Skip to main content
Updated Sep 28
Pictured: Allegany State Park, New York · typical peak look

New Yorkfall foliage

No reports yet this season. Next up: Vanderbilt Mansion, typically Oct 11–20.

When is peak fall foliage in New York?

No source we can use gives the whole state one date. For two federal trips, the National Park Service puts peak leaf season at Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park in mid-October, and says autumn foliage on the Upper Delaware peaks in October, with the weather shifting the change. Those are local windows, not the Adirondacks' or the Catskills': each place below shows its own timing and latest status.

Checked Sep 28. Sources: National Park Service, Vanderbilt Mansion park data ↗ (opens in a new tab), National Park Service, Upper Delaware weather ↗ (opens in a new tab)

This week in New York · Updated Sep 28

We haven't logged an official report for New York yet this fall; the first places here usually turn around Oct 1. The forecast looks best on today through Thu, Sat–Sun, and no frost in sight: the coldest night is 37°F at Lake Placid. In the Mid-Atlantic's volunteer tree counts for Sep 15–21, sugar maple and flowering dogwood are behind a typical year; the rest are close to typical.

When each place peaks, and the week ahead

Best days to go: Today–Thu, Sat–Sun

No strong wind in the forecast. No frost yet: the coldest night is 37°F at Lake Placid.

Dry and calm Rain likely (60%+) Wind 20 mph+ Frost (32°F)
All the numbers
PlaceUsual peakThis weekRain likelyColdest nightElevation
Iroquois RefugeGoldenrod in bloom, per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceNo reportThu, Fri45°F715 ft
Upper Delaware (New York side)National Park Service says autumn foliage peaks in October along the river, though temperature and weather can shift the changeNo report—46°F880 ft
Vanderbilt MansionOct 11–20No report—49°F178 ft
Allegany State ParkStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No reportFri41°F1,346 ft
Bear Mountain and West PointStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No report—51°F1,284 ft
Finger Lakes National ForestStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No reportFri49°F848 ft
IthacaStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No report—45°F411 ft
Lake GeorgeStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No reportToday46°F351 ft
Lake PlacidStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No report—37°F1,795 ft
Letchworth State ParkStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No reportFri43°F999 ft
New York CityStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No report—57°F115 ft
Niagara FallsStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No reportThu, Fri46°F509 ft
North-South LakeStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No report—48°F2,132 ft
Saratoga SpringsStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No reportToday46°F304 ft
Thousand IslandsStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No report—44°F267 ft
Western CatskillsStatewide: well under way by ~Oct 20No report—44°F1,326 ft

Solid bars: each place's usual window from its official sources; dashed: a regional or statewide timing, not the place's own. Stages from the latest official report. Weather: National Weather Service forecast for each place, issued Sep 28. A best day is dry and calm at most of these places.

Mid-Atlantic, site by site

Color moving across the Mid-Atlantic

70 volunteer sites this week (seen in at least 2 of the falls 2020–2025)

Week of Oct 3
  • Green
  • Yellow
  • Orange
  • Red
  • Brown, leaves down

Typical year, not a prediction. Each dot is a real USA-NPN volunteer site: the middle stage its trees had that week across the falls 2020–2025. Green: under 5% of leaves colored · yellow 5–24% · orange 25–49% · red half or more · brown: leaves mostly down. Sites within a few hundred yards of each other (a research forest, a park) share one dot, with their number on it. Data: USA National Phenology Network (CC BY 4.0).

Mid-Atlantic, Sep 15–21

This fall vs a typical year

Red maple

6% this week (106 observations) · typical 5%

Sugar maple

3% this week (73 observations) · typical 13%

Eastern redbud

2% this week (57 observations) · typical 6%

Flowering dogwood

2% this week (49 observations) · typical 26%

Sugar maple and flowering dogwood are behind a typical year; the rest are close to typical. Only species with at least 15 observations that week; the line marks the typical share for the same week (2020–2025). Updated Sep 27. Data: USA-NPN. Which trees turn when in the Mid-Atlantic →

Planning a New York fall foliage trip

At Vanderbilt, walk the Park Service's self-guiding tree walk on the estate grounds (allow about an hour), then head down to Bard Rock on the Hudson. Vehicle access to Bard Rock usually closes on weekends, holidays and in winter, but it stays open on foot during park hours.

On the Upper Delaware, the D&H Towpath Trail starts from a lot on NY Route 97 by Roebling's Aqueduct: about 0.8 mile and relatively flat, with a riverside extension of roughly 0.4 mile to the Barbara Yeaman Observation Area near Minisink Ford. It can be damaged after high water, so check closures. Upriver near Lordville, the Bouchoux Trail is a steep, difficult climb to Jensen’s Ledges and a panoramic view of the valley.

Other seasons have their own draws: Vanderbilt's tree walk points out a horse-chestnut that may flower in May or June and hackberries that ripen in early September, and on the Upper Delaware wintering bald eagles are typically in the valley from mid-December through mid-March. From November 1 to April 30, anyone on the river must wear a life jacket.

Sources (8)

Official reports

Dated and linked
Show all 11

Questions people ask

When is peak fall foliage in New York in 2026?

In a typical year Vanderbilt Mansion peaks Oct 11–20. Each place page has its own dates.

Where can I see fall foliage in New York?

We track 16 places: Vanderbilt Mansion (usually Oct 11–20), Allegany State Park, New York, Bear Mountain and West Point, New York, Finger Lakes National Forest, New York, Iroquois Refuge, Ithaca, New York, Lake George, New York, Lake Placid, New York, Letchworth State Park, New York, New York City, Niagara Falls, New York, North-South Lake, New York, Saratoga Springs, New York, Thousand Islands, New York, Upper Delaware (New York side) and Western Catskills, New York.

Why does color come earlier in some places?

Higher ground turns first. In the Great Smoky Mountains, color can start as early as mid-September at the highest elevations, develops above 4,000 feet from early to mid-October, and reaches the lower and middle slopes between mid-October and early November.Source: National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains fall color ↗ (opens in a new tab)

How do you track fall foliage?

Each place moves through 6 stages: Still green, First color, Moderate, High color, Peak and Past peak. Every stage we show comes from a dated report with its source, and every forecast lists its sources.