Montclair’s best fall color doesn’t require a highway drive. Mills Reservation’s ridge trail, Brookdale’s maples and the pond at Edgemont cover most of what you need. But a couple of spots just outside town are close enough, and good enough, to belong on the same list. Here’s where to actually see fall foliage in Montclair, NJ and just beyond it, when the color tends to peak this year, and where to go for apples once you’re in the mood to make a day of it.
Where to See Fall Foliage in Montclair
Mills Reservation is the one worth planning a trip around. The rest are the ones you pass on an ordinary Tuesday and still get the payoff.
Mills Reservation. 157 acres off Normal Avenue, straddling the Montclair and Cedar Grove line. The climb to the cliff overlook at Quarry Point is the reason to come here specifically; the payoff is a New York City skyline view framed by turning trees.
Brookdale Park. 121 acres split between Bloomfield and Montclair. The original Olmsted-designed planting mix included oak, maple and beech, according to the park conservancy’s own history. If you want help telling the canopy apart species by species, the conservancy’s next guided tree walk is Saturday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m. No registration required.
Edgemont Memorial Park. Fifteen and a half acres centered on a pond, the shortest option here if you want good color without a hike.
Anderson Park. Nearly 15 acres in Upper Montclair, with a mature tree canopy around the open lawn that makes it an easy add-on to a walk through the Upper Montclair business district. More on what else is nearby is in the Pod’s Ward 1 guide.
Eagle Rock Reservation. It sits where West Orange, Montclair and Verona meet, and its 408 acres are on the same First Watchung Mountain ridge as Mills Reservation, so the hardwood canopy framing its overlook turns the same way. The overlook itself holds the Essex County 9/11 memorial, and on a clear day the view runs from the George Washington Bridge down to lower Manhattan.
For the full rundown of every park in town, including hours and off-leash rules, the Pod’s guide to all 23 Montclair parks covers the rest.
Fall Foliage Worth the Drive, Just Outside Montclair
South Mountain Reservation. Just beyond Montclair, this 2,000-plus-acre Essex County reserve stretches through Maplewood, Millburn and West Orange. Its extensive hardwood woodlands make it a strong fall-foliage stop, with scenic overlooks along the eastern ridge offering views toward the New York City, Newark and Jersey City skylines.
Hemlock Falls. Also inside South Mountain Reservation, this 25-foot waterfall is a short walk from parking: about five minutes from the small lot near the Pine Grove Bridge on South Orange Avenue, or about 10 minutes from the Tulip Springs lot. It’s at its most dramatic after heavy rain, which is also when the rocky path gets muddy, so wear real shoes.
The Rahway Trail fairy trail. The kid-friendly draw on South Mountain’s Millburn end is a half-mile stretch of tiny fairy houses built from natural materials, curated by volunteers along the white-blazed Rahway Trail. It’s closed for improvements until Sept. 30, after erosion from recent rains, so hold this one for October and check the South Mountain Conservancy’s site before you go.
Watchung Reservation. Roughly 25 to 30 minutes from Montclair in Union County, spanning Mountainside, Summit, Berkeley Heights, Scotch Plains and Springfield. Almost 2,000 acres. Its main hiking route, the white-blazed Sierra Trail, tends to peak later than most of the state, typically early to mid-November rather than late October, according to the trail guide site njHiking, which makes it the pick if you miss peak closer to home. The trail also passes the Deserted Village of Feltville, a cluster of 19th-century buildings from a mill town abandoned in the 1800s, worth the trip on its own if foliage alone isn’t enough of a reason.
The Skylands region, around Ringwood. Roughly 45 minutes to an hour out in the state’s northwest corner. Ringwood State Park is one of the state’s established fall-foliage destinations, with wooded trails, scenic lakes and the New Jersey Botanical Garden at Skylands. This is where most statewide foliage guides point people for the most dramatic color, and it’s the longest drive on this list, so treat it as a full day out rather than an afternoon add-on.
When Fall Foliage Peaks in Montclair Each Year
Across New Jersey, peak color has historically averaged between Oct. 19 and Oct. 29. AccuWeather expects a typical season this year across most of northern and central New Jersey, which puts Montclair in line for that familiar late-October window.
Treat that as a planning guide, not a promise. AccuWeather’s 2026 forecast also flags a stretch from Georgia to New Jersey where trees stressed by drought could drop their leaves earlier than normal, so an early trip is less risky than a late one this year.
Timing also depends on what kind of tree you’re looking at, not just the calendar. Maples, common in Brookdale and along residential streets, turn first. Oaks hold on longer and turn a deeper, rustier orange into November, and South Mountain Reservation is mostly mixed oak forest, according to the South Mountain Conservancy’s own account of the park’s vegetation. Push your visit to the second half of the peak window rather than the first days of the change, and you’ll catch both at once.
The Best Trail for Leaf Peeping: Mills Reservation
If you’re picking one trail in town this season, make it Mills Reservation. It has four main trails, each following color-coded blazes, and enough elevation change to make the color feel like it’s coming at you from above instead of just around you.
Mills Loop Trail. White blazes, 1.5 miles, the main loop and the one to take if you only have time for one.
Eastview Trail. Blue blazes, just over one mile, reachable from either the Normal Avenue lot or the Old Quarry Road lot.
Woodland Trail. Purple blazes, just under one mile, running down the center of the park.
Reservoir Trail. Red blazes, one mile, along the park’s west side.
There are no restrooms on site, so plan accordingly. Dogs are welcome but must stay on leash.
Where to Go Apple and Pumpkin Picking Near Montclair
Montclair itself doesn’t have a working orchard, so this is the one item on this list that takes you out of town. And this is a tough year to do it: a spring frost wiped out or shrank the apple crop at many New Jersey farms, and several of the closest options aren’t open for picking.
Wightman Farms, 1111 Mount Kemble Ave. in Morristown, is about a 25-minute drive from Montclair and the safe bet this season. It’s a family-run operation with pick-your-own apples on weekends, a corn maze and a farm market selling cider and baked goods. Weekend hours run 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the last ticket sold at 4:30. Entry is $30 per person, free for children under 3, and covers hayrides, the mazes and orchard access. Apples are extra, weighed and paid by the pound.
Sun High Orchards, 19 Canfield Ave. in Randolph, is about a 30-minute drive and family-owned since 1945. This season comes with a caveat: it’s closed for pick-your-own because of the spring frost, though the farm store is still selling apples. Check the farm’s social accounts for any late-season updates before planning a trip.
Another recommendation worth noting, even though it’s off the list this year: Ripple Hill Farm in Basking Ridge, a small orchard about 40 minutes out that’s usually the quieter, less crowded pick of the bunch. It’s also closed for picking this year because of the frost, but is worth checking back on for next fall.
That leaves Wightman’s as the one sure thing for pick-your-own apples right now. Apple season typically overlaps with pumpkin picking by late September, and Wightman’s ticket includes a pumpkin from its hayride field, so one trip covers both. It makes a solid morning out, and it’s close enough to be back in Montclair in time for lunch.
If you’re building out the rest of your fall calendar, the Pod’s guide to Montclair’s annual festivals has the full lineup. And don’t miss the new Uptown music festival on Bellevue Avenue, Sept. 26, the same day as the Montclair History Center’s Fall Fest.
Image Credit: Michael Schreiber
