Fall foliage in Maine

Maine moves from the North Woods toward the coast over about three weeks. Baxter State Park and Katahdin lead at the end of September; the western mountains around Rangeley, Sugarloaf and Grafton Notch follow in the first days of October; the lakes region comes next, and Camden Hills and Acadia on the midcoast usually reach peak in the middle of the month, with the southern coast last. Sugar maple, birch and beech give the interior its range; the coast leans on red maple and oak set against spruce.

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Maine, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.

Why the timing shifts from year to year

Shortening days start the process, so most places in Maine change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.

Nearby states

Fall color does not follow state lines. Maine borders:

• New Hampshire fall foliage

Timing for a specific place

This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.

Questions, or somewhere in Maine you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.