Articles · October 13, 2026

Fall color and a low sun, October 14 to 20, 2026: ten buildings to photograph from New Hampshire to Asheville

Ten historic buildings in New England and the mountains around Asheville where the sunrise or sunset lines up with a wall from October 14 to 20, in places where the leaves are at or near peak.

For October 14 to 20, 2026.

This week the leaves are at or near peak from the Upper Valley of New Hampshire and Vermont down through western Massachusetts and Connecticut, and in the mountains around Asheville. Northern Vermont, northern New Hampshire and Maine are past peak. Washington, Philadelphia and the coast are still green.

Each building below has a wall that faces the rising or setting sun on some of these days. On those mornings or evenings the light falls square on the wall, with the trees around it lit from the same side. Each entry gives the wall, the days, the best time and where to stand, and a button opens the wall in Henge Days with its row in the Henge days list selected.

How the list was made

Henge Days computed every named building within a few hundred meters of about 70 town centers, campuses and estates where the color is at or near peak this week, from OpenStreetMap outlines. It kept walls where the sun lines up with the wall within 6 degrees of the horizon on at least one day. It then traced the sun's path from each wall and dropped the walls where a neighboring building stands higher than the sun. Most walls in town centers fail that test, which is why so many of these buildings face a green, a lawn or a hillside.

Hills and trees are not part of that check, and the times assume a level horizon. Where a ridge rises toward the sun, the light reaches the wall later in the morning or leaves it earlier in the evening. The entries say where that matters. A henge day puts the sun on the horizon; a golden day puts it up to 6 degrees higher, which clears most low ridges.

How to read each entry

Each entry shows the building as Henge Days shows it. The map marks the building's outline from OpenStreetMap, gives every wall its compass bearing, and highlights the wall that lines up with the sun. Below it are the wall's row from the building's Henge days list, with a Calendar button that downloads the best day as an event, and a year of head-on days for every wall.

Ten buildings

1 Wilder Hall, Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire

Wall: east-southeast, facing 106°
Sun: The rising sun lines up with this wall on Oct 20. Best: Tuesday, October 20 at 7:20 AM, 1.4° above the horizon.
Leaves: Near peak to just past in the Upper Valley. The Vermont side had about one more week of color off the high peaks as of October 8 (VTDigger).
Where to stand: East-southeast of the building, with the sun behind you. Golden light reaches the wall every morning this week. On Tuesday the sun lines up with the wall at the horizon, so the hills east of town decide the first light.

Dartmouth's physics building, a gift of Charles T. Wilder, was occupied in the fall of 1899. The physicist Ernest Fox Nichols shaped much of its design.

Map of Wilder Hall, Dartmouth College in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 106°, toward the sunrise this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Tue, Oct 20 to Fri, Oct 23, 20264 mornings · best Fri, Oct 23

7:15 AM Henge sunrise, sun on the horizon ESE 106° wall

Its row in the Henge days list, with the time of the head-on moment on the best day. Save keeps that day in your planner, which can send it to your calendar app. Saving asks you to sign in with an email link; there is no password.

A year of head-on days for each wall of Wilder Hall, Dartmouth College — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

2 Union Congregational Church

Peterborough, New Hampshire

Wall: east-southeast, facing 106°
Sun: The low morning sun lines up with this wall on Oct 14 to 20. Best: Tuesday, October 20 at 7:20 AM, 1.8° above the horizon.
Leaves: The Monadnock region had 55 to 75 percent color on October 12 (New Hampshire foliage report).
Where to stand: East-southeast of the church, on the Concord Street side. The light is golden and low every morning this week, at about 2 to 5 degrees above the horizon, so a low ridge to the east still lets it through.

A white meetinghouse on Concord Street. A directory of New Hampshire meetinghouses dates it to 1839.

