Fall Is Coming And These Are The 9 Best Places To See The Changing Leaves In New York
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Lea Monroe
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To kick off the month of September, we spoke about how New York is expected to have much brighter, bold fall foliage this year. With amazing colors expected to make their peak debut between October 8th and 15th, you have the next month to start planning out how you’re going to make the most of your time outdoors while our state is decorated in gorgeous autumn foliage that other states can only dream of. Ready for some day trip inspiration? Because we’ve found the best places to watch the leaves change.
Going for a scenic drive through the rolling hills of the Finger Lakes is a great way to spend a fall day in New York. Drive out to one of our favorite towns and enjoy the Ontario County Park in Naples. As one of the highest points in all of Ontario County, you'll have expansive views of the gorgeous fall foliage this year. Covering more than 400-acres, the park features plenty of overlooks, viewing platforms, and nature trails that will lead you to dreamy fall views.
Letchworth State Park, forever impressing us with its beauty. The Grand Canyon of the East wears the fall foliage like no other state park in New York. Between the three mind-blowing waterfalls along the Genesee, the Inspiration Point Overlook, nature trails, and scenic drives at your fingertips in this park, it's incredible how many different ways you can experience our fall foliage in just one area of our state.
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With no other canopy walk like this in New York, visiting The Wild Center's Wild Walk is an absolute must-see once our fall foliage starts coming to life. The Wild Center remains open all year long, but the exciting Wild Walk is a seasonal extension of the center - staying open long enough for us to elevate ourselves and see the fall colors of the Adirondack Mountains here. Up in the town of Tupper Lake, The Wild Walk will be open from now until October 8th 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week.
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The summertime is when you'll see the most amount of people visiting Green Lakes State Park, bringing a bit of seasonal chaos to the park. But once fall arrives, things start to slow down here a bit at Green Lakes and you'll find that everything slowly but surely gets more quiet and peaceful with the fall air. It may be too cold to go swimming, but grabbing a blanket and relaxing by the water while you gaze at the color of the foliage is still a great way to spend the day in Onondaga County.
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Up in the Adirondack town of North Creek, Revolution Rail Co. brings railbiking to Upstate New York. Travel along old train tracks and pass over the Hudson River, all while you make your way through the colorful forests for this 6-mile out-and-back adventure up north. Operating until Sunday, October 28th when their season ends, you still have enough time to book a fall foliage adventure with Revolution Rail Co., and we couldn't encourage you more to do so!
Located on Cornell University's campus, the Fall Creek Suspension Bridge is 140-feet above the ground. Spanning across 270-feet, the bridge is open all year long. If you can get over the fact that you'll more than likely feel quite a bit of movement on this bridge as you walk across it, you'll be able to enjoy beautiful views of Ithaca's foliage and all down Fall Creek Gorge. It's certainly a fall adventure that you'll never forget taking! When you're done taking a stroll around Cornell, you can enjoy the fall foliage in all of Ithaca's other stunning corners. The Empire State's City of Waterfalls, there's plenty of places all right in the heart of Ithaca that are great to see autumn's vibrant colors.
There's plenty of ways to surround yourself with New York's fall foliage when you visit Hunter Mountain, but one of our favorites is to go for a ride with the New York Zipline Adventure Tours.
If the gondola ride up Hunter Mountain isn't enough of a fall thrill for you, you can take an outdoor adventure where you'll experience the longest and highest zip line in all of North America. Right in the Northern Catskills, you'll be 600-feet above the ground and flying right through the colorful fall foliage. What could be better?
Visiting anywhere along the Shawangunk Ridge during the fall is a great idea, with our fall foliage up against the unique rocky scenery of this region. At Minnewaska State Park Preserve you'll find waterfalls, a variety of hiking trails that will take you through the foliage and around Lake Minnewaska where you can see the vibrant colors of the leaves reflect off of the water. If you're looking for jaw-dropping views that won't be too strenuous to get to, this is a wonderful place to start exploring.
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You may be able to find places within the city that are hiding away foliage, but if you look just beyond Buffalo and visit Chestnut Ridge Park you'll have views you'll wish you could hold onto forever. While we're anxiously anticipating going sledding in the park, we can look out at the top of the hill in the park by the historic toboggan chutes and gaze out at the foliage and distant Buffalo skyline.
Where’s your favorite place to visit in the fall to get a good look at our foliage? To discover other charming gems that are worth keeping your back pocket, read about how This Historic Park Is One Of New York’s Best Kept Secrets!
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