Natural History Wanderings

Fall Foliage in New York | Autumn Leaves, Scenic Drive has a new report for the week of Oct. 8-14

Beautiful Peak Fall Colors Emerging Across New York State

Peak colors arrive in Finger Lakes, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley, Central New York and Thousand Islands-Seaway regions this weekend

This is the fifth 2014 FALL COLOR REPORT for New York State. Reports are obtained from field observers and reflect expected color conditions for the coming weekend. FALL COLOR REPORTS are issued every Wednesday afternoon.

Albany, N.Y. – As peak fall colors make their way through the Adirondacks and Catskills, other regions of New York State, including the Finger Lakes, Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley, Central New York and Thousand Islands-Seaway regions, will see the emergence of peak leaves by the weekend, according to spotters for the Empire State Development Division of Tourism’s I LOVE NEW YORK program.

Peak color is leaving the higher elevations of the Adirondacks and moving east and south. In the Willsboro area of Essex County, look for 80-90 percent transition and peak or very near peak conditions, along with very brilliant leaves of shades of yellow and orange, and some vivid shades of red and rust. Also in Essex County, spotters in Crown Point predict 70 to 95 percent color change by the weekend and near peak foliage with vivid clusters of yellow, orange and red leaves. Northern Warren County will be just past peak this weekend with 80 percent color change, while the southern portion of the county will see near peak to peak foliage with 50-75 percent color change and a mix of bright yellow, orange, red and rust leaves. Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington will be just past peak with very brilliant shades of red and orange leaves remaining. Lake Placid will also be just past peak with some areas of brilliant leaves remaining. Look for bright shades of orange, yellow, red and brown. Other stations reporting just past peak conditions include Tupper Lake and Mt. Arab in Franklin County, and Indian Lake, Speculator and Old Forge in Herkimer County.

In the Catskills, spotters in Marlboro in Ulster County expect peak foliage for the weekend with some leaf droppage. Bright shades of orange, yellow, gold and red predominate. Spotters in the northwest portion of the county expect peak foliage for the weekend with close to 75 percent color change, and around 60 percent change and midpoint to near peak conditions in the county’s mid to southeast sections. Look for leaves of bright shades of red, rusty orange, orange and yellow. In Highmount, spotters at Belleayre Mountain expect the foliage to be a little past peak but still very colorful with a lot of yellows and oranges along with a nice mix of red and green.

Sullivan County will be at peak this weekend. Look for nearly complete leaf transition with brilliant bouquets of butterscotch and burnt oranges, caramel and russet reds, along with a touch of yellow and green leaves. Greene County spotters based in Catskill expect just past peak leaves with some bright areas of red, orange and yellow leaves remaining. Look for the best color in the county’s valley and river regions. Delaware County will be just past peak with leaves of very brilliant shades of red, yellow and gold.

In the Capital-Saratoga region, spotters in Fulton County at Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center in Benson predict peak foliage for the weekend, with nearly complete leaf change and bronze, yellow, orange and brown leaves of average brilliance. Also in the county, spotters in Gloversville predict peak to near peak colors depending on elevation. Look for average shades of yellow, red and brown leaves. Travelers in the region will also find areas of peak color in Rensselaer County. Spotters based in Brunswick note that peak color will be in the eastern and northern parts of the county with a spectacular mix of all shades of bright red, orange-red and yellow leaves, along with some remaining green leaves. Look for near peak conditions in the southern and western parts of the county.

Foliage is approaching peak in Albany County. Spotters in Voorheesville at Thacher State Park expect up to 90 percent color change for the weekend with bright yellow and orange leaves, along with touches of red. In Saratoga County, 70 percent color change and near peak foliage is predicted with vibrant bursts of bright reds, burgundy, deep oranges and bright yellows along with amber and green. Also look for near peak foliage in Schenectady County. Spotters estimate 60-65 percent color change and a bright mix of gold and red leaves.

In Central New York, Oneida County is expecting peak foliage this weekend according to Utica-based spotters. Leaves are amber, gold, bronze and purple of average brilliance, along with some vibrant shades of orange. Foliage is described as some of the most vibrant in recent years. In Broome County, spotters based in Binghamton are calling for 75 percent color change and bright red, orange and yellow leaves. Otsego County foliage spotters in Cooperstown expect peak foliage for the weekend with 70 percent color change and yellow, orange and red leaves of average brilliance.  In Chenango County, spotters in Norwich are calling for peak to past peak leaves of muted brilliance by the weekend. Cobleskill spotters in Schoharie County project 80 percent color change and near peak leaves of bright orange and red. Madison County will be near peak with 50 percent leaf change and bright orange and yellow leaves dominating along the Rt. 20 scenic drive in Cazenovia and shades of purple predominating near the town of Hamilton. Mohawk in Herkimer County reports just past peak leaves, but still plenty of red and yellow leaves remaining.

