Foliage map › Destinations › Massachusetts › Wellesley
Wellesley, Massachusetts fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Wellesley area peaks around October 22, with the best viewing from roughly October 20 to October 29.
- Typical peak
- October 22
- Best viewing
- Oct 20 – Oct 29
- Color starts
- Around Oct 10
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Nov 4
- Elevation
- 141 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 22. 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 Wellesley on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Wellesley
Wellesley is known for its old trees and college campuses. The path around Lake Waban, on the Wellesley College campus, follows the shore through the woods with views across the water. Elm Bank Reservation, on a loop of the Charles River at the Dover line, has fields and riverside trails. The Cochituate and Sudbury aqueduct trails cross town on the grassy routes of old aqueducts.
Scenic drive
Route 16 runs east from Wellesley Square through Wellesley Hills to the Charles River at Newton Lower Falls. Route 135 runs west to Natick and east into Needham.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head farther north
Keene, NH (67 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 7 days earlier, and Brattleboro, VT (75 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 6 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head farther south
Newport, RI (56 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 7 days later, and Hyannis (Cape Cod), MA (68 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 6 days later.
Nearby destinations
- Natick, MATypical peak Oct 22, about the same time. 3 miles away.
- Milton, MATypical peak Oct 24, 2 days later. 12 miles away.
- Boston, MATypical peak Oct 24, 2 days later. 13 miles away.
- Worcester, MATypical peak Oct 19, 3 days earlier. 26 miles away.
- Providence, RITypical peak Oct 24, 2 days later. 33 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Wellesley?
In a typical year, fall color in the Wellesley area peaks around October 22, with the best viewing from roughly October 20 to October 29. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Wellesley?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 10 days. Color starts to show around October 10, and most leaves are down by about November 4.
Is Wellesley early or late compared with the rest of Massachusetts?
Wellesley peaks close to the middle of the Massachusetts season, about Oct 20 on average across the 9 Massachusetts destinations we track.
What trees color up around Wellesley?
The main fall color in this area comes from red maple, northern red oak, sugar maple, and shagbark hickory. 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.