leaf peeper

noun

US

: a person who visits wooded areas in autumn to view the changing colors of the foliage

Leaf peepers in northern Maine will find more orange blazing in the forestlands than they might have found in previous years …

—Down East

leaf-peeping

ˈlēf-ˌpē-piŋ 

noun US

… Woodstock, Vermont—one of New England's prettiest towns and a prime destination for fall leaf peeping.

—Danielle Pergament

Examples of leaf peeper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the first two weeks of October, the yellow, orange, and red leaves of maples, birches, and oaks bring thousands of leaf peepers. — Stacy Conde, Midwest Living, 9 July 2026

Guanella Pass, a popular fall destination for leaf peepers, is a 24-mile scenic byway that climbs above the treeline near Georgetown, about 45 miles west of Denver. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025

Most of the patients come from the small towns of Franconia, Easton, Lincoln and Sugar Hill, communities whose economies rely on hikers, skiers and leaf peepers. — Michael Casey, Fortune, 19 Nov. 2025

This historic line offers a journey through the Red Clay Valley Scenic Byway, a 27-mile stretch of rolling countryside that draws leaf peepers every autumn. — Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for leaf peeper

• beekeeper
• bookkeeper
• doorkeeper
• gamekeeper
• gatekeeper
• goalkeeper
• housekeeper
• innkeeper
• minesweeper
• peacekeeper
• shopkeeper
• storekeeper