Where to Enjoy Fall Foliage in New York

As the weather gets cooler, the colors on the trees begin to get brighter. Now more than ever, finding a fun and safe activity for the family (and The entire state of New York boasts a wide selection of broad-leafed trees in the autumn beginning in October, and there is a terrific pattern of brilliant red, orange, and yellow shades splattered across the landscape. Take a drive along Route 25A in Suffolk County, the Taconic State Parkway, or River Road from Rhinebeck to Red Hook to enjoy miles of stunning foliage in New York. If you're looking to visit a park, nature center, or go for a hike for some more up-close-and-personal foliage views, check out one of these spots.

Fall Foliage in Manhattan
Fall Foliage in Brooklyn
Fall Foliage in Queens
Fall Foliage in Staten Island
Fall Foliage in Westchester
Fall Foliage in Rockland
Fall Foliage on Long Island 
Fall Foliage in Ulster County
Fall Foliage in Orange County
Fall Foliage in Dutchess County
Fall Foliage Cruises in New York

Fall Foliage in Manhattan

Central Park
Fifth Avenue to Central Park West, 59th Street to 110th Street,
Upper East Side and Upper West Side
212-310-6600
Hours: 6am-1am
The Ramble, Central Park's wild garden, and The Ravine are two of the best places to see fall foliage in the park. Take the path that runs along the Loch in the North Woods for rustic bridges, falls, and a variety of birds. You'll see American elms, oaks, Norway maples, sycamore maples, red maples, and black cherry trees in this beautiful New York City staple. 

Inwood Hill Park
Dyckman Street, Hudson River, Harlem River South, Inwood
Inwood Hill Park is a great place for leaf peeping through and through, but NYC Parks recommends the blue trail, a marked trail that begins at the Gaelic Field on the northern side of the park and leads up to the Overlook, which provides a beautiful view of the Hudson River and the Palisades. Expect to see oaks, hickories, and Tulip poplars along the way.

Highbridge Park
West 155th Street and Dyckman Street, Edgecombe Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue,
Fort George
212-927-2400
Hours: Recreation center: Monday-Friday, 9am-9pm; Saturday, 9am-5pm
Red oaks, white ashes, hickories, black cherries, and Norway maples are just some of the trees in High Bridge Park. The trail that runs along the high ridge above Harlem River Drive from 155th Street to Dyckman Street runs the length of the park and passes the High Bridge and the High Bridge Water Tower. 

Fort Tryon Park
192nd Street and Fort Washington Avenue to Riverside Drive near 200th Street, Washington Heights
212-795-1388 ext. 301
Hours: 6am-1am
During the fall, the 67-acre park, with some of the highest points of elevation in all of Manhattan, offers families spectacular foliage views. The most notable feature of the landscape is the 3-acre Heather Garden that provides panoramic views of the Hudson River. In addition to the vibrant autumn leaves, the garden also offers blooming trees, shrubs, vines, bulbs, and showy fruits, including Bodinier Beauty, Japanese Anemone, Blue Sage, and Chinese Forget-me-nots. Alpine Garden on the park's easternmost point offers a view of the Palisades in New Jersey, which also provide a great leaf-peeping experience from across the river.

Fall Foliage in Brooklyn

Fort Greene Park
Myrtle Avenue, De Kalb Avenue, between Washington Park and St. Edward's Street,
Fort Greene
718-722-3218
View massive London plane trees, oaks, elms, gingkos, and osage orange trees in this park filled with deep American history. 

Owl's Head Park
Shore Road, 68th Street, Colonial Road, Bay Ridge
This spacious park boasts oaks, maples, beeches, and tulip poplars. Meander over hills and pathways and be sure to take in the unmatched views of the New York skyline and Verrazano Narrows Bridge. 

Prospect Park
Prospect Park West, Parkside Avenue between Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue and Prospect Park Southwest
718-965-8951
You'll see camperdown elms, black cherries, sassafrases, American hornbeams, turkey oaks, weeping willows, tulip trees, American beeches, pin oaks, white oaks, Himalayan pines, gingkos, Norway maples, London planes, and more during your visit. The Lullwater and Peninsula are must-sees, as you'll see native and exotic trees circling the park's pond. 
 