Map of Union Congregational Church in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 106°, toward the sunrise this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Mon, Oct 12 to Sat, Oct 24, 202613 mornings · best Sat, Oct 24

7:13 AM Golden sunrise, sun 0° up ESE 106° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Union Congregational Church — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

3 West College, Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts

Wall: east-southeast, facing 106°
Sun: The low morning sun lines up with this wall on Oct 14 to 20. Best: Tuesday, October 20 at 7:29 AM, 2.5° above the horizon.
Leaves: Near peak to peak. Massachusetts expects the Berkshires to peak the week of October 20 (Berkshire Eagle).
Where to stand: On the Main Street (Route 2) side, east-southeast of the building. The Hoosac Range rises east of Williamstown, so go early in the week, when the alignment comes 4 to 5 degrees up.

The college's first and oldest building, put up in 1790 and paid for in part by a lottery. A fire gutted it in December 1950. It was rebuilt inside the original brick walls and reopened in 1952.

Map of West College, Williams College in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 106°, toward the sunrise this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Tue, Oct 13 to Sun, Oct 25, 202613 mornings · best Sun, Oct 25

7:21 AM Golden sunrise, sun 0° up ESE 106° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of West College, Williams College — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

4 Lyman Plant House, Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts

Wall: west-southwest, facing 256°
Sun: The setting sun lines up with this wall on Oct 17 to 19. Best: Monday, October 19 at 5:58 PM, 0.3° above the horizon.
Leaves: Near peak in the Connecticut River valley this week. No 2026 report covers Northampton itself; the valley usually turns a few days after the Berkshires.
Where to stand: West-southwest of the glasshouses, in the garden, looking back at them with the setting sun behind you. Hills west of Northampton can take the last minutes, so the earlier days of the run, when the sun lines up a little higher, are the safer bet.

The Victorian glasshouses of the Botanic Garden of Smith College, built by Lord & Burnham in 1895 and paid for by Northampton's Lyman family. The conservatory is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the gardens around it are open at all hours.

Map of Lyman Plant House, Smith College in Henge Days, with the west-southwest wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 256°, toward the sunset this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Sat, Oct 17 to Mon, Oct 19, 20263 evenings · best Mon, Oct 19

5:58 PM Henge sunset, sun on the horizon WSW 256° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Lyman Plant House, Smith College — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

5 Mary Lyon Hall and Abbey Chapel, Mount Holyoke College

South Hadley, Massachusetts

Wall: east-southeast, facing 106°
Sun: The low morning sun lines up with this wall on Oct 14 to 20. Best: Tuesday, October 20 at 7:25 AM, 2.4° above the horizon.
Leaves: Near peak in the Connecticut River valley this week. No 2026 report covers South Hadley itself.
Where to stand: East-southeast of the hall, near the main gates. The two buildings share the alignment, so one spot frames both in the same light. Every morning this week works; Tuesday's sun is the lowest.

Mary Lyon Hall opened in 1897 on the site of the original Seminary Building, which burned in 1896. Its clock tower bell is rung by hand on Mountain Day. Abbey Chapel, joined to it, was enlarged from the 1897 chapel and completed in 1938.

Map of Mary Lyon Hall and Abbey Chapel, Mount Holyoke College in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 106°, toward the sunrise this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Tue, Oct 13 to Sun, Oct 25, 202613 mornings · best Sun, Oct 25

7:17 AM Golden sunrise, sun 0° up ESE 106° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Mary Lyon Hall and Abbey Chapel, Mount Holyoke College — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

6 Old State House

Hartford, Connecticut

Wall: east-southeast, facing 104°
Sun: The rising sun lines up with this wall on Oct 18 to 20. Best: Tuesday, October 20 at 7:12 AM, 0.3° above the horizon.
Leaves: Near peak to peak. A forecast model updated October 9 put most of Connecticut at peak October 12 to 16 (More Than Just Parks). The trees of Bushnell Park are a block away.
Where to stand: East of the building, on the plaza facing the east front. The view east runs toward the Connecticut River, and no tall building stands in the sun's path. Golden light all week, and the sun lines up with the wall at the horizon Sunday to Tuesday.

