Foliage map › Destinations › Vermont › Manchester
Manchester, Vermont fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Manchester area peaks around October 12, with the best viewing from roughly October 10 to October 18.
- Typical peak
- October 12
- Best viewing
- Oct 10 – Oct 18
- Color starts
- Around Sep 30
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 25
- Elevation
- 900 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 12. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s estimated status and the five-week outlook.
The season at a glance
Bar height shows how good the viewing typically is on each day, from September 1 through November 30. Colors show the stage, from green through peak red to bare.
Open Manchester on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Manchester
Manchester sits in the valley between the Green Mountains to the east and the Taconic Range to the west, with Mount Equinox, the highest peak in the Taconics at 3,848 feet, rising right above town. Skyline Drive climbs about 5.2 miles from Route 7A to the summit, which looks out over the valley to the Green Mountains, the Adirondacks, and the Berkshires. On the Green Mountain side, a trail through the Lye Brook Wilderness leads to Lye Brook Falls, which drops about 125 feet and is one of the tallest waterfalls in Vermont.
Scenic drive
Historic Route 7A runs south from Manchester below Mount Equinox to Arlington. From there, Route 313 heads west along the Batten Kill for about 4.5 miles to the covered bridge at West Arlington, built in 1852, beside a small village green near the New York line. Back in Arlington, Route 7A continues south toward Bennington.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Killington, VT (34 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 6 days earlier, and Lake Placid, NY (89 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 9 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head lower
Shelburne Falls, MA (42 miles away) typically peaks about 5 days later, and Albany, NY (49 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 6 days later.
National park and forest guide
Nearby destinations
- Bennington, VTTypical peak Oct 14, 2 days later. 21 miles away.
- Williamstown, MATypical peak Oct 15, 3 days later. 32 miles away.
- Brattleboro, VTTypical peak Oct 16, 5 days later. 34 miles away.
- Killington, VTTypical peak Oct 6, 6 days earlier. 34 miles away.
- Saratoga Springs, NYTypical peak Oct 15, 3 days later. 36 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Manchester?
In a typical year, fall color in the Manchester area peaks around October 12, with the best viewing from roughly October 10 to October 18. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Manchester?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around September 30, and most leaves are down by about October 25.
Is Manchester early or late compared with the rest of Vermont?
Manchester typically peaks about 3 days later than the Vermont average of Oct 8. It ranks 8 of 10 Vermont destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Manchester?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, red maple, paper birch, and American beech. See the leaf guide to identify them.
Estimates come from the Leaves.com model of typical years, based on latitude, elevation, and distance from large bodies of water. They are not live observations. How it works.