Leaf peeping

Fall colors in New York

Typical peak runs Oct 7 – 25. Pick the week, then the place.

Photo: Menomine Trail

Fall color in New York typically peaks between Oct 7 and Oct 25, with the middle of the season around Oct 17. Color starts in the high country (Marcy Dam Truck Trail around Sep 24) and finishes lower (Long Pond Greenbelt Trail around Oct 29). We track 2,943 places here: 1,829 hikes, 389 mountain biking trails, 315 campgrounds, 247 summits, and 163 waterfalls. Above 4,000 ft, color typically peaks around Oct 6; under 1,000 ft, around Oct 23.

When to go

Week by week

How many places are in their typical peak window each week, with the top pick. Today’s week is highlighted.

  1. Sep 22 – 28

    112 places
    Pitchoff MountainTop pick · summit

  2. Sep 29 – Oct 5

    936 places
    Hadley MountainTop pick · summit

  3. Oct 6 – 12

    This week

    1,731 places
    Bouchoux TrailTop pick · hike

  4. Oct 13 – 19

    Busiest

    2,610 places
    Menomine TrailTop pick · hike

  5. Oct 20 – 26

    1,986 places
    Camp Smith TrailTop pick · hike

  6. Oct 27 – Nov 2

    1,212 places
    Long Pond Greenbelt TrailTop pick · hike

  7. Nov 3 – 9

    221 places
    Sagamore Hill Nature TrailTop pick · hike

  8. Nov 10 – 16

    21 places
    Mulvihill Preserve TrailTop pick · hike

Elevation

Color walks downhill

In New York, the higher the ground, the earlier the turn. Each row is a 1,000-foot band.

  1. 4,000+ ftOct 6
  2. 3,000–4,000 ftOct 9
  3. 2,000–3,000 ftOct 10
  4. 1,000–2,000 ftOct 15
  5. 0–1,000 ftOct 23

Dot = median typical peak for places in that band. Bands with fewer than 10 places are left out.

This week

In typical peak now in New York

Places whose usual window includes today.

Plan ahead

Coming up next

Typical peak starts within the next three weeks.

Where

By park and forest

Typical timing for the public lands with the most places, and the best-known spots in each.

Hikes

Best fall hikes

Trails ranked by how much hardwood forest surrounds them and how consistent the timing is across years.

Camp

Campgrounds in the color

Wake up in it. Check availability and any seasonal closures before you go.

Views

Summits and waterfalls

Overlooks for the big picture, falls for the doubled-up reflection.

Ride

Mountain biking through the color

Singletrack with a canopy overhead.

Everything

Map and full list

Every place we track in New York, grouped by where it is in its typical window.

  • In typical peak now (100)

In typical peak now

Today falls inside the usual peak window for these places.

Questions

Fall colors in New York: FAQ

When is peak fall color in New York?

Across the 2,943 places we track in New York, typical peak runs from Oct 7 to Oct 25, with the middle of the season around Oct 17. Where you are in the state matters: higher elevations come earlier and valleys later.

Where do leaves change first in New York?

Among the places we track in New York, Marcy Dam Truck Trail has the earliest typical peak, around Sep 24. The latest is Long Pond Greenbelt Trail, around Oct 29. Above 4,000 ft, color typically peaks around Oct 6; under 1,000 ft, around Oct 23.

What are the best fall hikes in New York?

Hikes with strong typical color in New York include Menomine Trail, Timp- Torne, Appalachian Trail, 1777 W Trail, and Fahnestock Trail. They are ranked by how much of the surrounding forest is hardwood and how consistent the timing has been across years.

Is this a forecast?

No. These dates are typical timing: when leaves have usually reached peak in past years, from NASA satellite vegetation data from 2017 to 2024 and USGS forest cover. A warm, dry or very wet year can shift them by a week or more, so treat them as a planning window, not a prediction for this year.

Keep going

Nearby states

Typical timing from NASA MODIS vegetation data (2017–2024) and USGS NLCD 2021 forest cover. Not a forecast. Timing is typical, not a forecast. How we time it.