When do the leaves change in New York City?
Central Park's elms and maples put on a real show in late October and into early November, and the whole Hudson Valley — some of the East's best color — starts less than an hour north of the city.
Peak: October 29–November 5
Color builds from October 17 · mostly bare by November 23
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at New York City’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for New York City itself at 32 m elevation. Estimates, not promises — street trees vary block to block. Check locally before you plan around a weekend.
Fall activities in New York City
Bear Mountain State Park
42 miState park
Peak October 24
The Hudson Highlands' oak and hickory forests peak in mid-to-late October. Drive or hike to Bear Mountain's summit for the view over the river's S-curve, or walk the loop around Hessian Lake under the ridgeline.
Don’t miss: Perkins Memorial Tower view · Hessian Lake loop
in New York
Storm King Art Center
49 miGarden
Peak October 23
Five hundred acres of open-air sculpture in the Hudson Valley, where monumental works sit against hillsides of turning maple, oak, and birch. Peak color usually arrives mid-to-late October.
Don’t miss: Maple Rooms · Museum Hill views
in New York
High Point State Park
54 miState park
Peak October 18
A 220-foot veterans' monument built in 1928-30 marks New Jersey's highest elevation at 1,803 feet, with panoramic Sussex County views reaching toward the Poconos and Catskills. It's one of the state's most rewarding fall-foliage overlooks.
Don’t miss: New Jersey's highest point · 220-ft veterans monument · Views toward the Poconos and Catskills
in New Jersey
Mount Tammany
61 miTrail
Peak October 23
From the Dunnfield Creek lot in Worthington State Forest, a 3.5-mile loop climbs Mount Tammany for New Jersey's classic view of the Delaware River slicing through the Kittatinny Ridge, part of the roughly 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area established in 1965.
Don’t miss: 3.5-mile loop to the Gap overlook · Classic Delaware River gap view · Worthington State Forest setting
in New Jersey
Minnewaska State Park Preserve
71 miState park
Peak October 17
On the Shawangunk Ridge 90 miles north of the city, sky lakes and white quartz cliffs frame pitch pine, chestnut oak, and maple color. Old carriage roads make the big overlooks easy to reach on foot or by bike.
Don’t miss: Lake Minnewaska carriage road · Awosting Falls
in New York
Where locals go
Prospect Park
City parkPeak November 2
Olmsted and Vaux considered Brooklyn's 526-acre park their masterpiece. The Long Meadow's tree lines, the Ravine's woodlands, and the shores of Prospect Park Lake give it some of the city's most varied late-October color.
Don’t miss: Long Meadow · The Ravine · Lullwater bridges
Central Park
City parkPeak November 1
Olmsted's 843 acres turn late for the latitude, and the park's elms, maples, and oaks usually hold color into early November. The Mall's American elm cathedral and the wooded paths of the Ramble are the classic circuits.
Don’t miss: The Mall's elm canopy · The Ramble · Bow Bridge views
Fort Tryon Park
City parkPeak November 1
High on a ridge over the Hudson, Fort Tryon pairs foliage with river views: the Heather Garden's late perennials under turning oaks and maples, and the Cloisters framed in gold at the park's north end.
Don’t miss: Heather Garden · Hudson River overlooks · The Cloisters
New York Botanical Garden
GardenPeak November 1
The Bronx's 250-acre garden wraps fall color around the Thain Family Forest, one of New York City's last stands of old-growth woodland, with maples, tulip trees, and oaks peaking from late October into November.
Don’t miss: Thain Family Forest · Azalea Garden maples
Things to do in fall in New York City
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season — the iconic fall stops within a day trip of New York City.
Sleepy Hollow
27 miHistoric town
Color nearby peaks October 29
Washington Irving's legendary hamlet leans fully into October: Philipsburg Manor hosts the theatrical night walk Horseman's Hollow, nearby Van Cortlandt Manor lights thousands of hand-carved jack-o'-lanterns for The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze, and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery runs lantern tours past its 1685 Old Dutch Church.
Don’t miss: Horseman's Hollow at Philipsburg Manor · The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze nearby · Sleepy Hollow Cemetery lantern tours
in New York
Wightman Farms
28 miCider mill
Color nearby peaks October 29
A working orchard and cider mill on Route 202 outside Morristown, where the market bakes fresh donuts, pies, and cookies steps from where the cider gets pressed. The Wightman family has farmed this land since 1922, and fall brings an Autumn Harvest Festival with pick-your-own fruit alongside the everyday bakery counter.
Don’t miss: Cider mill and fresh donuts · Autumn Harvest Festival pick-your-own · Family farm since 1922
in New Jersey
Eastmont Orchards
29 miPumpkin patch
Color nearby peaks November 5
A Colts Neck farm that has closed its peach orchard for 2026 and given the season over entirely to pumpkins, open Friday through Sunday from mid-September to late October. It is a small, low-key patch built around a wagon and a field of pumpkins, the sort of place Monmouth County families return to every fall.
Don’t miss: U-pick pumpkins · Weekend-only fall hours · Small, low-key farm patch
in New Jersey
Wemrock Orchards
35 miOrchard
Color nearby peaks November 5
A Freehold orchard that presses its own apples into cider, then fries some of that cider into cinnamon-sugar donuts made fresh at the farm market. Come for u-pick trees and stay for the pies, breads, and produce that this family orchard has been selling in Monmouth County for around 50 years.
Don’t miss: On-site cider and cider donuts · U-pick apples · Family-run for about 50 years
in New Jersey
Chester Fall Craft Show
36 miFall festival
Color nearby peaks October 27
Twice a year historic Chester lines Main Street with vendor tents for one of the Northeast's longest-running craft shows, and the 2026 fall edition lands September 12 and 13, ten to five both days. Handmade goods and antiques fill the sidewalks within walking distance of more than 80 shops and restaurants in this small Morris County village.
Don’t miss: 53rd annual craft show · 80-plus shops and restaurants nearby · Main Street vendor stalls
in New Jersey
Alstede Farms
37 miFarm
Color nearby peaks October 27
On 600 acres of preserved Chester farmland, Alstede's corn maze covers more than 10 acres and three miles of paths beneath a lookout bridge, with night 'Harvest Moon' maze runs alongside pick-your-own pumpkins and apples every fall since 1982.
Don’t miss: 10-acre corn maze with lookout bridge · Night harvest-moon maze hours · Pick-your-own pumpkins and apples
in New Jersey
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in New York City in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 29–November 5 (best estimate November 1). Color starts around October 17 and trees are mostly bare by November 23. These dates are computed for New York City itself — at 32 m elevation — from the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in New York City?
- New York City colors during autumn (September–November). Central Park's elms and maples put on a real show in late October and into early November, and the whole Hudson Valley — some of the East's best color — starts less than an hour north of the city.
- What's the best foliage near New York City?
- Bear Mountain State Park (42 mi); Storm King Art Center (49 mi); High Point State Park (54 mi). For a longer trip: New York (171 mi, peak ~October 14); New Jersey (56 mi, peak ~November 7); Connecticut (91 mi, peak ~October 22).
- What are the best things to do in fall in New York City?
- Beyond the leaves: Sleepy Hollow (27 mi); Wightman Farms (28 mi); Eastmont Orchards (29 mi); Wemrock Orchards (35 mi); Chester Fall Craft Show (36 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.
- What are the best things to do in autumn near New York City?
- Come autumn — autumn (September–November) — locals head for Sleepy Hollow (27 mi); Wightman Farms (28 mi); Eastmont Orchards (29 mi); Wemrock Orchards (35 mi); Chester Fall Craft Show (36 mi). Each is on the map with the distance from New York City.