Canada New England

[Cruiser-66]

What’s the best time for Canada /New England Cruise. Want to see fall color!!  I’m not sure if it’s later on the coast or not. 

 

 

[jhannah]

It all depends on the weather. We've been in mid October and have seen stunning colors.

Edited September 5, 2019 by jhannah
Date change

[Colo Cruiser]

Late Sept early Oct.

[Coral]

I have gone 2x. Mid to end of October seems to work best for coastal areas.

 

You can look at past years maps:

 

https://www.foliagenetwork.com/index.php/foliage-reports/foliage-reports-northeast-us/foliage-reports-northeast-us-archive

 

The coastal areas turn later than inland and obviously Northern areas turn before Southern areas. I went around October 22nd one year and had a snow storm in Quebec City and we hit peak on Halloween in Boston. Another year I went October 14th and was early the entire trip.

 

If you are going to Quebec City - I would probably go first week in October.

 

Edited September 5, 2019 by Coral

[JimmyVWine]

Depends on which direction you are headed. There is no single “best” time because if you are witnessing the peak in New England it will be past peak further into Canada. And if you are seeing the peak in Canada, it won’t be peak yet further south along the N.E. coast. But since the timing of the colors moves north to south, sailing in that direction would maximize your viewing. In a perfect world, I would leave from Quebec around October 15 and head toward NY for arrival 7-10 days after that.  However, in any given year, summer drought, rain and wind can impact colors and timing greatly. 

[janina]

7 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Depends on which direction you are headed. There is no single “best” time because if you are witnessing the peak in New England it will be past peak further into Canada. And if you are seeing the peak in Canada, it won’t be peak yet further south along the N.E. coast. But since the timing of the colors moves north to south, sailing in that direction would maximize your viewing. In a perfect world, I would leave from Quebec around October 15 and head toward NY for arrival 7-10 days after that.  However, in any given year, summer drought, rain and wind can impact colors and timing greatly. 

I totally agree with this.  Just really depends on the weather but we've had a lot of luck in the middle of October.

[Adventures ahead]

9 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Depends on which direction you are headed. There is no single “best” time because if you are witnessing the peak in New England it will be past peak further into Canada. And if you are seeing the peak in Canada, it won’t be peak yet further south along the N.E. coast. But since the timing of the colors moves north to south, sailing in that direction would maximize your viewing. In a perfect world, I would leave from Quebec around October 15 and head toward NY for arrival 7-10 days after that.  However, in any given year, summer drought, rain and wind can impact colors and timing greatly. 

We live in Halifax. I hadn't thought of the direction for this cruise. For Nova Scotia, mid-October makes sense to me. If we happen to get a tropical storm earlier on, a lot of leaves can get wiped out and the fall colours can take a hit. If not, they tend to hang later and can be really spectacular when wet making them brighter. Good luck with your timing.