Connecticut's state house from 1796, attributed to Charles Bulfinch and a National Historic Landmark. The Hartford Convention met here in 1814, and the Amistad trial began here in 1839. The museum inside is open Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.

Map of Old State House in Henge Days, with the east-southeast wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 104°, toward the sunrise this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Sun, Oct 18 to Tue, Oct 20, 20263 mornings · best Tue, Oct 20

7:12 AM Henge sunrise, sun on the horizon ESE 104° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Old State House — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

7 Trinity Episcopal Church

Asheville, North Carolina

Wall: west-southwest, facing 257°
Sun: The setting sun lines up with this wall on Oct 19 to 20. Best: Tuesday, October 20 at 6:41 PM, 1.0° above the horizon.
Leaves: The color is on the mountains: peak at 2,500 to 4,500 feet the week of October 18 (NOC forecast). Downtown trees turn later.
Where to stand: West-southwest of the church on Church Street. Mountains rise west of Asheville, so the useful light is the golden hour before sunset, from about 4 degrees up on Wednesday down to 1 degree on Tuesday. Central United Methodist and First Presbyterian, the next two picks, are on the same street.

A Tudor Gothic church of brick with granite trim, designed by Bertram Goodhue of Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson and built in 1912 and 1913 at Church and Aston streets.

Map of Trinity Episcopal Church in Henge Days, with the west-southwest wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 257°, toward the sunset this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Mon, Oct 19 to Thu, Oct 22, 20264 evenings · best Thu, Oct 22

6:44 PM Henge sunset, sun on the horizon WSW 257° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Trinity Episcopal Church — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

8 Central United Methodist Church

Asheville, North Carolina

Wall: west-southwest, facing 259°
Sun: The setting sun lines up with this wall on Oct 16 to 18. Best: Sunday, October 18 at 6:49 PM, with the sun on the horizon.
Leaves: Peak color is on the mountains around Asheville the week of October 18 (NOC forecast).
Where to stand: West-southwest of the church on Church Street, at sunset. As at Trinity, the mountains to the west take the last minutes, so come on Wednesday or Thursday, when the alignment is 1.5 to 2 degrees up.

A limestone church begun in 1902, with its first service in the sanctuary in 1905. It is the third church on the site for a congregation founded in 1837.

Map of Central United Methodist Church in Henge Days, with the west-southwest wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 259°, toward the sunset this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Fri, Oct 16 to Sun, Oct 18, 20263 evenings · best Sun, Oct 18

6:49 PM Henge sunset, sun on the horizon WSW 259° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Central United Methodist Church — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

9 First Presbyterian Church

Asheville, North Carolina

Wall: west-southwest, facing 259°
Sun: The setting sun lines up with this wall on Oct 14 to 16. Best: Friday, October 16 at 6:50 PM, 0.3° above the horizon.
Leaves: Peak color is on the mountains around Asheville the week of October 18 (NOC forecast).
Where to stand: West-southwest of the church on Church Street, at sunset. Wednesday has the most margin over the mountains to the west, at 1.4 degrees; by Friday the alignment is at the horizon.

A Gothic Revival church commissioned in 1884, on the same street as Trinity, in the Downtown Asheville Historic District.

Map of First Presbyterian Church in Henge Days, with the west-southwest wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 259°, toward the sunset this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Wed, Oct 14 to Fri, Oct 16, 20263 evenings · best Fri, Oct 16

6:50 PM Henge sunset, sun on the horizon WSW 259° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of First Presbyterian Church — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

10 Keene Public Library (Henry Colony House)

Keene, New Hampshire

Wall: west-southwest, facing 258°
Sun: The setting sun lines up with this wall on Oct 14 to 15. Best: Thursday, October 15 at 6:04 PM, with the sun on the horizon.
Leaves: The Monadnock region had 55 to 75 percent color on October 12 (New Hampshire foliage report).
Where to stand: West-southwest of the house, on Winter Street. Only Wednesday and Thursday: the sun lines up with this wall at the horizon, so a clear western sky matters.

