Tourism

Everyone loves fall foliage: Old school maps and online trackers can help predict when leaves will change color near you

Looking to do a little leaf peeping to take in the kaleidoscope of fall colors that fill American forests? You’ll want to check out these maps and apps.

NPS/Laurence Parent

David Nelson Greg Heilman

Update: Sep 26th, 2025 05:22 EDT

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower,” said French-Algerian philosopher Albert Camus. Fall is upon us, and the trees across America are preparing to dazzle us once again with radiant reds and oranges as they mark the end of summer and the coming of winter.

If you’re eager to see the show, here’s a guide to when the leaves will be at their most spectacular in different parts of the country.

The change begins in the north, with the first signs appearing in early September. By mid-September, several northern regions are showing partial color, while the earliest shifts are also visible in California and even parts of Arizona.

By mid-November, leaves have largely fallen across most of the country, with just a few lingering patches of color along the southern coast — including Texas and South Florida.

Keep in mind that weather conditions play a big role in when leaves change color and how spectacular the hues in the foliage will be. However, you can use some of maps and apps to give you an idea when is the best time to go out to do a little leaf peeping.

Apps and maps for fall foliage leaf peepers

For example, you can check out the Almanac’s animated map based on past reports to track the predicted progression of fall foliage color changes. While they warn that each year can be different, it should give you a fairly good idea of how fall leaves typically progress.

The team a Explore Fall say that they are “a little crazy about fall foliage” and provide daily updates. They use a tailored fall foliage model to evaluate real-time weather conditions that allows them to predict where you can find the most colorful fall foliage is throughout The Lower 48.

You can also use Gaia GPS to map out a trail and even check recent satellite images of the place you plan to visit, but you’ll need to be a premium member for that feature. They recommend checking the fall colors prediction tool on SmokyMountains.com.

The lovely team at Smoky Mountains National Park, has a map to track the state of foliage across America week by week. The park straddles the North Carolina–Tennessee border and offers some of the finest scenery in the Appalachian region.

It’s home to more than 100 species of native trees, many of which put on brilliant fall displays. Maples, oaks, hickories, beeches, birches, and ashes all blaze into color, lighting up the mountain skies.

Here’s how the colors progress across the U.S. as fall unfolds:

Green: Leaves haven’t started to change.
Yellow: The first hints of fall are appearing.
Light orange: Patchy change, with a few trees turning while many remain green.
Dark orange: Partial change, with many trees showing autumn hues.
Bright red: Near peak.
Dark red: Peak season — expect a spectacular show of color.
Brown: Past peak, with most or all leaves already fallen.