Color tracking peak foliage: where to travel when
Leaf peeping time! How to track the nearest escapes with the best fall colors — down to the day — including the places you need to see right now.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Autumn in the Adirondacks is famously beautiful — and notoriously short-lived.
This weekend is already the last to enjoy fall colors in some parts of Upstate New York, while other nearby hotspots are just beginning to turn. Make sure you know where to travel to find the best views, and when you should expect peak season near you.
The Adirondacks are of course too vast to paint a broad brush over, color-wise. You can check this fall foliage meter (updated every day) to see which regions in the park are peaking when. The meter gives percentages that reflect the color change anticipated for the upcoming weekend.
For example, up north, the Whiteface Region is already reporting a 95% color change, meaning it will be hitting peak foliage right around this week and weekend. Lake George area meanwhile is only anticipating a 25% change in color currently and should be nearing “peak” (100%) foliage by mid-October.
We also took a look at the New York state foliage map to come up with a run-down of where you’ll want to go this month without traveling too far, either in nearby Adirondack towns or places in the North Country just north of the Capital Region.
This weekend: Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and Whiteface regions. While you’re there, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake all have their own villages to explore, too.
Next week and weekend (the weekend of the 11th): Lake George, Hamilton County — which includes the towns of Inlet and Speculator — and Minerva, North Hudson, Schroon Lake and Newcomb.
Last week/weekends of October: Lake Champlain region and areas directly North of Lake George towards Vermont, including Ticonderoga, Elizabethtown and Port Henry.
For peak foliage in Saratoga, you’ll have to wait a couple of more weeks: expect those postcard-worthy reds, yellows and oranges around mid-October. You can also use this fall foliage map to search specific locations you want to visit, peak timing for different areas, and an up-to-date color report.
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