🍁 Fall in Upstate NY: Like Living in a Postcard (That Changes Colors Every Day)

You wake up one morning, grab your coffee, and look out the window… and suddenly the hills that were just green last week are glowing like someone went nuts with a box of Crayola crayons. That’s life in Upstate NY during fall foliage season.

I was texting with a friend the other day who lives out of state, and she asked, “When’s the best time to see the leaves up there?” Honestly, it’s kind of like chasing fireflies—if you blink, you’ll miss it. But here’s how it usually plays out:

The Color Parade

Adirondacks go first. Places like Old Forge, Lake Pleasant, and Tupper Lake are already rocking bold oranges and yellows by late September.
Central New York (our Mohawk Valley stomping grounds) usually hits its stride in early to mid-October. Utica and Herkimer are starting to show yellows, but wait a week or two and it’ll be full-on color chaos.
The Catskills and Hudson Valley peak a little later, mid to late October, so you can kind of “follow the rainbow” downhill through the month.

The wild card? The weather. Cool nights + sunny days = brilliant reds and oranges. Too much wind or rain = leaves on the ground before you even planned your road trip.

Road Trip Heaven

If you want to feel like you’ve driven straight into a fall-themed screensaver, there are a few routes I always recommend:

Adirondack High Peaks Scenic Byway (Route 73): winding valleys, mirrored lakes, and quick hikes like Bald or Black Bear Mountain if you’re feeling outdoorsy.
Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway: an 87-mile loop of vineyards, hillsides, and one heck of a waterfall at Taughannock Falls State Park.
Seneca Lake Scenic Byway (Route 414): wineries + farm stands + lakeside color = a perfect Saturday.
U.S. Route 20 near Cazenovia: rolling farmland, historic villages, and a quick detour to Chittenango Falls for the full waterfall-meets-autumn vibe.
Cooperstown & Otsego Lake (Route 28): imagine a drive lined with fiery trees, capped off with cider at Fly Creek Cider Mill.

If you only have one weekend to catch Upstate NY fall foliage 2025, Route 28 into Cooperstown is a sure bet.

The Tools of the Trade

Locals know better than to guess—we check the maps:

Our friends at Oneida County Tourism have all the details!
I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report (updated weekly with % of change).
ExploreFall.com Map (interactive, track color progression in real time).

DO Go Chasing Waterfalls

If you thought autumn color was the main event, wait till you add rushing water and cliff-side spray to the mix. Waterfalls add movement, drama, and extra moisture that makes the leaves reflect light in ways flat forest can’t. Pull over, let your eyes feast, and don’t forget your camera drip-proof bag.

Here are some falls around New York that are especially magical this season:

Chittenango Falls State Park — 167 feet of cascading water, with trails that let you view the falls from top to bottom as the foliage frames each viewpoint perfectly.
Taughannock Falls State Park — near Ithaca, this one plunges 215 feet past towering cliffs nearly 400 feet high. Gorge and rim trails give you both overhead and up-close views of the fall colors.
High Falls Gorge (Adirondacks) — just a short walk along the Ausable River, tons of cascades, and views that mix vibrant leaf tones with water reflections that bounce them right back at you.

Check out more beautiful waterfalls on I Love NY’s page!

Insider Advice

Go early, go often. Hit the Adirondacks first, then follow the color south.
Don’t sleep on mornings. Golden light + fewer crowds = magic.
Have a Plan B. If one spot is past peak, another nearby is just starting.
Embrace cider + donuts. Even if the leaves are stubborn, fall flavors make up for it.

So What’s It Really Like?

It’s like living inside a snow globe that someone shakes every week—but instead of snow, it’s layers of gold, amber, and crimson drifting across the valleys. You roll the windows down, grab a bag of cider donuts, and cruise Route 28 into Cooperstown while the leaves flutter across the road like confetti.

And then, almost overnight, it’s gone. One windstorm, one cold rain, and the trees are bare, standing there like they’re saying, “That’s it, folks, show’s over—see you next year.”

That’s why we chase it. That’s why we obsess over the maps and drive all over creation just to catch that one perfect hillside in the sun. Because when Upstate New York hits peak fall, there’s nothing else like it.