These 5 MA Homes Offer A Front Row Seat To State's Best Leaf-Peeping

MASSACHUSETTS — As this article is being written the temperature sits around 90 degrees in much of Massachusetts. Though the calendar has turned to September, summer decided to give itself a swan song in the form of oppressive heat.

But let's not focus on that, because Massachusetts is nearly one month away from the beginning of peak fall foliage.

The 2023 Fall Foliage Prediction Map, released Thursday from the travel group SmokyMountains.com, uses a refined data model that takes into consideration factors, including historical and forecast temperatures and precipitation, the types of trees prominent in specific geographic areas, and real-time user reports.

According to that map, the peak time for fall foliage could come on Oct. 9.

Read more: Fall Foliage Peak In MA 2023: Best Time For Leaf-Peeping

For people planning to travel, the site curated a list of the best places to see fall foliage in every state. But for our purposes, we took their recommendations in Massachusetts and used them for those in the housing market hoping to answer the number one question of every fall enthusiast: where can I live that I don't have to leave my front porch to see optimum fall foliage?

Some recommended places in Massachusetts to see fall leaves are:

• Mount Greylock summit, Lanesborough (drive or hike)
• Mount Wachusett, Westminster/Princeton (drive or hike)
• Mount Watatic, Ashburnham (hike)
• Blue Hills Reservation, Milton (hike)
• Mount Tom, Holyoke (drive or hike)

Here's what we found in the housing markets of those towns:

69 Swamp Rd., Lanesborough, Mass.

Starting off with a banger, the drone-taken view of this home shows it nestled into a wooded clearing with views of perhaps the best leaf-viewing in the state: Mount Greylock.

The home, listed for $950,000, offers an in-ground pool and a stone fire pit to add to the leaf-viewing experience. Picture yourself with a hot — or perhaps ice-cold — beverage in hand on a crisp fall day surrounded by the colors of fall.

Somebody pinch me.

319 Bald Hill Rd., Princeton, Mass.

This tucked-away Princeton home sits on over 22 acres just minutes away from another premium leaf-viewing location: Mount Wachusett.

The home — and seasonal leaf-peeping at home — is highlighted by a spacious sunlit kitchen that leads into a three-season porch with a beamed ceiling that provides wonderful views of the fields and woods beyond the property.

308 Erickson Rd, Ashby, Mass.

This ranch-style home in Ashby is just a six-minute drive away from the multiple trailheads of Mount Watatic, one of the best locations for fall foliage in the state.

Listed for $419,000, featuring a spacious eat-in kitchen with ceiling-height cabinets, recessed lighting and a seamless connection to the dining room with a built-in hutch.

24 Brierbrook St., Milton, Mass.

This Milton home is just minutes away from another top fall foliage location in the state at Blue Hills Reservation.

Listed for $2.3 million, the home is nestled within the Scott's Woods neighborhood an enclave that "remains one of Milton's most closely guarded secrets."

There's a lot to like about the home, including its unique proximity to the trails at Blue Hills, but also, there's a custom-built pizza oven. So yeah, homemade pizza as the leaves turn sounds pretty good.

24-26 Wilson Ave., Northampton, Mass.

This Northampton two-family home gives you easy access to Mount Tom in the Holyoke area.

It also gives residents access to two great local businesses — Herrell's Ice Cream and Northampton Brewery — within walking distance.

The home also features off-street parking for up to six cars and a fenced backyard. The entire multi-family is listed for $529,000.