Foliage map › Destinations › Pennsylvania › State College
State College, Pennsylvania fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the State College area peaks around October 21, with the best viewing from roughly October 20 to October 28.
- Typical peak
- October 21
- Best viewing
- Oct 20 – Oct 28
- Color starts
- Around Oct 9
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Nov 3
- Elevation
- 1,150 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 21. 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 State College on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around State College
State College sits in Happy Valley, between long, wooded ridges of the Appalachians, home of Penn State. Just east of town, trails on Mount Nittany lead to overlooks above the campus and the valley, and the ridge itself lights up in fall. To the south, Rothrock State Forest covers Tussey Mountain and the ridges beyond, with trails into Shingletown Gap, a narrow hollow cut into the mountain.
Scenic drive
Route 45 heads east from Boalsburg into Penns Valley, a broad farming valley ringed by long, wooded ridges. The road passes barns, fields, and small towns like Spring Mills and Millheim, with color on the ridges rising on both sides.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head farther north
Wellsboro (Pine Creek Gorge), PA (72 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 5 days earlier, and Letchworth State Park, NY (124 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 7 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head lower
Baltimore, MD (123 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 10 days later, and Washington, DC (137 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 10 days later.
Nearby destinations
- Wellsboro (Pine Creek Gorge), PATypical peak Oct 16, 5 days earlier. 72 miles away.
- Ohiopyle, PATypical peak Oct 25, 4 days later. 107 miles away.
- Jim Thorpe, PATypical peak Oct 24, 3 days later. 111 miles away.
- Pittsburgh, PATypical peak Oct 24, 2 days later. 115 miles away.
- Deep Creek Lake, MDTypical peak Oct 20, 2 days earlier. 117 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in State College?
In a typical year, fall color in the State College area peaks around October 21, with the best viewing from roughly October 20 to October 28. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in State College?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 9, and most leaves are down by about November 3.
Is State College early or late compared with the rest of Pennsylvania?
State College peaks close to the middle of the Pennsylvania season, about Oct 23 on average across the 6 Pennsylvania destinations we track.
What trees color up around State College?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, red maple, northern red oak, 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.