6 Beautiful Fall Getaways in Upstate New York
When people say “fall in New York” they usually mean Central Park. Lovely, sure. But drive a couple of hours north and the state turns into something else entirely: millions of acres of forest, gorges with waterfalls stacked inside them, and lakes that reflect all of it back.
In this guide
Upstate gets less attention than Vermont, and it’s cheaper and less crowded for it. Here are six places that make a great fall weekend. If you’re coming from the city and want something closer, the Hudson Valley and Sleepy Hollow are on our list of fall weekend trips from New York City.
1. The Catskills
About two and a half hours from Manhattan, the Catskills are the easiest proper mountain escape from the city. Peak colour usually lands around the middle of October.
Kaaterskill Falls is the big hike, a two-tier waterfall that’s been painted since the 1800s. The trail to the viewing platform is short and the steps down to the base are steep, so take it easy. Base yourself in Phoenicia or Woodstock, both small, both full of good food and secondhand shops.
Drive Route 23A through Kaaterskill Clove on the way. It’s one of the best short scenic drives in the state.
2. Lake Placid and the Adirondacks
The Adirondack Park is bigger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier and the Great Smoky Mountains combined. That’s not a typo. And it turns early, often peaking in the last week of September or the first days of October.
Lake Placid, home of two Winter Olympics, is the obvious base. Walk the loop around Mirror Lake in the morning, then hike Mount Jo for a view over Heart Lake and the High Peaks that’s way out of proportion to the effort. If you’re fitter, Cascade Mountain is one of the easier 46ers, the 46 high peaks that hikers try to collect.
3. The Finger Lakes
Eleven long, thin glacial lakes in the middle of the state, surrounded by vineyards, waterfalls and small towns. Fall is harvest season and the wineries are at their busiest and best.
Watkins Glen State Park at the bottom of Seneca Lake is the highlight. The gorge trail follows the creek through 19 waterfalls in two miles, under them and behind them in places. It usually closes for the season in early November, so don’t leave it too late.
Ithaca, on Cayuga Lake, is a college town with its own gorges right on campus. Its slogan is “Ithaca is gorges” and nobody there is embarrassed about it.
4. Letchworth State Park
Out west, about an hour south of Rochester, Letchworth has been nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of the East.” The Genesee River cuts a gorge up to 550 feet deep through the park, and three big waterfalls drop through it.
In October the gorge walls go gold and orange and the whole thing looks unreal. The Gorge Trail runs along the rim for about seven miles, but you don’t have to walk it all. Middle Falls and the Inspiration Point overlook are reachable from the road. Stay at the Glen Iris Inn inside the park if you can get a room.
5. Saratoga Springs
If you’d rather wander a town than hike, Saratoga Springs is the move. The racetrack season ends in early September, which means the town gets quieter just as the trees around it turn.
Walk Broadway, which has some of the best independent shops and restaurants upstate. Taste the mineral springs in Saratoga Spa State Park; they’re free and each one tastes different, mostly like pennies. Congress Park downtown is small and very pretty in the fall.
It’s about three hours from New York City and 30 minutes from Albany, so it pairs well with a quick run up into the southern Adirondacks.
▶ Watch This Before You Go
6. Cooperstown
Yes, the Baseball Hall of Fame is here, and if you care about baseball it’s wonderful. But even if you don’t, Cooperstown is a lovely little village at the bottom of Otsego Lake, which James Fenimore Cooper called “Glimmerglass” in his novels.
Take the lake drive up the west shore. Stop at Fenimore Farm and Country Village. Then go to Ommegang, a Belgian-style brewery a few miles out of town, and sit on the lawn with a beer. In October, the hills around the lake turn all at once.
Planning your trip
Colour moves from north to south and from high ground to low. The Adirondacks peak first, then the Catskills and Finger Lakes, then the Hudson Valley closer to the city. The state publishes a free weekly foliage report through the season, which is genuinely useful.
You’ll want a car for all of these. Amtrak runs to Saratoga Springs and up the Hudson, but nothing gets you into the mountains.
Weekends in peak weeks book out, especially around Lake Placid. Midweek is much easier and cheaper.
If you only have one weekend, pick based on where you’re starting. From New York City, the Catskills are the easy win. From Boston, Saratoga Springs and the Adirondacks are closer than you’d think. From anywhere west, Letchworth and the Finger Lakes make a great pair, about two hours apart.
And if you have a whole week, string three of them together. Catskills, then Cooperstown, then the Finger Lakes is a lovely loop through the middle of the state, with no drive longer than about two and a half hours. Honestly, the back roads between them are half the point. Farm stands, small towns and red barns, the whole way.
Common questions
When is peak foliage in upstate New York?
Late September in the Adirondacks, early to mid-October in the Catskills and Finger Lakes, and late October around the Hudson Valley.
What’s the best fall getaway from New York City?
The Catskills, for time versus reward. You can be on a trail in under three hours.
Can you do the Finger Lakes in a weekend?
Pick one or two lakes. Seneca and Cayuga are the best combination, with Watkins Glen and Ithaca as your two stops.
Is upstate New York cheaper than Vermont in the fall?
Generally yes, and less crowded, especially outside Lake Placid.
How cold does it get?
Expect 50s to low 60s during the day and frost overnight in the mountains by mid-October.
