Fall Foliage in Maine: When to Go and Where to See the Best Color

Overview

Maine runs roughly 320 miles from Kittery to Fort Kent, and that distance is one of the best things about fall here. The colors start earliest in Aroostook County, where birch and maple begin turning in the last week of September, then roll south and downslope through the Highlands, the Western Mountains, the MidCoast, and finally the Downeast coast through mid to late October. That long gradient means fall foliage in Maine is less a single event than a traveling display you can follow across the state, or choose to meet at whichever latitude fits your schedule. The full planning picture for combining foliage with other Maine travel is on the Maine Travel Guide.

The dominant species are red maple and sugar maple, which give the deepest oranges and scarlets; white and yellow birch, which turn a clean lemon-yellow; American beech, which holds bronze and copper leaves well into November; and trembling aspen, which catches every breeze in solid gold. In Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, low-growing blueberry bushes cover the open summit ridges of Cadillac Mountain and turn a deep burgundy-red before most of the surrounding forest even peaks. That ground-level color is something most visitors driving up to the summit miss entirely: look down at the heath barrens, not just out at the islands.

What to Expect

Foliage season brings the most consistently pleasant weather in the Maine calendar. Daytime highs typically run from the upper 40s to the mid-60s Fahrenheit depending on elevation and week, with nights dropping into the 30s and low 40s in the mountains and Highlands. Morning fog is common in river valleys and on the coast, and it usually lifts by mid-morning to leave clear skies for most of the day. The ocean is cold in October, running from the upper 50s to low 60s F along the southern and midcoast shoreline, but the summer crowds are gone and the coastal towns are easy to move through in a way they are not in July.

You will want layers at every elevation. A fleece or light wool mid-layer, a wind shell, and waterproof footwear handle most situations. If you are planning hikes above treeline, note that snow and ice are possible on exposed ridges in the Highlands and western mountains by mid-October. Most of the casual foliage drives in the lowland regions are straightforward, but if Katahdin is on your agenda, confirm conditions through the Baxter State Park website before you go: the park closes summit routes when conditions deteriorate, often as early as mid-October.

Best Season: A Week-by-Week Guide by Region

No single week covers the whole state. Here is how the timing typically runs in normal years. The exact dates shift by a week earlier or later depending on summer drought and overnight temperatures.

Aroostook County (Fort Kent, Presque Isle, Caribou) is usually first, with peak color in the last week of September into the first few days of October. The potato fields are harvested by then, and the birch-lined roads along Route 11 and Route 161 run through some of the most underrated color in the state, with almost none of the foliage-weekend traffic you find further south. The Maine Highlands around Greenville, Moosehead Lake, and Baxter State Park follow closely, peaking in late September through the first week of October. The road into Greenville along the lake is particularly strong, and the view of Mount Kineo rising straight off the water with full color on the surrounding ridges is one of the better natural spectacles in the state. The Western Mountains, covering the Bethel and Sunday River area, Rangeley Lakes, and Kingfield, generally peak in the first to second week of October. Route 4 from Auburn north to Rangeley covers about 80 miles and runs roughly two hours without stops, threading through farmland and then climbing into hardwood ridges above the lakes. It is consistently one of the most rewarding foliage drives in all of New England but draws far less traffic than the famous routes in New Hampshire and Vermont. The MidCoast and Camden Hills peak in the second week of October. Driving or hiking to the summit of Mount Battie (1,385 feet, about 15 minutes from downtown Camden via the toll road) puts you above the hillside looking out over Penobscot Bay with the full tree line in color below. Acadia and the Downeast coast generally peak mid to late October. Cadillac Mountain at 1,529 feet gives a 360-degree view over the islands, the ocean, and the red blueberry barrens. The vehicle reservation for Cadillac Summit Road is required through late October and must be booked separately from the entrance pass, with the main batch releasing 90 days ahead. Go mid-week if you can: foliage weekends in Bar Harbor in October are still genuinely busy. The southern coast from Portland down through Kennebunkport catches some color in late October into early November, but this region is better for combining light foliage with coastal walks than for the full canopy displays you find inland.

Typical Costs (Estimates)

Most of the best foliage in Maine costs nothing beyond gas. The back-road drives through Aroostook County, the Kennebec River corridor along Route 201, and the mountain towns of the western interior are all free. Where fees apply: an Acadia National Park vehicle pass runs an estimated $35 for 7 days (2025 pricing); the Cadillac Summit Road timed reservation is included with the pass but requires a separate booking through recreation.gov. Baxter State Park day-use fees run an estimated $15 per vehicle for Maine residents and $35 per vehicle for out-of-state visitors in 2025. The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay charges a separate admission for their fall programming.

For water-level foliage views, a 2-hour sailing cruise with an operator like Schooner Appledore II out of Camden Harbor runs an estimated $50 to $65 per adult in fall. From Portland, Casco Bay Lines runs a 3-hour mail boat circuit around the Casco Bay islands from the terminal at 56 Commercial Street; the October run past island foliage and working harbors is a popular local outing at roughly $25 to $35 per person. See the Tour Operators and Charters directory for the current seasonal schedule on cruises and harbor trips. Lodging in peak foliage areas runs approximately $180 to $350 per night for inns and B&Bs in Camden and Bar Harbor during the second and third weeks of October. Book 2 to 3 months ahead. For camping through the foliage corridor, sites at Acadia, Sebago Lake, and the western mountain campgrounds run approximately $30 to $45 per night; the full rundown is in the Camping and RV guide.

How to Plan Your Fall Foliage Trip

The Maine Forest Service tracks color reports weekly starting in mid-September, and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension publishes a foliage map each fall at umaine.edu. Both are free and updated regularly. Start checking in the first week of September if you need to lock in a specific week and region. For the classic coastal approach, the Maine Coast Road Trip between Portland and Camden peaks in the second week of October and gives you both hillside color and ocean views in a manageable day's drive. Route 1 moves more freely in October than in summer and the harbor towns along it are at their most relaxed.

For a multi-region foliage trip, consider starting in the Highlands or western mountains in the first week of October, then driving south to Camden and the coast for the second week. That approach follows the color rather than racing ahead of it. If foliage is the main reason you are visiting but you want something beyond drives, the options include hiking the Camden Hills State Park trail to the Mount Battie summit, paddling Moosehead Lake out of Greenville, and whale-watch cruises out of Kennebunk and Bar Harbor that run through mid-October. After leaf season passes, the same western mountain infrastructure becomes Skiing and Snowboarding country by December, with Sunday River in Bethel and Sugarloaf near Kingfield typically opening in late November. A foliage trip to Bethel pairs naturally with scouting the mountain for a winter return.

For a good fall lunch break in the MidCoast corridor between Camden and Rockland, McLoons Lobster Shack in South Thomaston stays open into mid-October and serves one of the more reliable lobster rolls on the coast from a counter window with water views. Check the Best Lobster Shacks in Maine guide for which spots are still running late in the season and which have closed for winter.