three weeks.
• MassachusettsMassachusetts colors from the Berkshires eastward.
• New HampshireNew Hampshire turns from the summits down.
• New YorkNew York has one of the longest progressions in the East.
• Rhode IslandRhode Island moves from the western woods to the bay over about two weeks.
• VermontVermont’s color begins on the highest ground and moves down and south in under three weeks.

Mid-Atlantic

• DelawareDelaware has no elevation to speak of, so the season arrives late and more or less at once.
• MarylandMaryland runs from the Allegheny Plateau to the Chesapeake over nearly three weeks.
• New JerseyNew Jersey runs from the Kittatinny Ridge to the shore over about two weeks.
• PennsylvaniaPennsylvania runs from the northern plateau to the southeast over about three weeks.
• VirginiaVirginia’s color moves west to east and from higher elevations downward over nearly three weeks.
• West VirginiaWest Virginia’s color begins on the Allegheny highlands and descends over about three weeks.

Appalachians & Southeast

• AlabamaColor reaches Alabama late, and the pattern is more regional than directional.
• ArkansasArkansas has a late, compact season and modest relief, so the change moves more by latitude than by elevation.
• FloridaFlorida’s fall color is subtle and confined mainly to the Panhandle.
• GeorgiaGeorgia’s color begins on its highest ground and moves south over about three weeks.
• KentuckyKentucky’s color begins in the eastern highlands and moves west.
• LouisianaLouisiana’s fall comes late and is concentrated along waterways and in the northern hills.
• MississippiMississippi’s fall comes in November and moves north to south with little elevation to complicate it.
• North CarolinaNorth Carolina’s color begins above five thousand feet and takes about a month to reach the Piedmont.
• South CarolinaSouth Carolina’s foliage is concentrated in the Upstate and arrives at the end of October.
• TennesseeTennessee’s color starts on the crest of the Smokies and descends over about three weeks.

Great Lakes & Midwest

• IllinoisIllinois runs north to south over roughly two weeks.
• IndianaIndiana’s season is compact, with under two weeks between its earliest and latest areas.
• IowaIowa’s color runs north to south and concentrates along its rivers.
• KansasKansas has no statewide progression to speak of; its fall color is confined to river corridors and the wooded east.
• MichiganMichigan’s season begins in the Upper Peninsula and takes most of a month to reach the southern counties.
• MinnesotaMinnesota runs north to south, and the northern forest changes quickly.
• MissouriMissouri’s color is concentrated in the Ozarks.
• NebraskaNebraska’s color follows its rivers rather than any statewide progression.
• North DakotaNorth Dakota’s color is in its river valleys and badlands, with no broad statewide progression.
• OhioOhio changes within a narrow span in the second half of October.
• OklahomaOklahoma’s foliage is in the east and comes at the end of October.
• South DakotaSouth Dakota’s color is concentrated in the Black Hills.
• WisconsinWisconsin runs north to south over about two and a half weeks.

Rockies

• ColoradoColorado’s color is almost entirely above eight thousand feet and arrives within a short span.
• IdahoIdaho’s color is concentrated along water at middle elevations rather than on the summits.
• MontanaMontana’s fall is short and most of the state changes within about two weeks.
• UtahUtah’s aspen turns from the highest ridges downward over about three weeks.
• WyomingWyoming’s fall is early, concentrated at high elevation, and short; almost the whole state peaks inside two weeks.

Southwest

• ArizonaElevation sets the order in Arizona.
• CaliforniaCalifornia’s fall color is concentrated in the Eastern Sierra, and it is early.
• NevadaNevada’s color is scattered and mostly high, and elevation rather than latitude sets the order.
• New MexicoNew Mexico’s color is elevation-driven, from the high Sangre de Cristos down to the Rio Grande.
• TexasTexas has the latest and longest season in the country.

Pacific Northwest

• OregonOregon runs from the eastern mountains to the western valleys over about a month.
• WashingtonWashington’s color starts on the eastern crest of the Cascades and reaches the lowlands about a month later.

Alaska and Hawaii

• AlaskaAlaska’s fall is early and short.
• HawaiiHawaii has no fall foliage season.

Why one state can be at several stages at once

Most states are at more than one stage of the season at any given point in the fall. The gap between a state’s highest ground and its lowest is commonly two to four weeks, and in the mountain West it can exceed a month within an hour’s drive. Each guide therefore describes how the season moves across the state rather than giving one answer for all of it. What determines the timing covers the reasons.