The Jim Thorpe Fall Foliage Festival runs three weekends this year: October 3–4, 10–11 and 17–18. The Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau's forecast for the week of October 1 projects peak color in the southern zone, which includes Jim Thorpe and Carbon County, for October 20–28, 2026. That puts the full projected peak after the festival's last Sunday.
That gap is the best week of the year to see the town. The busiest weekends land during early color. The forecast's peak lands on a quieter stretch. And the things that make a fall day in Jim Thorpe worth the drive keep running well into it: the gorge train, the mansion tours, the ghost walks.
Color Moves South About a Week at a Time
The visitors bureau splits the region's 2,400 square miles into three color zones and updates the forecast every Thursday through the end of October. Here is where each zone stood in the October 1–7 report, from north to south:
- Northern zone, northern Wayne and Pike counties, including Honesdale and Hawley. Full color was about 50%, with 85% of leaves still on the trees. Projected peak is October 8–14.
- Central zone, southern Wayne, southern Pike and northern Monroe, including Bushkill Falls. Full color was about 30%, with 85% of leaves on the trees. Projected peak is October 10–17.
- Southern zone, southern Monroe and Carbon County, including Jim Thorpe. Full color was about 10%, with every leaf still on the trees. Projected peak is October 20–28.
In the north, the festival calendar lines up with the color. The Hawley Harvest Hoedown runs October 3–4. Honesdale Harvest and Heritage Day is October 10, with a rain date of October 11. Both land at or just ahead of the northern zone's projected peak.
Jim Thorpe sits at the other end of the scale. The forecast for October 1–7, the week the festival opens, puts its zone at about 10% color. The forecast's sumac reds, black gum and sassafras are still building, with "colors intensifying in the coming weeks." The bureau says its projected dates depend on the weather and can change. The Thursday update, or a call to the foliage line at 570-421-5565, is the way to track whether the October 20–28 window holds.
The Weekend the Festival Gave Up
The festival used to run four weekends. In May 2024, the Times News reported a plan to drop the fourth weekend. The reasons were the heavy traffic in 2023 and a conflict with the Halloween parade. The 2026 schedule keeps the three-weekend format.
So the weekend of October 24–25 is now festival-free, and it sits inside the southern zone's projected peak. The town still plans for visitors that weekend. The Jim Thorpe visitor center keeps weekend hours through October 25, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 24–25. Festival weekends run 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on October 3–4 and 10–11, and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on October 17–18.
The Lions Club Halloween Parade takes that same Saturday, October 24, at 2 p.m., with a rain date of October 25. That pairs one of the borough's own events with what the forecast expects to be the best color of the season.
The Train Runs Through the Whole Peak, With New Ticket Rules
The Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway's Autumn Leaf season runs daily from September 26 through November 15, including Columbus Day and Veterans Day. That covers the whole projected southern-zone peak and more than two weeks after it. During the season, each ride is 45 minutes and still covers the full route. The usual 70-minute rides return November 16.
The ticketing has changed this year. The visitors bureau's listing calls advance Autumn Leaf tickets "NEW THIS YEAR." The railway's own page warns that "some items have changed since 2025." The rules are specific:
- Presales cover trains leaving at 3 p.m. or earlier. You can buy online, or by phone at 570-325-8485 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
- Online orders must be finished by midnight the night before your ride. Phone orders must be finished by 5 p.m. the day before. There are no same-day online or phone sales.
- Your email receipt is not a ticket. You still trade it for a paper ticket at a Jim Thorpe ticket window before you board.
- Tickets for trains at 4 p.m. or later are sold only in person, on the same day, first come, first served. The one exception is groups of 25 or more.
- The railway notes that "our trains leave on time." Missed trains are not refunded, but unused tickets never expire and can be exchanged for another date.
Autumn Leaf fares are $25 per adult and $9 per child ages 3–12 in a standard coach. Open-air cars are $28 per adult and $10 per child. Children 2 and under ride free but still need a ticket to board. Crown Class, Vista Class Dome, First-Class Lounge and caboose seating are not offered on these trains.
The late-day rule matters most on a peak-week afternoon. If you want a 4 p.m. ride, plan on standing at the window that day.
What Still Runs After October 18
The festival closes after October 18, but the borough's fall calendar keeps going. Here is what the research turned up for the weeks that follow:
| What | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, Autumn Leaf | Daily through November 15 | $25 adult / $9 child, standard coach |
| Lions Club Halloween Parade | October 24, 2 p.m.; rain date October 25 | Not listed |
| Borough Trick or Treat | October 29, 6–8 p.m. | Not listed |
| Jim Thorpe Trolley Company Ghosts and Graveyards Tour | Fridays and Saturdays through November 7 | From $28 adult / $19 child ages 10–12 |
| Rotary Ghost Walks in Old Mauch Chunk | Through November 14 | $18 ages 13+ / $7 child |
| Asa Packer Mansion | Six days a week through October 31, closed Tuesdays; weekends in November | $20 general admission |
The trolley tour runs about 75 minutes. At the Asa Packer Mansion, seniors pay $18, students $15, and children 5 and under $10. The Old Jail Museum runs walk-in weekend tours from noon to 4 p.m. and reservation-only tours on weekdays. Admission is $13 for adults, $10 for teens, $7 for children and $1 for ages 2–4. The museum says it may stay open into mid or late November, or even early December, if the weather allows.
After the trains drop back to their regular schedule on November 16, the next big event is the Olde Time Christmas tree lighting. It's free and starts at 6 p.m. on December 4 at Josiah White Park.
The Trail That Stays Closed Through the Peak
One fall staple from years past won't be part of 2026. The Falls Trail at the Glen Onoko Falls Tract has been closed since May 1, 2019. In May, DCNR said its Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps crews had started rebuilding the steep half-mile section, which climbs about 800 feet. The crew is living at Hickory Run State Park and building stone retaining walls, steps and rock armor through the spring, summer and fall seasons.
"For 2026, the closure will include the Falls Trail as well as the connector trail up to Nine Mile Loop Road. The rehabilitation project is expected to take multiple years and will include future closures of the adjoining Shortcut and Overlook Trails."
DCNR says the trail "will remain closed to visitors in 2026." It also says DCNR and the Pennsylvania Game Commission are working on a land transfer that will eventually add the Glen Onoko tract to Lehigh Gorge State Park. For updates, DCNR points to the Glen Onoko page on its website, the Lehigh Gorge State Park Facebook page, and the park office. The closed falls make the train an even bigger part of seeing the gorge at peak this year.
If a Festival Weekend Is the Only Option
Some households have only one free weekend in October, and it may fall during the festival. In that case, know the traffic plan before you go. From October 3 through 18, Packer Hill Avenue closes from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on festival weekends. Center Avenue runs westbound only and South Avenue eastbound only, and curbside parking changes from Friday evening through Monday morning.
Parking options include a $40 reserved lot at Mauch Chunk Lake Park with a shuttle and $25 cash parking at Sam Miller Field. The main Carbon County lot charges $25 a day on weekends and holidays. The railway notes that it doesn't control parking in town. So a presale ticket for a 2 p.m. train is only as good as your plan for getting to the window on time.
Our summer guide to the Poconos' four downtowns covered Jim Thorpe at the height of its warm-weather season. The Poconos neighborhood page covers the rest of the region.
If you own a home near Jim Thorpe or anywhere in the southern Poconos, the peak-color weeks are also a good time to see your property at its best. When you want to know what it's worth in today's market, Daniel Witt Real Estate Group can help. Get Your Free Home Valuation and we'll walk you through the numbers.
