Fall Foliage Near Boston: A MetroWest Weekend Guide

You do not have to drive to Vermont for fall color. Some of the most dependable fall foliage near Boston is 30 minutes west of the city, around the reservoirs and orchards of MetroWest. This guide covers timing, walks, apple picking and one good scenic loop, all within reach of Southborough.

When the color peaks

Nobody can promise a date, but the pattern is consistent. The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism's fall foliage guide says color generally starts in the third week of September, peaks around the second or third week of October, and moves from the Berkshires eastward. Southborough is in the eastern half of the state and at low altitude, so it turns after the hills do. Mid to late October is the usual target here, with good color often hanging on into early November around the water.

Check that guide the week before you come, along with the Department of Conservation and Recreation's page on fall foliage in the state parks.

If the local trees are behind when you arrive, drive west and uphill. If they are past, stay low and near water.

Fall foliage near Boston on foot: the reservoir trails

The Sudbury Reservoir is a short walk from Southborough Garden Retreat. The Sudbury Reservoir Trail runs along it and overlaps in town with the Boroughs Loop Trail and the Aqueduct Trail, so you can stretch a 30-minute stroll into a half-day walk. The Town of Southborough publishes maps on its trails pages.

Reservoirs are good foliage spots for a plain reason: open water gives you a long view of a whole shoreline of trees, plus the reflection.

Other walks close by:

• Hopkinton State Park, about 10 minutes from Southborough, has miles of trails around its own reservoir.
• Breakneck Hill Conservation Land in Southborough is town-owned former farmland, about 88 acres, with old apple orchards and mown walking trails on an open hill.

Apple picking in MetroWest

This is orchard country, and October weekends are busy. Go on a Friday or early on Saturday, and check each farm's site that morning for what is picking. Varieties change week to week, and farms close the orchard when the ripe fruit is picked out.

• Tougas Family Farm in Northborough, about 15 to 20 minutes away. Pick-your-own apples from mid-August into November, with more than 30 varieties, plus pumpkins from September. There is a farm kitchen, cider donuts made with the farm's own cider, barnyard animals and a playground, which makes it the easy choice with children.
• Honey Pot Hill Orchards in Stow, about 25 to 30 minutes north. A family-run orchard dating to 1926 with pick-your-own apples and a farm store.

Stow, Bolton and Harvard, just off I-495 to the north, are the heart of the local apple belt.

A scenic loop: Tower Hill and Wachusett

For a day of driving and looking, head north and west. This loop is roughly 70 miles, mostly on highways out and back roads in the middle.

1. North on I-495, then west on I-290 to Boylston and the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, about 25 minutes. The garden looks out over the Wachusett Reservoir toward Mount Wachusett, and it is open year-round. Check the site for tickets and hours.
2. Continue through Sterling to Princeton and Wachusett Mountain State Reservation, about 45 to 50 minutes from Southborough if you drive direct. At 2,006 feet it is the highest point in the state east of the Connecticut River. A paved road to the summit is normally open to cars from Memorial Day weekend until the last weekend of October, and there is a parking fee. On a clear day you can see the Boston skyline. Check DCR's page for closures. On peak weekends the road can close when the summit fills.
3. Come home by the back roads through Bolton or Berlin for farm stands, then pick up I-495 south.

The hills around Wachusett turn a week or so before Southborough does, so this loop works well on an early October visit.

Practicalities

• Traffic. Drive times here are approximate and measured from Southborough town center. Sunday afternoon on the Mass Pike eastbound is often slow in October, as half of Boston drives home from the Berkshires. Route 9 has its own Saturday shopping traffic. I-495 is usually the reliable one.
• Light. By late October the sun sets before 6 p.m. Do the outdoor part of the day first.
• Ticks are still active in fall. Stay on the trail and check when you get in.

Evenings at the house

Foliage weekends are half about coming indoors. The house has several living areas, each with a fireplace, a library of more than 1,000 books, and a projector room with a 100-inch screen for a film. The kitchen has an induction range and a stocked spice rack, so the apples can become a pie or a crisp the same night.

The house sleeps 14, which is two or three families sharing. Check-in is after 3:00 PM and check-out by 11:00 AM, so on a two-night stay Saturday is your full day. Plan the big outing for it.

If your group includes grandparents and small children, the family reunion guide has more on sleeping plans and outings across ages, and the area page covers the rest of the area.

Useful links

• Massachusetts fall foliage guide (Office of Travel and Tourism)
• Fall foliage season in the state parks (Mass. DCR)
• Sudbury Reservoir Trail (Town of Southborough)
• Breakneck Hill Conservation Land (Town of Southborough)
• Hopkinton State Park (Mass. DCR)
• Tougas Family Farm
• Honey Pot Hill Orchards
• New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill
• Wachusett Mountain State Reservation (Mass. DCR)