New Hampshire Fall Foliage 2026
Notches and high passes turn first in late September, with Franconia and Crawford leading the way. Valley floors and the Lakes Region follow two weeks later, stretching the season into mid-October. The seacoast hangs on longest, offering color well after Columbus Day when the mountains are bare.
When New Hampshire peaks
Sep 29 – Oct 7
Centered on Oct 3. Notches and high passes peak in late September; the Lakes Region and seacoast hold on into mid-October.
low confidence. Long range. Treat as a planning estimate only.
Where peak usually lands. Drought or an early freeze moves it by a few days. Method
What turns here
- sugar maple
- white birch
- red maple
- beech
Yellows show up every year. Reds need sunny days and cool, frost-free nights. A bad year takes those first.
Color progression
Typical peak Oct 3Typical color progression for New Hampshire. No change from Aug 26 to Sep 12. First color from Sep 12 to Sep 21. Approaching peak from Sep 21 to Sep 29. Peak from Sep 29 to Oct 7. Past peak from Oct 7 to Oct 17. Bare from Oct 17 to Oct 31.
Color starts around Sep 12.
Peak by elevation
15 days between the ridges and the valleys. County maps average this away, which is how you miss peak at the right place.
| Elevation band | Approx. elevation | Typical peak | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| High ridges & passes | 4,300 ft | Sep 25 | No change |
| Mid elevation | 1,800 ft | Oct 3 | No change |
| Valleys & lowlands | 0 ft | Oct 10 | No change |
Foliage stages
- No change 0–10%
- First color 10–25%
- Approaching peak 25–60%
- Peak 60–90%
- Past peak 40–70%, dropping
- Bare <20%
Light at peak
New Hampshire on October 3, the day it typically peaks. Knowing when color arrives is one thing. Knowing where the sun will be is another.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 6:17 AM |
| Sunrise Rises E · 95° | 6:45 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 38 min of low, warm light | 7:24 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 12:35 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 38 min before sunset | 5:45 PM |
| Sunset Sets W · 265° | 6:24 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 6:52 PM |
Times in America/New York · day length 11h 38m · computed from NOAA solar equations
Which way to point the camera
Sun rises E, sets W.
Aim within 45° of those and the canopy glows translucent. Turn your back to them for flat, accurate color.
Location pages name the light directly.
Where to shoot in New Hampshire
6 researched locations, earliest peak first.
- Kancamagus Highway at Kancamagus Pass No change
White Mountain National Forest · 2,854 ft · peaks Sep 30
NH Route 112 crosses its height of land at 2,855 feet between the Pemigewasset Wilderness and the Hancock ridges, with no buildings, wires, or services along 34 miles of road. The paved overlooks within two miles of the pass look down on unbroken hardwood slopes.
- Mount Willard No change
Crawford Notch · 2,846 ft · peaks Sep 30
The summit ledges end at a drop straight into the U-shaped floor of Crawford Notch, with US Route 302 and the Saco River threading south between the walls. Both sides of the notch face the camera at once, so the shot holds up in flat light as well as at dawn.
- Artists Bluff No change
Franconia Notch · 2,337 ft · peaks Oct 1
A bare rock knob above Echo Lake looks down the length of Franconia Notch, with Cannon Mountain's cliffs facing you across the gap. Both notch walls fill the frame, so the color reads as two opposing slopes rather than flat canopy.
- Mount Washington Auto Road No change
Presidential Range · 1,564 ft · peaks Oct 4
The toll road climbs 7.6 miles from the Glen House to the 6,288-foot summit, crossing hardwood, spruce, krummholz, and bare rock in under an hour. Pullouts above the four-mile mark look down into the Great Gulf, where the color line shows as a distinct band across the slopes.
- Sugar Hill / Sunset Hill Road No change
Franconia Notch region · 1,557 ft · peaks Oct 4
Open hayfields on the ridge look east across the Gale River valley to Cannon Mountain and Mount Lafayette, about eight miles off. Late sun front-lights the ridgeline while the fields and roadside maples in front of you fall into shadow.
- Chocorua Lake No change
Mount Chocorua & Tamworth · 574 ft · peaks Oct 8
Mount Chocorua's bare rock cone rises four miles north across the water and reflects on the lake on windless mornings. Shoreline pines break up the foreground and the hardwood slopes below the summit carry the color.
Recent reports from New Hampshire
Report what you sawCommon questions
- When do the leaves change in New Hampshire?
- New Hampshire typically peaks Sep 29 – Oct 7, centered on Oct 3. Notches and high passes peak in late September; the Lakes Region and seacoast hold on into mid-October. These are typical dates from a latitude and elevation model, not a live reading of this year's canopy.
- Does elevation change when fall color peaks in New Hampshire?
- Yes, by about 15 days. High ground around 4,300 ft peaks near Sep 25, while valleys near 0 ft wait until Oct 10. Peak moves roughly 3.5 days earlier for every 1,000 feet you climb, so if you miss it low you can often drive up and find it.
- Where are the best places to see fall color in New Hampshire?
- We track 6 verified locations in New Hampshire, including Kancamagus Highway at Kancamagus Pass, Mount Willard, Artists Bluff. Kancamagus Highway at Kancamagus Pass turns first, around Sep 30, and Chocorua Lake is last, around Oct 8. Each has real coordinates, elevation and sunrise light times.
- What trees turn color in New Hampshire?
- Mainly sugar maple, white birch, red maple, beech. Yellows and oranges come from carotenoids that are already in the leaf, so they show up every year. Reds are made fresh each autumn and need warm sunny days with cool, frost-free nights, which is why a dry summer or a warm September produces a duller year.