New York Fall Foliage 2026
The High Peaks turn around September 25, with sugar maple and birch leading the show above 3,000 feet. By the final days of September, Route 73 through Keene Valley and the roads around Lake Placid hit their stride. The Catskills follow a week later, and the Hudson Valley carries color into the third week of October as red maple and beech finish lower down.
When New York peaks
Sep 30 – Oct 8
Centered on Oct 4. The Adirondacks peak in the last days of September; the Hudson Valley and Long Island run into late October.
low confidence. Long range. Treat as a planning estimate only.
Where peak usually lands. Drought or an early freeze moves it by a few days. Method
What turns here
- sugar maple
- red maple
- birch
- beech
Yellows show up every year. Reds need sunny days and cool, frost-free nights. A bad year takes those first.
Color progression
Typical peak Oct 4Typical color progression for New York. No change from Aug 27 to Sep 13. First color from Sep 13 to Sep 22. Approaching peak from Sep 22 to Sep 30. Peak from Sep 30 to Oct 8. Past peak from Oct 8 to Oct 18. Bare from Oct 18 to Nov 1.
Color starts around Sep 13.
Peak by elevation
15 days between the ridges and the valleys. County maps average this away, which is how you miss peak at the right place.
| Elevation band | Approx. elevation | Typical peak | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| High ridges & passes | 4,300 ft | Sep 25 | No change |
| Mid elevation | 1,800 ft | Oct 4 | No change |
| Valleys & lowlands | 0 ft | Oct 10 | No change |
Foliage stages
- No change 0–10%
- First color 10–25%
- Approaching peak 25–60%
- Peak 60–90%
- Past peak 40–70%, dropping
- Bare <20%
Light at peak
New York on October 4, the day it typically peaks. Knowing when color arrives is one thing. Knowing where the sun will be is another.
| Event | Time |
|---|---|
| First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 6:29 AM |
| Sunrise Rises E · 95° | 6:58 AM |
| Morning golden hour ends 38 min of low, warm light | 7:36 AM |
| Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light | 12:46 PM |
| Evening golden hour starts 38 min before sunset | 5:55 PM |
| Sunset Sets W · 265° | 6:33 PM |
| Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon | 7:02 PM |
Times in America/New York · day length 11h 35m · computed from NOAA solar equations
Which way to point the camera
Sun rises E, sets W.
Aim within 45° of those and the canopy glows translucent. Turn your back to them for flat, accurate color.
Location pages name the light directly.
Where to shoot in New York
10 researched locations, earliest peak first.
- Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway No change
Adirondack High Peaks · 4,594 ft · peaks Sep 23
The toll road ends at a stone castle whose terrace looks southwest over Lake Placid and the MacIntyre Range. Color runs in bands down the slope, with bare summit rock and dark spruce framing the maple and birch below.
- Bald Mountain (Rondaxe) Fire Tower No change
Central Adirondacks · 2,336 ft · peaks Oct 2
Open rock ledges and a restored steel fire tower sit above the Fulton Chain of Lakes, stacking water and hardwood ridgeline in one frame. The bare ledge supplies foreground rock without hiking above treeline.
- Heart Lake at Adirondak Loj No change
Adirondack High Peaks · 2,164 ft · peaks Oct 2
From the north shore the MacIntyre Range fills the water to the south-southwest, with Algonquin and Wright reflected on still mornings. Birch and maple ring the shoreline and hold a warm band against the dark conifer slopes.
- Kaaterskill Falls No change
Catskills · 1,843 ft · peaks Oct 8
A two-tier drop of 231 feet lands in a hemlock amphitheater, and from the base the full column reads against the wet rock wall. Flat light holds the highlights on the water while the maples above the rim stay saturated.
- Inspiration Point, Letchworth State Park No change
Letchworth / Genesee Gorge · 1,204 ft · peaks Oct 9
The railing frames Middle and Upper Falls upriver to the southwest, with the Portage rail bridge above them and forested gorge walls on both sides. Late light rakes the west wall, and fog often sits in the river bend on cold mornings.
- Lake Minnewaska No change
Shawangunk Ridge · 1,644 ft · peaks Oct 10
White conglomerate cliffs drop straight into a small sky lake, and the carriage road loop gives elevated angles from every side. Pitch pine on the ledges stays green against red maple and blueberry, so the color reads as separated blocks rather than a wash.
- Taughannock Falls Overlook No change
Finger Lakes · 731 ft · peaks Oct 11
The rim railing looks southwest into the gorge at a 215-foot plunge backed by a 400-foot amphitheater wall. Hardwoods on the far rim catch first light while the falls stay shaded, which keeps the exposure range manageable.
- Watkins Glen Gorge - Rainbow Falls No change
Finger Lakes · 810 ft · peaks Oct 11
Rainbow Falls spills across the Gorge Trail beneath a stone footbridge, with wet shale walls and hemlock closing the top of the frame. Color enters overhead rather than at eye level, so a vertical composition up the glen works best.
- Perkins Memorial Tower, Bear Mountain No change
Hudson Valley · 1,299 ft · peaks Oct 12
The stone tower on the summit opens a full circle over the Hudson Highlands, with the river, the Bear Mountain Bridge and Iona Island below. Oak-dominated slopes turn later than the Catskills, so color holds here into late October.
- Ashokan Reservoir Promenade No change
Catskills · 604 ft · peaks Oct 13
The paved dike walkway puts open water between the camera and the Burroughs Range, so Wittenberg and Cornell sit above a clean reflection to the west-northwest. Calm early air gives a mirrored ridgeline with no foreground clutter.
Recent reports from New York
Report what you sawCommon questions
- When do the leaves change in New York?
- New York typically peaks Sep 30 – Oct 8, centered on Oct 4. The Adirondacks peak in the last days of September; the Hudson Valley and Long Island run into late October. These are typical dates from a latitude and elevation model, not a live reading of this year's canopy.
- Does elevation change when fall color peaks in New York?
- Yes, by about 15 days. High ground around 4,300 ft peaks near Sep 25, while valleys near 0 ft wait until Oct 10. Peak moves roughly 3.5 days earlier for every 1,000 feet you climb, so if you miss it low you can often drive up and find it.
- Where are the best places to see fall color in New York?
- We track 10 verified locations in New York, including Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway, Bald Mountain (Rondaxe) Fire Tower, Heart Lake at Adirondak Loj. Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway turns first, around Sep 23, and Ashokan Reservoir Promenade is last, around Oct 13. Each has real coordinates, elevation and sunrise light times.
- What trees turn color in New York?
- Mainly sugar maple, red maple, birch, beech. Yellows and oranges come from carotenoids that are already in the leaf, so they show up every year. Reds are made fresh each autumn and need warm sunny days with cool, frost-free nights, which is why a dry summer or a warm September produces a duller year.