Tool
Maine Fall Foliage Map & Tracker: DACF Reports
Color moves north to south across about three weeks. This shows the typical window for each part of the state, so you can point a trip at the right place in the right fortnight.
Maine fall foliage develops at different times across the state. Northern and inland trips often fit an earlier part of the season than coastal ones, but a calendar cannot guarantee peak color. Use broad regional timing to choose a travel window and a dated Maine Forest Service report to understand the season as it develops.
Where the color is
- Aroostook and the far northin season nowUsually peaks September 20 to October 5Aroostook County
- North Woods, Moosehead and Katahdinin season nowUsually peaks September 25 to October 10Piscataquis, Somerset Counties
- Western mountainsin season nowUsually peaks September 28 to October 12Oxford, Franklin Counties
- Kennebec Valley and inland MaineUsually peaks October 5 to 18Kennebec, Androscoggin, Penobscot Counties
- Downeast and AcadiaUsually peaks October 8 to 22Hancock, Washington Counties
- MidcoastUsually peaks October 10 to 25Knox, Waldo, Lincoln, Sagadahoc Counties
- Southern coast and PortlandUsually peaks October 12 to 28York, Cumberland Counties
The season, region by region
One shared axis, so the stagger is visible: about five weeks separate the first color in Aroostook from the last on the southern coast.
Typical Maine foliage timing
Maine Forest Service guidance places the usual northern Maine color window around late September and early October. Central and western areas commonly follow into October, while coastal color often comes later, around the middle to latter part of the month. These are broad planning patterns, not exact opening and closing dates for scenery.
A route covering several regions can encounter different stages on the same day. Decide which part of Maine you want to visit before trying to choose a peak weekend for the entire state.
Read a dated report before choosing a day
A current-color report needs a report date as well as a location. Read those together: a useful observation from last week is still an observation from last week. A typical seasonal calendar and a field report answer different questions.
An announcement about when reporting begins does not supply current color or leaf-drop percentages.
Keep regional labels clear
Aroostook, the North Woods, the western mountains, the Kennebec area, Down East, the Midcoast and southern Maine are useful travel groupings. A travel region is not automatically the same area as a reporting zone. Match a report to the places it actually describes before applying its values to a map.
For a trip near a regional boundary, look at the relevant neighboring reports too. A single statewide color badge hides the differences that make an earlier mountain trip and a later coastal trip distinct choices.
Use color timing as one part of the trip
Choose the scenery and towns you want to spend time in, then use the reports to refine the date. A fall-color map cannot promise visibility from a summit, a clear-weather drive or access to a seasonal attraction. Keep those decisions tied to their own conditions.
The Maine fall foliage guide provides broader trip context. This tool focuses on interpreting dates and regions so that a remembered peak week does not become a guarantee for a different year.
Sources: September 14, 2026 — Maine Forest Service seasonal guidance, Maine Forest Service foliage reports.
Seasonal planning update
Maine DACF’s report dated September 9, 2026 lists very low color change and leaf drop in all seven reporting zones. This is the agency’s dated report, not a live field observation by Maine.com. Check the weekly report before choosing a route.
Source: Maine DACF foliage report · Source date 2026-09-09 · Checked 2026-09-16
Common questions
When is peak foliage in Maine?
It moves from north to south over roughly three weeks. Aroostook County and the North Woods usually peak in the last week of September and the first week of October, the mountains and inland Maine in the second week, and the coast from Acadia south not until the middle or end of October.
Where should I go in early October?
The western mountains and Moosehead. By the second week the coast is still mostly green, so if you are visiting early, go inland and high.
Does the weather change the timing?
Yes, by one to two weeks either way. Cool nights and bright days produce the strongest color; a warm, wet autumn delays it and dulls it. Wind and heavy rain can strip a peak stand in a day.
Is this a live foliage report?
Not yet. The dates here are long-run typical timing for each region. Field reports appear separately as they are submitted and verified, and they are never blended into the typical window, so you can always tell an observation from an average.
