saidean

Does anyone know if there's a website that might indicate when are the fall foliage colours going to appear this year in White Mountains area?

saidean

trigger clicky finger... forgot to ask if any locals might have an idea of when the fall colours would appear this year too!!

Can't just rely on the internet. Sometimes the folks staying in the area might know better!

dusty56438

This site is just for an average time.

http://kyw.iewatershed.com/media/041015/

earl30

fall color depends on the summer climate. ask again in late august. anyone who predicts now is only guessing.

LuvMaine

Yankee Magazine, the authority on all things New-Englandy, has a website, yankeemagazine.com; there is a foliage section that you can click onto...

Anonymous

It's impossible to predict a specific date for a specific year. Predictions made as late as Labor Day can be off by a week or two if September weather is especially hot, cold, or wet.

dfrostnh

Every year we wonder if the foliage is going to be colorful around Columbus Day weekend. The trees will still be pretty green until the last weekend of September and then a few cold nights will speed up the color change. Color timing also depends on elevation. The first week of October should be good in the White Mountains. It may be too green in some of the lower areas, past peak at higher elevations. Keep in mind that some color starts very early in swampy areas and that different kinds of trees change color at different times. Great color can last for several weeks. I've heard people with camps up north claim the color changed dramatically from one day to the next on a particular weekend. In the Concord area, about an hour south of the mountains, the color seems to build gradually. A heavy rain can knock leaves off trees too early. So can an early snowstorm (but that's unusual). However, by October 15 when I see bus loads of tourists heading north, I think they are getting gypped.

Anonymous

Good points, dfrost. Certainly, it's better to go a little too early, rather than a bit too late!

As long as one is located centrally, there will be wonderful things to see in *some* direction, at least into the second week in October -- after that, you'd better head south into Massachusetts, where the *average* peak in the Boston area is Columbus Day.

saidean

I guess my conundrum is that we have one shot at trying to see the fall foliage (the 2 week stay in New England is expensive for us, but we want to go there at least once in our lifetime!).

We have 2 weeks so it's either:
(a) last week of Sep and 1st week of Oct
(b) first 2 weeks of Oct.

My understanding is the (b) might be the better option for fall foliage but we'll hit Columbus Day in which case we might have problems booking lodging. Is this correct?

We really appreciate the help!

mm

The first two weeks of Oct would be your best bet for peak color.

Also, it depends on how far north you go as the colors peak from north to south. You get great color in northern NH this week and great color in southern NH the next. Outstanding color in Mass follows...

I live in NH.

mm

dfrostnh

Go with first two weeks of October. Book lodging now. Buy a copy of NH Atlas and Gazetter at any NH bookstore. This gives you a map of all the roads, including seasonal, in the state. It also tells you where to find covered bridges and waterfalls. My drive home gives me some wonderful views across pastures with a nearby mountain in the distance. There are lots and lots of beautiful vistas throughout the state. I would recommend getting off the numbered highways and seeing some of the places most people miss. There's at least two homemade ice cream places that make Indian Pudding ice cream in the Concord area, one is Arnie's on a very busy Loudon Rd (Rt 93 exit 14, go right off the ramp) and the other is Merrivale's on Rt 3A in Hooksett. Indian Pudding may be unique to New England and it's the sort of thing you should look for along with the foliage. If you're on the backroads, you may also get lucky and see someone walking their oxen down the road ... but that is usually before fair season gets started. I haven't been to the Warner Fall Foliage is a number of years but you used to be pretty much guaranteed to see at least one young pair in the parade. There's some beautiful little towns where time seems to have stopped. We recently stopped for an art fair at one. The old one room school house was open and everything was still there. Not reproduction stuff, it was just never cleaned out. In NH, many one room school houses were converted to private homes so this is a rare find. I would not book in the mountains, just make it a day trip. The area will be very congested with traffic, the restaurants will be full. OK, I admit it, the White Mountains aren't my favorite place in NH. If you stay further south, like around Lake Winnipesaukee, you could even make a day trip to Portsmouth NH on the coast. From the North Conway area, Portland ME would be best for a quick coastal visit. Have a great time!