Red maple

Acer rubrum

Usually the first tree to flash scarlet, especially around swamps and wet meadows.

Fall color: RedOrangeYellow
Turns: Early
Leaves: Opposite (in pairs)
Size: 2–4 in. across
Found in: New England & New York, Great Lakes & North Woods, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest

How to recognize it

Three main lobes, sometimes with two small extra lobes near the base.
Sharp V-shaped notches between the lobes.
Edges lined with many small, uneven teeth.
Leaf stems, twigs, and buds are often red.

Where to find it

Look for it almost anywhere in the East, but especially around swamps, beaver ponds, wet meadows, and roadsides, where its early red stands out against green forest.

Where you’ll see it this fall

Red maple is one of the main trees in the fall color at these destinations. Dates are the typical peak.

Alabama: Mentone (Oct 29), Birmingham (Nov 5)

Connecticut: Litchfield (Oct 18), Hartford (Oct 23)

Georgia: Helen (Oct 30), Atlanta (Nov 2)

Kentucky: Red River Gorge (Oct 28)

Maine: Rangeley (Oct 1), Greenville (Oct 1), Millinocket (Oct 3), Bethel (Oct 8), Camden (Oct 16), Bar Harbor (Oct 16), Portland (Oct 19)

Maryland: Deep Creek Lake (Oct 20), Baltimore (Oct 31), Ocean City (Nov 7)

Massachusetts: Lenox (Oct 14), Williamstown (Oct 15), Shelburne Falls (Oct 17), Worcester (Oct 19), Natick (Oct 22), Wellesley (Oct 22), Milton (Oct 24), Boston (Oct 24), Hyannis (Oct 28)

Michigan: Copper Harbor (Sep 26), Marquette (Oct 1), Mackinac Island (Oct 4), Traverse City (Oct 8), Detroit (Oct 17)

Minnesota: Ely (Sep 18), Grand Marais (Sep 26), Duluth (Sep 28)

New Hampshire: Franconia Notch (Oct 3), Jackson (Oct 8), Lincoln (Oct 9), North Conway (Oct 10), Hanover (Oct 11), Keene (Oct 15), Portsmouth (Oct 21)

New Jersey: Delaware Water Gap (Oct 24), Cape May (Nov 6)

New York: Lake Placid (Oct 2), Old Forge (Oct 6), Cooperstown (Oct 12), Hunter (Oct 13), Lake George (Oct 13), Letchworth State Park (Oct 14), Saratoga Springs (Oct 15), Ithaca (Oct 16), Watkins Glen (Oct 17), Albany (Oct 17), Buffalo (Oct 18), Woodstock (Oct 18), Bear Mountain (Oct 23), New York City (Oct 31)

North Carolina: Mount Mitchell (Oct 7), Highlands (Oct 18), Blowing Rock (Oct 19), Boone (Oct 20), Asheville (Oct 26), Charlotte (Nov 2), Raleigh (Nov 3)

Ohio: Cleveland (Oct 24)

Pennsylvania: Wellsboro (Oct 16), State College (Oct 21), Pittsburgh (Oct 24), Jim Thorpe (Oct 24), Ohiopyle (Oct 25), Philadelphia (Oct 31)

Rhode Island: Providence (Oct 24), Newport (Oct 29)

South Carolina: Greenville (Nov 1)

Tennessee: Kuwohi (Oct 8), Cades Cove (Oct 28), Gatlinburg (Oct 30), Pigeon Forge (Oct 31), Knoxville (Oct 31), Nashville (Nov 2), Chattanooga (Nov 2), Memphis (Nov 4)

Vermont: Smugglers' Notch (Sep 30), Jay Peak (Oct 1), Killington (Oct 6), Stowe (Oct 7), Montpelier (Oct 9), Burlington (Oct 9), Woodstock (Oct 11), Manchester (Oct 12), Bennington (Oct 14), Brattleboro (Oct 16)

Virginia: Skyland (Oct 15), Blacksburg (Oct 24), Roanoke (Oct 29), Charlottesville (Oct 30), Richmond (Nov 2)

Washington, D.C.: Washington (Oct 31)

West Virginia: Snowshoe (Oct 10), Davis (Oct 17), Fayetteville (Oct 24)

Wisconsin: Minocqua (Sep 27)

Easy to confuse with

Sugar maple

Rounded U-shaped notches and smooth edges with only a few big teeth.

Silver maple

Cuts between the lobes reach nearly to the center, and the underside is silvery white.

Worth knowing

Red maple is one of the most common trees in eastern North America, growing everywhere from swamps to dry ridges. Something on it is red in every season: buds in winter, flowers in spring, leaf stems in summer.

Common questions

What color does red maple turn in fall?

Red maple usually turns brilliant scarlet, but some trees turn orange or yellow instead, and one tree can show all three.

When does red maple change color?

Early. Red maples around swamps and wet meadows are often the first trees in the area to turn, sometimes by early September in the North.

How can you tell red maple from sugar maple?

Sugar maple: Rounded U-shaped notches and smooth edges with only a few big teeth. Red maple: Three main lobes, sometimes with two small extra lobes near the base.

Where does red maple grow?

In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, the Great Lakes & North Woods, the Appalachians, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, and the Midwest.

See where the color is peaking today.

Open the foliage map