New York fall foliage: This map tracks the best time for leaf peeping
Courtesy of I LOVE NY
While it’s still technically summer, the first signs of fall have already been spotted in New York. This week the state released the season’s first Fall Foliage report, an annual guide and interactive map highlighting the progress of changing leaves across the Empire State. Based on observations by 85 volunteer leaf spotters, regions like the Adirondacks, Catskills, Thousand Island-Seaway, Capital-Saratoga, Central New York, Finger Lakes, and Greater Niagara are starting their colorful autumnal transformations.
Overseen by the state’s tourism agency I LOVE NY, the annual reports are compiled by volunteers throughout the 11 New York “vacation regions” who keep track of leaf color changes every week. On Wednesdays throughout the season, the online report and coinciding interactive map will be updated.
The guide also provides information on parks, observation decks, and other activities to help make the most of the fleeting season.
In this year’s first report, leaf peepers describe a 25 percent change in the Adirondack region, particularly in Franklin County’s Saranac Lake with pops of red and yellow, according to the report. By the weekend, more changes will be seen in Tupper Lake, Mt. Arab, and Malone.
In the Catskills region, volunteers in Greene County and Sullivan County report a 10 percent change, with some “muted shades of red” spotted. In the Hudson Valley, leaves have started to turn yellow and red in Kingston.
No changes have been reported yet for New York City, where peak foliage tends to be in late October and early November.
Check out the full fall foliage report here.
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