Foliage map › Destinations › Kentucky › Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Lexington area peaks around October 28, with the best viewing from roughly October 27 to November 4.
- Typical peak
- October 28
- Best viewing
- Oct 27 – Nov 4
- Color starts
- Around Oct 16
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Nov 10
- Elevation
- 980 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 28. 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 Lexington on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Lexington
Lexington sits in the heart of the Bluegrass, surrounded by horse farms, plank and dry-stone fences, and big old trees along the roads. Southeast of the city, Raven Run Nature Sanctuary has trails through woods and meadows to an overlook above the Kentucky River palisades, the limestone cliffs along the river.
Scenic drive
Old Frankfort Pike, a designated scenic byway, runs west from Lexington past horse farms, stone fences, and tree-lined pastures toward Versailles and Frankfort. Paris Pike, to the northeast, is lined with more stone fences and farms. To the east, the sandstone arches of the Red River Gorge are about an hour away.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Nothing nearby turns earlier
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Lexington typically peaks much earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Nothing nearby turns later
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Lexington typically peaks much later.
Nearby destinations
- Red River Gorge, KYTypical peak Oct 28, about the same time. 47 miles away.
- Louisville, KYTypical peak Oct 30, 2 days later. 70 miles away.
- Cincinnati, OHTypical peak Oct 29, about the same time. 73 miles away.
- Nashville (Brown County), INTypical peak Oct 28, about the same time. 124 miles away.
- Hocking Hills, OHTypical peak Oct 27, about the same time. 143 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Lexington?
In a typical year, fall color in the Lexington area peaks around October 28, with the best viewing from roughly October 27 to November 4. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Lexington?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 16, and most leaves are down by about November 10.
Is Lexington early or late compared with the rest of Kentucky?
Lexington peaks close to the middle of the Kentucky season, about Oct 29 on average across the 3 Kentucky destinations we track.
What trees color up around Lexington?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, tulip tree, shagbark hickory, and sassafras. 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.