“October is the month for painted leaves,” Henry Thoreau wrote in 1860. “Their rich glow now flashes round the world.” And while it’s true that other parts of the world experience autumnal tints every year, they seem to be brighter and more vivid in New England. The annual parade of “leaf peepers’” who visit the Concord area attests to that.

Walden Pond

| ©Richard Smith

But it’s not just tourists who ohh! and ahh! over our colorful leaves. When it comes to spotting a tree ablaze with color, I’m as giddy as any tourist and instantly pull off to the side of the road to click away with my cellphone camera like I’ve never seen the leaves change before. And I’m guilty of this every single year. 

Devoted Thoreauvian that I am, Henry’s “Autumnal Tints” essay is never far from my mind when October rolls around. Red maples, sugar maples, scarlet oaks; whenever I see their fall colors, I immediately wonder what he had to say about each particular tree and its colorful leaves. As soon as I’m done clicking away, my pictures appear on my social media pages, along with the appropriate Thoreau quote, of course! And I wonder how Henry ever got along without a smartphone. 

My favorite tree sits at the intersection of Lexington Road and Route 2 in Minute Man National Historical Park.

| ©Richard Smith

Concord has many extraordinary places to enjoy the yearly “Autumnal Tints.” Thoreauvian or not, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to leaf peep around town and beyond. Here are some of my favorite places for autumn color. 

Minute Man National Historical Park has a walkable trail from Lexington to Concord, and the sheer variety of colorful trees every year is breathtaking. As you stroll along looking at the colors, you almost forget you’re walking along a battlefield.  

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord

| ©Richard Smith

Leaving Concord via Route 117 takes you to forested Concord and Lincoln Conservation Land for your autumnal fix. 

Walden Pond is just one of several ponds around Concord; Goose Pond, White Pond, Flint’s Pond, and Farrar Pond in Lincoln offer rich colors every fall. No wonder Thoreau called this “the lake-country of New England.”

Old Hill Burying Ground in Concord

| ©Richard Smith

Concord has great cemeteries, and the trees in them are spectacular in the autumn. Thoreau found a particular irony in the beauty of the dying leaves covering the graves of his fellow townsmen, writing “These leaves teach us how to die…How beautifully they go to their graves!” Transcendentalist that he was, Thoreau couldn’t help but comment on the circle of life that we witness every October. 

There are many sites online that track fall foliage each year. Visit one of these sites to discover when the foliage will be at its most colorful:

• almanac.com/fall-foliage-color-map-when-peak-foliage

• leafpeepers.com/newengland.htm

• npr.org

This beauty is available every fall and best of all, it’s free! All you have to do is drive down the road, take a walk in the woods, or just look out your window. Whether you’re in Concord or elsewhere, I hope you get the chance to get out and experience the beauty of what Thoreau called our “annual show.”