Peak color lands around Oct 14 in most of New York, but it moves 28 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
New York fall foliage map for the week of Nov 9
When is peak fall foliage in New York in 2026?
Most of New York peaks between Oct 9 and Oct 23: the high country first, around Oct 12, and the low ground last, around Oct 20. The first county to peak is Essex County, around Oct 5, and the last is New York County, around Nov 2.
Elevation does most of the work here. Color runs down a mountain at roughly a day per 100 meters, so a ridge and the valley below it can be a week or two apart in the same county. On the Great Lakes shore the water adds its own delay, the shoreline itself a week or more behind the same trees inland. This fall is running 1 day late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Essex County, Franklin County, Clinton County and 8 more | Nearly peak |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Finger Lakes National Forest, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and 36 counties | Peak color |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Gateway National Recreation Area, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge and 9 counties | Just past peak |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Kings County, Nassau County, Queens County and 2 more | Just past peak |
| Nov 2 to Nov 8 | New York County | Fading |
Each date is the middle of the four days we’d aim a trip at, and each place page names them. We score the model against 27 long-running forest monitoring sites in this part of the country and publish what it got wrong.
16 of 62 counties here are corrected by people who have actually looked at the trees this season. 677 reports from official state sources have moved those dates off the model and narrowed their windows. Counties with neither keep the model forecast and say so. Which is which is marked in the table below.
Late September in the High Peaks, early-to-mid October in the Catskills, late October in the Hudson Valley is how New York is usually described.
New York’s season place by place
Every place we forecast in New York, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 11.
First: Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge, Oct 12. Last: Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Oct 25.
The dashed rule is today; the solid one is the median of the places on this chart, Oct 20. The date at the top of the page is the median county, which includes the low ground between them.
Where to go in New York
The destinations we cover in New York, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
- Past peakPeak Oct 13, oak Oct 20 best Oct 12 to 15
- Saratoga National Historical ParkPast peakPeak Oct 14, oak Oct 18 best Oct 13 to 16
- Iroquois National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 15 best Oct 14 to 17
- Montezuma National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 15 best Oct 14 to 17
- Great Thicket National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 18 best Oct 17 to 20
- Wallkill River National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 19 best Oct 18 to 21
- Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic SitePast peakPeak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic SitePast peakPeak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic SitePast peakPeak Oct 20 best Oct 19 to 22
- Past peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Otis Pike Fire Island High Dune Wilderness AreaPast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Seatuck National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Elizabeth Alexandra Morton National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
- Wertheim National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 22 best Oct 21 to 24
- Past peakPeak Oct 24 best Oct 23 to 26
- Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster Bay National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27
- Oyster Bay National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 25 best Oct 24 to 27
Questions people ask about New York fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in New York?
Most of New York peaks between Oct 9 and Oct 23: the high country first, around Oct 12, and the low ground last, around Oct 20. The first county to peak is Essex County, around Oct 5, and the last is New York County, around Nov 2. This fall is running 1 day late on September's temperatures, and the dates here already include it.
- Where is the best fall foliage in New York right now?
Peak has passed in the places we cover in New York as of Nov 11. Congressman Lester Wolff Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge and 17 more was the last, around Oct 25. The live map still shows where russet and late gold are holding.
- How long does peak last in New York?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across New York as a whole, peak moves 28 days from Essex County to New York County, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 32 days.
- Is New York past peak?
Yes. As of Nov 11, every one of New York's 62 counties is past peak by our forecast. New York County was the last, around Nov 2.
- How far along is New York's fall foliage today?
On Nov 11, no county in New York is at peak yet: 62 of New York's 62 counties (100 percent) are past peak. The county map above paints each one, and the live map lets you scrub the day.
- When do the leaves change in New York?
The first color shows in Essex County around Sep 14 and peaks there around Oct 5. New York County is the last of New York's 62 counties, peaking around Nov 2. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Oct 14.
- What's the best time to visit New York for fall foliage?
The week of Oct 14 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Oct 13 to 16. That's the leaf peeping window for New York as a whole. For Essex County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Oct 5; for New York County and its neighbors, the week of Nov 2.
What actually turns
The Adirondacks produce color as vivid as anywhere in New England, with sugar maples blazing orange across mountainsides of birch gold and beech bronze, all reflected in thousands of lakes.
- Sugar Maple
- Red Maple
- American Beech
- Yellow Birch
- Red Oak
The Adirondacks from Lake Placid to Old Forge peak in the first week of October, and the combination of lake reflections and mountain color is as good as any fall drive in the country.
Worth the drive
Essex County contains the Adirondack High Peaks, including Mount Marcy, and the Lake Placid region. The Adirondacks are the largest publicly protected wilderness area in the contiguous United States, and the fall color reflected in hundreds of lakes and ponds creates a landscape of extraordinary beauty. The High Peaks color in late September, and the lake corridors fill in through mid-October.
Delaware County in the western Catskills is the less-visited side of the range, and that is precisely its appeal. The Pepacton Reservoir, rolling dairy farms, and covered bridges set against hardwood-covered mountainsides make this the pastoral counterpart to the more dramatic eastern Catskills. Peak color typically arrives in the second week of October.
Sullivan County sits where the Catskills meet the Delaware River valley, and the eastern portion of the county climbs into genuine mountain terrain. The Upper Delaware Scenic River forms the western border, and the combination of river views and mountain color makes this an underrated fall destination within easy reach of New York City.
Livingston County is home to Letchworth State Park, the Grand Canyon of the East. The Genesee River has cut a gorge up to 550 feet deep through layers of shale and sandstone, and the hardwood forest lining both rims turns vivid orange and red in early-to-mid October. Three major waterfalls within the gorge, each framed by walls of color, make this one of the most photogenic fall destinations in the entire Northeast.
Every county by peak week
Clinton, Essex observed, Franklin, Hamilton
Albany observed, Allegany regional, Broome regional, Cattaraugus, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Fulton, Greene, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Otsego, Saratoga observed, Schenectady regional, Schoharie, Schuyler, St. Lawrence, Tioga regional, Ulster observed, Warren, Washington
Cayuga, Chautauqua, Columbia observed, Dutchess observed, Genesee regional, Jefferson, Livingston regional, Monroe regional, Niagara regional, Ontario observed, Orleans regional, Putnam regional, Rensselaer observed, Seneca regional, Steuben, Sullivan, Tompkins corrected, Wayne regional, Westchester observed, Wyoming regional, Yates regional
Bronx observed, Erie observed, Kings regional, Nassau regional, Orange observed, Queens regional, Richmond regional, Rockland observed, Suffolk observed
New York observed
Every date on this site is a forecast: a model corrected by ground reports, carrying a measured error, published in full. Check conditions with the land manager before you travel. Last reviewed September 2026. Open the live map
The official New York report
New York publishes its own foliage report through the season, from I Love NY. That's the state tourism board. Useful and updated weekly, though they have some incentive to call peak early. Once the season starts it will be more current than any forecast, including ours.
See it on the map
The live map covers every county in the country, with a timeline you can scrub through the season, the nearest forest monitoring camera, and the long-term record where we hold one. If you’re going this weekend, the weekend report names where color is at peak right now, region by region.
Before you drive, it’s worth checking fire and smoke conditions for the same forests. A perfect color week is no good under a smoke plume.