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Autumn colour on the forested hills of Vermont

Nature Calendar

Where to go each month for northern lights, whales, autumn colour and wildflowers — and the easy walks to pair with them.

Photo: chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Roam Glade Editorial · Updated November 2026

Nature runs on its own schedule. The same valley can be a roaring waterfall in May and dry rock in September, and the northern lights are invisible all summer. This calendar shows where to go each month for four seasonal events: the northern lights, whale watching, fall foliage and wildflowers.

Timings are typical, not guaranteed. Weather, snowfall and the solar cycle shift them from year to year, so check local reports before you book.

January

  • Northern lights

    Iceland, Tromsø (Norway), Finnish and Swedish Lapland, Yukon and Fairbanks

  • Humpback whales

    Maui, Hawaii (December–April); grey whale lagoons of Baja California Sur

  • Summer walks

    New Zealand's South Island

February

  • Northern lights

    Arctic Norway, Lapland and Iceland, with lengthening days

  • Desert wildflowers (wet years)

    Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California

  • Grey whales

    San Ignacio and Magdalena Bay lagoons, Baja California Sur

March

April

  • Waterfalls at full flow

    Yosemite Valley (April–June)

  • Autumn colour (southern hemisphere)

    Arrowtown and Central Otago, New Zealand

  • Bluebell woods

    England and Scotland (late April–May)

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

  • Autumn leaves (momiji)

    Kyoto and Nara, Japan (mid–late November)

  • Orca and humpback season

    Northern Norway fjords (roughly November–January)

  • Spring wildflowers (southern hemisphere)

    New Zealand and Tasmania

December

Fall Foliage: Where and When

  • New England, USA: northern Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine usually peak from late September to early October; southern New England in mid to late October.
  • Great Smoky Mountains, USA: high elevations from early October, lower slopes from late October into early November.
  • Canadian Rockies: golden larches in mid to late September around Banff and Lake Louise.
  • Scotland and England: October, especially Highland Perthshire and the Lake District.
  • Japan: Hokkaido from late September, Kyoto in mid to late November.
  • New Zealand: April to early May around Arrowtown and Central Otago.

Wildflowers: Where and When

  • California deserts: February to April, but only after a wet winter. Anza-Borrego and Death Valley have "superbloom" years.
  • Texas Hill Country: bluebonnets from late March to April.
  • British bluebell woods: late April to mid-May.
  • Swiss and Austrian Alps: June and July, rising with the snowline.
  • Mount Rainier, Washington: subalpine meadows from late July to August.
  • Namaqualand, South Africa: August to September after winter rains.
  • Western Australia: August to October, with thousands of endemic species.

Stay on paths in flower meadows and never pick wild plants; trampling is the biggest threat to a good bloom.

Questions People Ask

When is the best time to see the northern lights?

In the far north, from about September to March, when nights are long and dark. Around the September and March equinoxes, geomagnetic activity is often higher. In summer, the midnight sun makes the sky too bright.

When is fall foliage at its peak?

It depends on latitude and altitude. Northern New England usually peaks from late September to early October, southern New England mid to late October, and Kyoto mid to late November. In the southern hemisphere, autumn colour comes in April and May.

Where can I see wildflowers in spring?

California's desert parks can bloom from February to April after wet winters, Texas bluebonnets peak from late March to April, and English bluebell woods flower from late April to mid-May. Alpine meadows follow in June and July.

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