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Live · updated todayTypical peak look

Lake Placid, New Yorkfall foliage

No reports yet this season for Lake Placid.

Right now in Lake Placid · September

  • First fall freeze by Sep 22 in half of years (Lake Placid 2 S station) · Sep

19days to the next fall foliage seasonusually well under way by mid-October, statewide (USA-NPN volunteer observations)

Statewide timing
By mid-October
Statewide for New York: color is usually well under way by mid-October (USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025). Not this place's own timing, not a peak, and not a forecast.

Next 7 days

No frost, strong wind or heavy rain in the forecast.

National Weather Service forecast, issued Mon 2:21 PM (Eastern). Frost: a low of 36°F or less; wind: 20 mph or more; rain: 60% chance or more.

Frost near Lake Placid

Last spring frost usually in ~8 months

Sep 22Average first fall frost

May 27Average last spring frost

The day a 32°F night is as likely as not, 1991–2020, at NOAA's Lake Placid 2 S station (1.7 mi away, 1,888 ft). Source ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Lake Placid through the year

  • First fall freeze by Sep 22 in half of years (Lake Placid 2 S station)NowSep
  • Fall color across New York (statewide, volunteer observers)Oct
  • Snowiest months at NOAA's Lake Placid 2 S station (about 19–23 in. a month)Dec–Mar

Best spots around Lake Placid

  • Whiteface MountainNext to Lake Placid; on a clear day the summit looks out over Vermont, New York and Canada, and the Veterans Memorial Highway climbs from Wilmington to a parking area at the top
  • High Falls Gorge (Wilmington)Trails and picnic areas along the Ausable River on Route 86, in Wilmington, less than 12 miles away

Around New York this week

Best days to go: Today–Thu, Sat–Sun
All of New York: region map, peak windows and the week ahead →

Trees this fall (Sep 15–21). Across the Mid-Atlantic, sugar maple and flowering dogwood are behind a typical year; the rest are close to typical. Which trees turn when →

Lake Placid in pictures

Illustrative photos, not current conditions
Mist over a still lake with ducks and a small sailboat, trees with some red and orange behind
Mirror Lake in Lake Placid on a foggy fall morning, with early color on the far shore. Photo: Shiva Shenoy · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · resized
A lake reflecting hills in fall color, with a red USGS inflatable boat at a wooden dock
Paradox Lake in the Adirondack Mountains (not Lake Placid), with fall color reflected in the lake. Photo: Gregory Walsh / USGS · public domain

How we know

Wikivoyage, Lake Placid (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28) · Wikivoyage contributors, adapted · CC BY-SA 4.0 · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (monthly) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, station query) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (monthly snowfall, Lake Placid 2 S) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (first fall freeze, Lake Placid 2 S) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28) · National Weather Service forecast and alerts (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27)

All our sources and how we use them →

Questions people ask

When is peak fall foliage in Lake Placid in 2026?

We don't have local timing for Lake Placid yet. Statewide for New York: color is usually well under way by mid-October (USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025). That's for the whole state and isn't a peak or a forecast.

How is the fall color in Lake Placid right now?

Not now: the fall foliage season is over for this year. The next one starts in about 19 days (usually well under way by mid-October, statewide (USA-NPN volunteer observations)).

Can I drive up Whiteface Mountain?

The Veterans Memorial Highway climbs from Wilmington to the summit, with a parking area at the top. On a clear day you can see Vermont, New York and Canada from up there. Check that the road is open before you go.Source: Wikivoyage, Lake Placid ↗ (opens in a new tab)

How cold is October near Lake Placid?

At NOAA's Lake Placid 2 S station, about 2 miles away at 1,890 feet, October averages a high of 52°F and a low of 35°F (1991–2020 normals), and in half of years the first fall freeze (32°F) has come by September 22. Long-term averages at one station, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (monthly) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, station query) ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Where are the best spots in Lake Placid?

Whiteface Mountain: next to Lake Placid; on a clear day the summit looks out over Vermont, New York and Canada, and the Veterans Memorial Highway climbs from Wilmington to a parking area at the top; High Falls Gorge (Wilmington): trails and picnic areas along the Ausable River on Route 86, in Wilmington, less than 12 miles away.

What is Lake Placid like through the year?

Snowiest months at NOAA's Lake Placid 2 S station (about 19–23 in. a month) (Dec–Mar), First fall freeze by Sep 22 in half of years (Lake Placid 2 S station) (Sep) and Fall color across New York (statewide, volunteer observers) (Oct).