Week-by-Week Timeline of Leaves Changing Color This Fall in New Jersey

How do you like your leaves? Slightly green with a yellow tinge? Golden bordering on rust-colored? Check out this 2023 week-by-week timeline of Fall foliage in New Jersey.

The 2023 Fall Foliage Prediction Map is up on the official Smoky Mountains website.

While it admits not all their changing-leaves projections are 100 accurate, it definitely gives us here in the Garden State an idea of what colors we'll be seeing on our trees and when.

via GIPHY

It's a glorious time of year to be driving long stretches of the Atlantic City Expressway and Garden State Parkway as leaves begin to turn color. We're seeing a tiny bit of it happening already. But once the leaves really begin losing all their chlorophyll, the changeover process will be swift.

Still, it's lovely to see different colors of fall foliage on an almost weekly basis.

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Here's a week-by-week timeline of when we can expect leaves to turn in New Jersey, according to smokymountains.com:

Week of September 25th

At the moment, North Jersey is in a 'minimal' color-change phase, while South Jersey is experiencing 'patchy' changeover.

Week of October 2nd

By the first week of October, more of Central and South Jersey are experiencing patchy color changeover, while North Jersey enters its 'partial' changeover phase.

Week of October 9th

By the second week of October, North Jersey leaves are already entering their 'near peak' color-changing phase, while the rest of the state enters the partial phase.

Week of October 16th

By the middle of October, North Jersey has reached the 'peak' phase, while Cental and South Jersey leaves are in 'partial' transition.

Week of October 23rd

Come the third week of the month, North Jersey leaves are 'past peak', while the rest of the state reaches peak level.

Week of October 30th

And, by Halloween, it's pretty much all over as the entire Garden State is predicted to be in 'past peak' phase, and leaves begin to completely fall off trees.

What's your favorite road or trail to catch fall foliage in New Jersey? Let us know in the comments!