Planning a Fall Foliage Trip? Here’s Why Colors Vary in Each US Region and What to Expect

As long summer days shorten, trees sense the longer nights and gradually shut down chlorophyll production. Chlorophyll makes leaves green, and when it fades, yellow and orange carotenoids that are already in the leaves shine through. At the same time, temperature and weather shape the vibrancy of those hues. Warm, sunny days paired with cool, but not freezing, nights trap sugars in leaves and trigger the production of anthocyanins, the pigments responsible for brilliant reds and purples, in some trees. Too much rain, drought stress, or an early frost, however, can dull colors or cause leaves to drop before they peak.

But the most important factor is where you are and what trees grow there. Without the trees, there are simply no fall colors.

The science behind which trees turn which color

Leaves contain pigments that absorb and reflect different wavelengths of sunlight. Chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light but reflects green light, for example, so that’s why healthy leaves appear green. When chlorophyll breaks down in autumn, it no longer dominates the spectrum so the pigments that remain become visible.

Chlorophyll: This green pigment is abundant during the growing season, masking other pigments. As days shorten and trees cut off nutrients to leaves, chlorophyll degrades, revealing the hues underneath.

Carotenoids and flavonols: Always present in leaves, carotenoids are responsible for yellows, oranges, and golds found in birches, aspens, hickories, and sugar maples. Chemically stable, these pigments remain to show off their colors once chlorophyll degrades. Flavonols often overlap with carotenoids and show a more subtle pale yellow.

Anthocyanins: Trees make anthocyanins in the fall, especially when warm days and cool nights trap sugars in leaves. They produce reds and purples in trees like red maples, sourwoods, dogwoods, and black gums. It’s the same compound that makes flowers purple and pink, gives blueberries and blackberries their color, and turns eggplant skin purple. There are a couple of theories why trees make anthocyanins in the fall. One is that it acts as sunscreen when the chlorophyll degrades. Or the compounds may act as antioxidants as the tree shuts down for the winter just as anthocyanins help humans get rid of free radicals in their body — with the added benefit of deterring pests looking for a safe place to lay their eggs.

Tannins: These compounds give oaks their characteristic browns and russets. Tannins are structural and defensive compounds, making oak leaves tougher and more resistant to decay. Tannins are what’s left to give the leaves their color once the other pigments have faded, according to The Farmer’s Almanac.

What trees and colors to expect in regions across the US

Fall colors start farther north and head south as the season progresses — with some variation where higher altitudes turn first. Alaska comes first in August. Northern Minnesota, Maine, and the Rockies can see changes as early as mid-September. The Northeast, Great Lakes, and lower elevation areas of the Mountain West generally peak in October. The South and Texas Hill Country can out even into late November.

The exact timing predictions vary year by year, but here’s what trees and colors you can expect to see in the fall in each region — and some parks and scenic byways to catch all the colors.

Northeast and New England

Trees and colors:

• Orange-red sugar maples
• Scarlet red maples
• Golden yellow birches
• Red-to-russet oaks

Typical peak: Late September in northern Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire; early October in the Adirondacks; mid-to-late October across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Where to go:

• Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire
• Green Mountain Byway in Vermont
• Adirondack High Peaks Scenic Byway in New York
• Acadia National Park in Maine

Mid-Atlantic and Appalachians

Trees and colors:

• Golden bronze hickories
• Crimson sourwood and black tupelo
• Purple-red dogwoods
• Red-to-russet oaks

Typical peak: Mid-October in Pennsylvania and Virginia; late October into early November across the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains.

Where to go:

• Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina
• Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina

Midwest and Great Lakes

Trees and colors:

• Orange-red sugar maples
• Golden yellow aspens and birches
• Golden bronze hickories
• Red-to-russet oaks

Typical peak: Early-to-mid October across northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota; mid-to-late October in the southern Great Lakes states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

Where to go:

• Door County, Wisconsin
• M-22 Scenic Drive in Michigan
• Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio
• Great River Road in Illinois

Rockies and Intermountain West

Trees and colors:

• Golden aspens
• Yellow narrowleaf cottonwoods
• Orange-red Gambel oaks

Typical peak: Late September to early October at high elevations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana; mid-October in valleys.

Where to go:

• Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
• Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming
• Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway near Taos, New Mexico
• Logan Canyon Scenic Byway in Utah

Pacific Northwest

Trees and colors:

• Golden western larches (the only deciduous conifer)
• Yellow bigleaf maples
• Red-and-orange vine maples
• Rust-colored alders and cottonwoods

Typical peak: Mid-to-late October in the Cascades and Olympics; early November in lower elevations and coastal valleys.

Where to go:

• North Cascades National Park in Washington
• Columbia River Gorge in Oregon and Washington
• Mount Rainier National Park in Washington
• Silver Falls State Park in Oregon

South

Trees and colors:

• Red-and-purple sweetgums
• Orange-yellow sassafras
• Red dogwoods
• Golden-bronze hickories
• Russet oaks

Typical peak: October in the Ozarks; November in the Deep South and Texas Hill Country.

Where to go:

• Scenic Byway 7 through the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas
• Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi and Tennessee
• Lost Maples State Natural Area in Texas

California

Trees and colors:

• Golden aspens
• Yellow black cottonwoods
• Red dogwoods
• Yellow-orange bigleaf maples
• Multicolored vineyards (golds, oranges, burgundies)

Typical peak: Late September to mid-October in the Sierra Nevada high country; October to early November in Yosemite Valley and the wine regions of Napa and Sonoma.

Where to go:

• June Lake Loop and Bishop Creek Canyon in the Eastern Sierra
• Yosemite Valley
• Napa and Sonoma wine country
• Shasta Cascade alpine lakes and forests in Northern California