I will be in the Boston area next weekend (10/20-21). Will the fall foliage peak there then?
Any fantastic spots within 1 hour driving distance from Boston would you recommend where I can take some pictures of autumn beauty of New England?
Thanks in advance.
I love the little sachets of balsam fir from Maine. Or wax myrtle, which people used to make candles from.
I have a wax myrtle shrub (they are native from Maine to Florida) and it’s a dwarf one, but I think it’s male because it never has those lovely aromatic berries.
@BelmontVA best bet is one of the foliage predictors, some linked here. South of Boston, we’re seeing some vibrant trees and some straight to rusty brown. The storm down south doesn’t help, lots of recent rain. My backyard is 1/3 full of leaves on the ground. Good luck.
Friend in Lancaster NH sent pics. Their leaves are all gone.
I’m in NW CT, and I can’t figure out what’s going on here. Leaves have changed…but some have just fallen off because of wind and rain.
For the folks who will be in Boston next week…maybe there will be leaves in the Berkshires…maybe. Or drive south into CT.
I was 45 minutes south from Lancaster on Tuesday. There were plenty of leaves there in the White Mountains. It’s at peak right now but will be past peak by next week.
Next week, you could drive up the coast from Boston to the Portsmouth NH area and see foliage. The drive would be a little more than 1 hour if you avoid rush hour although you’d be going in the opposite direction. If you prefer more mountainous, perhaps a trip to NH’s Monadnock region which would be more like 2-2.5 hours. Lots of charming, picturesque towns and you could hike Mount Monadnock which is a pretty easy climb. Make a stop at an apple orchard in either area to round out the New England autumn experience.
@doschicos yes…if you were south of the notches…it is likely there were still leaves. The pics my friend sent were peak on Tuesday…and bare trees…today…in Lancaster.
@thumper1 I’m not discounting your report. Just providing color on another area and a first hand account. It’s all good. 
Also, I’ll repost this NH foliage tracker as it might be helpful to those with upcoming trips in the area.
https://www.visitnh.gov/foliage-tracker
We too will be in Boston next weekend, and then taking a two-day trip to Portland, Maine. We’re hoping to see leaves changing colors.
^I think it will be past peak in Portland next weekend.
Folks visiting the Boston area this fall might enjoy a trip to Concord, MA—a quintessential New England town. Lots of history—Alcott and Emerson homesteads. Plus, Old North Bridge and environs (site of the first battle in the Revolutionary War), Old Manse (Hawthorne lived there) and the Concord Antiquarian Museum where you can learn about “all-things-Concord.” Concord is about 20 miles from downtown Boston.
The town is very picturesque and has some interesting shops for browsing along with two prep schools. Two good restaurants (farm-to-table) in West Concord: Woods Hill Table and Adelita. If you want more history and some great views—drive a little farther west to Harvard, MA and visit Fruitlands Museum and the Shaker Cemetary. Right now, Harvard has been taken over by film crews creating sets for Gretta Gerwig’s adaption of Little Women with Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet, and Florence Pugh.
Love Sea Bags - I think they are totally worth the price.
@bromfield2 - I almost got married at Fruitlands, it is so pretty! Luckily we opted for a place indoors because it turned out to be the hottest day on record for over 15 years!!
And Walden Pond, too, @Bromfield2!
^^^Right!!
Little Women is filming in Concord as well. Emma Watson was just spotted at Woods Hill Table. 
Foliage is peaking now about an hour north of Portland.
Phew—we are here!!! Landing in Bangor, we could see a nice landscape by plane with lots of yellows, oranges & reds. Driving from the airport to a diner and then our Acadia lodging saw more lovely trees! So pretty and so little traffic.
It sure is a long pair of flights getting here, especially as the connecting Chicago flight was an extra hour waiting for the captain!
Enjoy your trip!
Hope you’ll share some of what you see, eat and enjoy!
Right…take a pretty foliage pic…and make it your avatar!
Ides of October report from southwest Connecticut. Minimal color change yet … very late this year!