A Photography Guide to Fall in Vermont
Find your next great foliage shot.
Maple is a photography-first foliage planner that uses historical data, live weather, elevation profiles, and expert advice to help photographers take better fall photos.
Take better photos this Fall.
Example read · Saturday, Oct 3
Northeast Kingdom
Color is building fast above 1,500 ft. Morning fog likely in the valleys — get high early for the best light and a chance to shoot over the fog, then work the village and side roads after it burns off.
Peak color lasts about a week. Maple helps make sure you don't miss it.
How Maple works
Three steps to better fall photos.
01
Check today's read
A data-backed read on where the color stands across Vermont — region by region, updated with real weather, elevation, and timing.
02
Visit the Best Bets
Top recommended locations show up in ranked order along with information on what each one is best for, what to expect when you get there, and an honest heads-up about what could get in the way.
03
Go shoot — with a plan B
Every top pick comes with a backup option, so fog, wind, or indecision never costs you an outing.
Data You Can Trust
Real foliage reports written for photographers
Most fall foliage trackers are built for tourists, not photographers. Maple blends historical foliage timing data with live weather, elevation and advice from a local Vermont photographer to recommend where and when you can expect the best conditions for an outing.
Estimated phase
Near peak · Mad River Valley
Best scene: sugar maples along the valley roads. Watch out: gusty afternoon wind stripping exposed ridgelines.
Best bets · this weekend
Best Bets
Ranked options help you stop guessing where to go.
Every location is curated and ranked for the day you're going. Maple makes it easy to see which spots are best for the date you're hoping to shoot, along with what it's best for, why to go, and a backup option.
Foliage Map
Color progression at a glance.
An interactive map of Vermont makes it easy to see how far along the fall color is in each area of the state. Maple's map is weather and elevation-aware, making it easy to tell when each region is building color, fading or right in the middle of peak color.
Foliage progression by region
Weekend planning
Saturday or Sunday? Maple compares both days' weather and recommends which one to prioritize, and why.
Elevation-aware
Maple can tell the difference between a mountain peak and a low-lying valley, so you're never going to the wrong location at the wrong time.
Weather-tuned
Maple runs weather forecasts in the background to help power every daily readout. That means your location recommendations will be different on sunny days than on days where rain or fog are expected.
Five scene types
Vermont has a lot to offer, and it can feel daunting to know what subjects to shoot in the fall. Maple makes it easy to filter by the type of scene you'd like to shoot, including mountain views, lakes, villages, and more.
A Few Locations
Curated by a local landscape photographer, not an algorithm.
Every recommended photo spot in Maple has been shot, scouted, and written up by hand by a real Vermont landscape photographer — from famous overlooks to quiet corners on the back roads.
…and more, across all of Vermont's photo-planning regions.
From the photographer
“There are plenty of fall tourism guides out there, but almost none of them are written for photographers. A prediction map can give you a general idea of when the best color should arrive, but it can't tell you that the mountain area is already past peak while the valley below hasn't begun to turn yet, or whether an area could be stripped bare of color because of a recent rainstorm. I built Maple to help photographers get better, more dependable information about fall conditions that actually lead to good photos.”
Michael WoodVermont-based landscape photographer
Follow on InstagramKnow when the color turns.
A few emails a season: when color starts building, when regions hit peak, and when Maple becomes a real app. That's it.
No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Q.01Is Maple free?
Yes. Maple is currently free and runs in your browser — no account, no download, no credit card. Open it, check the read, go shoot.
Q.02Is it only for Vermont?
For now, yes. Maple covers Vermont deeply, rather than claiming to be an expert in the whole Northeast. It features hand-curated locations, region-by-region details, and local knowledge you can't get anywhere else. More regions may be added later.
Q.03How does Maple know where the color is?
Maple is built on a proprietary foliage timing model that analyzes historical patterns in color progression across Vermont's regions and elevations. It blends that data with live weather forecasts and elevation profiles to produce an accurate, tailored recommendation for specific areas of the state. It's the difference between a date slider and a basic color gradient on a map and knowing that you should try the lower valleys in central Vermont instead of the mountains in Stowe. However, just like a weather forecast, Maple will never be 100% accurate. It's an honest estimate that gives you a better chance at a great photo, not a promise.
Q.04Do I need to be a real photographer?
No! Maple thinks like a photographer — chasing light, aggregating weather data, having a plan B — so you don't have to. Whether you're a seasoned landscape photographer looking for better information or a weekend leaf peeper who wants to take better fall photos with an iPhone, Maple is for you.
Q.05Is Maple available as an iOS or Android app?
Not yet, but that's the plan. Today, Maple is a web app that you can pin to your home screen, and treat like any other app on your phone. In the future, the goal is for it to be available directly from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Q.06Can I suggest a location?
Please do! There's a feedback link inside Maple that send your recommendations securely for consideration in a future update.
The color won't wait.
Check today's read and find your next great foliage shot.