Leaf peeping

Fall colors in New Jersey

Typical peak runs Oct 19 – 28. Pick the week, then the place.

Photo: Holly Springs Trail

Fall color in New Jersey typically peaks between Oct 19 and Oct 28, with the middle of the season around Oct 24. Color starts in the high country (Paulinskill Valley Trail around Oct 8) and finishes lower (Many Log Run around Oct 25). We track 1,125 places here: 1,024 hikes, 41 campgrounds, 29 summits, 25 mountain biking trails, and 4 waterfalls. Above 1,000 ft, color typically peaks around Oct 22; under 1,000 ft, around Oct 25.

When to go

Week by week

How many places are in their typical peak window each week, with the top pick. Today’s week is highlighted.

  1. Oct 6 – 12

    This week

    147 places
    Unmaintained TrailTop pick · hike

  2. Oct 13 – 19

    913 places
    Holly Springs TrailTop pick · hike

  3. Oct 20 – 26

    Busiest

    1,123 places
    Orange TrailTop pick · hike

  4. Oct 27 – Nov 2

    978 places
    Unmarked 8Top pick · hike

  5. Nov 3 – 9

    212 places
    Yellow TrailTop pick · hike

  6. Nov 10 – 16

    2 places
    Lincoln BoulevardTop pick · hike

Elevation

Color walks downhill

In New Jersey, the higher the ground, the earlier the turn. Each row is a 1,000-foot band.

  1. 1,000+ ftOct 22
  2. 0–1,000 ftOct 25

Dot = median typical peak for places in that band. Bands with fewer than 10 places are left out.

This week

In typical peak now in New Jersey

Places whose usual window includes today.

Plan ahead

Coming up next

Typical peak starts within the next three weeks.

Where

By park and forest

Typical timing for the public lands with the most places, and the best-known spots in each.

Hikes

Best fall hikes

Trails ranked by how much hardwood forest surrounds them and how consistent the timing is across years.

Camp

Campgrounds in the color

Wake up in it. Check availability and any seasonal closures before you go.

Views

Summits and waterfalls

Overlooks for the big picture, falls for the doubled-up reflection.

Ride

Mountain biking through the color

Singletrack with a canopy overhead.

Everything

Map and full list

Every place we track in New Jersey, grouped by where it is in its typical window.

  • In typical peak now (57)
  • Coming up (43)

In typical peak now

Today falls inside the usual peak window for these places.

Coming up

Typical peak starts within the next three weeks.

Questions

Fall colors in New Jersey: FAQ

When is peak fall color in New Jersey?

Across the 1,125 places we track in New Jersey, typical peak runs from Oct 19 to Oct 28, with the middle of the season around Oct 24. Where you are in the state matters: higher elevations come earlier and valleys later.

Where do leaves change first in New Jersey?

Among the places we track in New Jersey, Paulinskill Valley Trail has the earliest typical peak, around Oct 8. The latest is Many Log Run, around Oct 25. Above 1,000 ft, color typically peaks around Oct 22; under 1,000 ft, around Oct 25.

What are the best fall hikes in New Jersey?

Hikes with strong typical color in New Jersey include Holly Springs Trail, Dunnfield Creek Trail, Orange Trail, Buckwood Trail, and Yellow Trail. They are ranked by how much of the surrounding forest is hardwood and how consistent the timing has been across years.

Is this a forecast?

No. These dates are typical timing: when leaves have usually reached peak in past years, from NASA satellite vegetation data from 2017 to 2024 and USGS forest cover. A warm, dry or very wet year can shift them by a week or more, so treat them as a planning window, not a prediction for this year.

Keep going

Nearby states

Typical timing from NASA MODIS vegetation data (2017–2024) and USGS NLCD 2021 forest cover. Not a forecast. Timing is typical, not a forecast. How we time it.