A Second Empire house finished in 1869 for the railroad executive Henry Colony. Edward C. Thayer gave it to the city in 1898, and it opened as the public library in 1899.

Map of Keene Public Library (Henry Colony House) in Henge Days, with the west-southwest wall highlighted and every wall labeled with its bearing — The building page in Henge Days. The highlighted walls face 258°, toward the sunset this week; every wall carries its bearing.

Mon, Oct 12 to Thu, Oct 15, 20264 evenings · best Thu, Oct 15

6:04 PM Henge sunset, sun on the horizon WSW 258° wall

A year of head-on days for each wall of Keene Public Library (Henry Colony House) — The year for every wall of the building. Each row is a wall; the colored runs are its henge, golden and low-sun days.

Open this wall in Henge Days

More walls this week

These walls also have a clear path to the sun on some days this week. Some are less known, some have shorter windows, and a few need a pass to visit. Each name opens the wall in Henge Days.

New Hampshire and Vermont

Building	Wall	Light	Days	Best
Peterborough United Methodist Church Peterborough, New Hampshire	ESE 107°	Low morning sun	Oct 15 to 20	Oct 20, 7:30 AM
Saint George Greek Orthodox Church Keene, New Hampshire	WSW 257°	Sunset	Oct 15 to 17	Oct 17, 6:00 PM
Our Lady of the Snows Church Woodstock, Vermont	WSW 250°	Low evening sun	Oct 20	Oct 20, 5:21 PM
Woodstock Inn Woodstock, Vermont	WSW 249°	Low evening sun	Oct 20	Oct 20, 5:20 PM

The Berkshires

Building	Wall	Light	Days	Best
Trinity Episcopal Church Lenox, Massachusetts · Lenox Mountain rises to the west; the sun may set behind it first	WSW 257°	Sunset	Oct 16 to 19	Oct 19, 6:03 PM

Pioneer Valley

Building	Wall	Light	Days	Best
Sage Hall, Smith College Northampton, Massachusetts	WSW 250°	Low evening sun	Oct 19 to 20	Oct 20, 5:25 PM
Pratt Hall, Mount Holyoke South Hadley, Massachusetts	ESE 105°	Low morning sun	Oct 14 to 20	Oct 20, 7:22 AM
Mead Hall, Mount Holyoke South Hadley, Massachusetts	ESE 104°	Sunrise	Oct 18 to 20	Oct 20, 7:13 AM
1837 Hall, Mount Holyoke South Hadley, Massachusetts	ESE 109°	Low morning sun	Oct 18 to 20	Oct 20, 7:40 AM
Ciruti Center, Mount Holyoke South Hadley, Massachusetts	ESE 106°	Low morning sun	Oct 14 to 20	Oct 20, 7:23 AM

New York

Building	Wall	Light	Days	Best
Mahan Hall West Point, New York · On an Army post: visitors without a Defense Department ID need a pass from the Visitor Control Center	ESE 102°	Sunrise	Oct 14 to 17	Oct 17, 7:11 AM

Plan a trip of your own

Search for a building, or tap one on the map, and pick the wall you want lit.
The Henge days list shows the next days the sun lines up with that wall, at the horizon or in golden light, with the time.
The Today tab shows the sun's path for one day and when it is square to each wall. Check the cloud forecast there before you go.
Save a day to your planner to get a reminder and a calendar entry, or use Along a street to find every wall that lines up along one road.

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Fall color and a low sun, October 14 to 20, 2026: ten buildings to photograph from New Hampshire to Asheville

How the list was made

How to read each entry

Ten buildings

1 Wilder Hall, Dartmouth College

2 Union Congregational Church

3 West College, Williams College

4 Lyman Plant House, Smith College

5 Mary Lyon Hall and Abbey Chapel, Mount Holyoke College

6 Old State House

7 Trinity Episcopal Church

8 Central United Methodist Church

9 First Presbyterian Church

10 Keene Public Library (Henry Colony House)

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New Hampshire and Vermont

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Pioneer Valley

New York

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