Autumn watch: where to see New York’s most beautiful fall foliage

This article is part of a guide to New York from FT Globetrotter

Autumn is perhaps the ideal time to be in New York. It’s not only a reprieve from sweltering summer weather — and a moment of mercy before the chill of winter takes hold — but for nature lovers, it’s the annual opportunity to see the trees across the state burst into colour. Such is their delight that the term “leaf peeping” has been coined to describe the activity of travelling to view and photograph autumn foliage.

This week, New York is due to reach prime leaf-peeping time, with native trees and other planted varieties starting to turn and expected to fully colour in the coming days and weeks.

“We had three months of drought this summer so I was expecting no fall colour, but we started to get rain, and then had beautiful sunshine and cool nights, which is sort of the recipe,” says Katherine Kerin, a landscape curator at Innisfree Garden in Millbrook, a village less than two hours’ drive from New York City. “It’s really shaping up to be beautiful. It started slowly and very golden, so we’re just beginning to see more oranges and reds.”

The season is later this year as a result of the dry weather, though 2021 brought far different conditions — and the unpredictability is deeply worrying for nature’s custodians, who are left grasping for how to best prepare. “Last summer we had huge amounts of rain, and in a totally different rainfall pattern . . . that was really unusual,” says Kerin. “So to flip to no rain this summer, thinking about the climate, it isn’t just getting hot and dry, it’s everything. We have no idea what’s coming next.” 

While there are no silver linings to the climate crisis, this year, at least, Kerin says: “Our reward for this horrible summer is that it’s an exquisite fall.”

Below are some of the most beautiful places to take in the autumnal majesty of New York’s trees.

Wingdale

Autumn highlights along the Appalachian Trail, a 2,180-mile public footpath that stretches from Georgia to Maine, include the New York hamlet of Wingdale . . . 

. . . where the famed path winds through towering trees and the woods are awash with gold.

Nuclear Lake

This 55-acre pond in the Hudson Valley earned its name following a 1972 chemical explosion at a now-defunct research lab on its shores. Following extensive testing and cleaning, it was declared safe decades ago and has become a popular spot for fishing, hiking and, of course, autumn-watching.

The peaceful, secluded lake is said to be one of the prettiest bodies of water along the whole of the Appalachian Trail.

Nuclear Lake is located near Pawling, NY, a quaint village set amid colourful country vistas and bucolic farmland.

Dover Stone Church

An ancient cavern used by Native Americans as a hideout in the 17th century, Dover Stone Church can be found on foot from the town of Dover Plains. Autumn colours are pictured here through Dover Stone Church’s cathedral window.

Innisfree Garden

This beautiful 185-acre garden is expected to reach peak autumn colour this week. It’s open to the public on weekends . . . 

 . . . and is one of the best places to view the native sugar maple (acer saccharum) — the state tree of New York — as it takes on fall colour.

How to get there

Each place highlighted is less than 90 miles from New York City — around a 2h drive. All are feasible for a day trip. The woods at Wingdale and Nuclear Lake are accessible by hiking trails; both are of moderate difficulty.

Do you have a favourite place in New York in autumn? Tell us in the comments

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