Peak foliage arrives in the Finger Lakes region this weekend. Spotters in Watkins Glen in Schuyler County expect peak leaves with 80-85 percent color change and bright orange and red leaves. The western side of Steuben County will be at 80-90 percent color change and at peak this weekend with bright yellow, orange, gold and red leaves. Near Corning and Keuka Lake colors will be near peak. Leaves are peaking in Tioga County. Owego-based spotters are calling for 80 percent color change this weekend with an average to bright mix of red, yellow, orange and green leaves. Onondaga County will also be at peak with a very bright mix of red and purple leaves along with some splashes of yellow.

Cortland County will be near peak this weekend. Look for 75 percent color change and bright red, orange and purple leaves. Ontario County has seen minimal change over the past week, but expects foliage to be near peak by the weekend. The overall color change in the county will be 50-60 percent with areas of magnificent reds, oranges and yellows. In Monroe County, spotters based in the Rochesterarea expect changes of 50-55 percent and near peak foliage for the weekend. A good amount of dull green leaves remain. Other fall colors, in order of predominance, are yellow, yellow-green, dark red and red-orange.

Spotters in Monroe County based in Greece, expect 75-80 percent color change and near peak conditions with yellow leaves of average to slightly above average brilliance, along with touches of red and orange. In Tompkins County, Ithaca-based spotters expect 65 percent color change with average-to-bright near peak leaves of red, yellow and orange.

Livingston County will be around midpoint to near peak of change this weekend with 40-60 percent color change and average to bright leaves of yellow and orange along with touches of red. Cayuga and Wayne counties will be at midpoint with 50 percent change and brilliant red, yellow and orange leaves. Yates County will be at around 50 percent color change and midpoint with bright orange and brown leaves and scattered hints of yellow and red leaves. Chemung County will also be at midpoint with 35 percent color change and bright red, yellow and orange leaves. In Seneca County, expect just 15-20 percent color change with shades of yellow and light orange now dotting the hillsides.

In the Chautauqua-Allegheny region, peak foliage is predicted for Chautauqua County. Spotters in Chautauqua are calling for 80-90 percent color change with muted to average shades of orange and rust, along with some dark shades of red. In Cattaraugus County, spotters at Allegany State Park predict peak to just past peak colors. Most yellow leaves are turning orange and more red leaves are appearing. Spotters in Little Valley expect just past peak foliage by weekend with 70 percent color change and yellow, green and brown leaves.

In the Greater Niagara region, Batavia-based spotters in Genesee County are calling for near peak foliage by weekend with 45 percent color change and somewhat muted shades of orange and red. Erie County will also be near peak with 35-40 percent color change and bright gold and orange leaves, according to spotters in Buffalo. Colors have really emerged over the past week in Wyoming County, according to spotters based in Perry. Look for about 60-65 percent change by the weekend. Spotters in Niagara Falls in Niagara County expect 40 percent color change and bright red and yellow leaves in midpoint of transition.

In the Thousand Islands-Seaway region expect near peak foliage in the St. Lawrence Seaway area of St. Lawrence County with 50 percent color change and green, orange, red, purple and yellow leaves of average brilliance. The Adirondacks portion of the county will be past peak. Jefferson County spotters reporting from Alexandria Bay expect near peak foliage with 80 percent color change and orange, red and yellow leaves of average brilliance. In Oswego County, spotters are calling for 60 percent color change by the weekend with brilliant near peak shades of red, maroon, orange, amber, gold and yellow continuing to dominate the northern section of Oswego County. Foliage along the Salmon River and western edge of the Tug Hill will be at peak (or very near peak) this weekend. In southern parts of Oswego County, like Oswego and Fulton colors are near peak with mostly bright yellow leaves along with a lot of gold, russet and orange leaves, with touches of red.

In the Hudson Valley, Columbia County expects nearly complete color transition by the weekend with bright shades of yellow, orange and red. Conditions are at peak/past peak in mountains of the eastern side of the county. Hudson and the western side of the county will be at peak this weekend and early next week. Orange County spotters reporting from Goshen expect near peak foliage with 80 percent color change with brilliant shades of red, orange, wine, melon, peach and yellow leaves. Rockland County spotters reporting from Bear Mountain State Park expect near peak foliage with 80 percent color change and orange, yellow and red leaves of average brilliance. Spotters in the New City area of the county also expect near peak foliage this weekend.

Dutchess County will be near peak this weekend with 75 percent color change and bright yellow leaves along with touches of gold, russet, orange, and some red and purple. The Highland area of Ulster County is also expected to be near peak with bright shades of red and orange along with some emerging shades of yellow. Westchester County will be at midpoint of change with 40 percent leaf transition and many shades of bright and beautiful red, gold and yellow leaves.

On Long Island, color change is still in the early stages. On the East End of Suffolk County, expect 10 percent change by the weekend with a mix of yellow, orange and red leaves of average brilliance starting to emerge from the green backdrop. To the west, in Melville, color hasn’t changed much over the past week and the foliage is still mostly green. In New York City, foliage spotters in Brooklyn expect less than 10 percent change for the weekend.