Fall Foliage in Queens

Alley Pond Park
Little Neck Bay, Long Island Expressway, Union Turnpike, between Springfield Boulevard, Douglaston Parkway, Hanford Street
Alley Pond Park is home to the Queens Giant, aka the tallest tree in New York City, located on the park's white trail. You'll also see pin oaks, white pines, black cherries, black oaks, flowering dogwoods, black locusts, American beeches, red oaks, sweetgums, red maples, and tulip trees. The most popular trails are the green and white trails.

Cunningham Park
Long Island Expressway, 73rd Avenue, Union Turnpike, Grand Central Parkway between 193rd Street, Francis Lewis Boulevard, Hollis Hills Terrace, and 210 Street
Hike the trail at Francis Lewis Boulevard and Union Turnpike in the park's southeast preserve to see a wide array of trees including tulip trees and honey locusts.

Forest Park
Myrtle Avenue, Union Turnpike, Park Lane South between Brooklyn-Queens County Line and Park Lane
Northern red oaks, scarlet oaks, tulip poplars, shagbark hickories, white oaks, and wild black cherries make up the "forest" part of Forest Park, the largest continuous oak forest in Queens. You'll see trees that are more than 150 years old, with an underlayer of dogwood, virginia creeper, sassafras, and corktree. 

Kissena Park
Fresh Meadows Lane, Kissena Boulevard, between Oak Avenue, Underhill, and Booth Memorial Avenue
718-359-1297
The Kissena Grove, located at the northern part of the park at Rose Avenue and Parsons Boulevard, is known for its exotic trees, including the famous katsura trees, which have golden heart-shaped leaves. Don't miss the bald cypress, an evergreen tree that changes color in the fall.

Fall Foliage in Staten Island

Blue Heron Park
Amboy Road, Barclay Avenue, Hylan Boulevard, and Bertram Avenue
The green, red, and orange trails and the route around Spring Pond and Butterfly Pond have the most colorful trees. Spring Pond's footbridge is a great palce to view the forest's fall colors. 

Clove Lakes Park
Forest Avenue, Victory Boulevard between Clove Road and Brookside Avenue, Royal Oak Road
718-390-8000
Clove Lakes Park is home to a variety of walking paths, each of which will take you through a range of foliage. Several of them also pass by ponds. Expect to see tulip trees, red oaks, sassafras, sweetgum, black birch. and black cherries.

Greenbelt Nature Center
700 Rockland Ave., Staten Island
718-351-3450
35 miles of walking trails run along the Serpentine Ridge and wind through one of the last undisturbed forests in the city. You'll see native trees, and rare species of fern, glacial ponds, and a 16-acre lake. 

Silver Lake Park
Victory Boulevard, Clove Road, Forest Avenue
The paved loop around the lake takes you through the park's colorful trees including red maples, sugar maples, sweetgums, sassafras, black walnuts, tulip trees, river birches, tupelos, and beeches. 

Wolfe's Pond Park
Holton Avenue, Chosolm Street, Luten Avenue, Arbutus Avenue, and Raritan Bay
Walk around the pond to see red maples, sugar maples, sweetgums, sassafras, black walnuts, river birches, beeches, and dogwoods, all leading out to a beachfront.
 

Fall Foliage in Westchester
 

Bronx River Greenway
1490 Sheridan Blvd.
London planes, oaks, sassafras, red maples, tulip poplars, sycamores, and beeches line the greenway connecting many NYC parks. The Bronx River Forest is one of the oldest hardwood forests in the city.

Pelham Bay Park
Hutchinson River, Long Island Sound between Bronx County Line and Middletown Road, Watt Avenue
Pelham Bay Park is the City's largest park property (yup, bigger than Central Park!). Take the Kazimiroff Trail through 189 acres of Hunter Island by the tall Norway spruces and white pines, which provide a habitat for great horned owls.

Van Cortlandt Park
NYC - Westchester County Line, Van Cortlandt Park South between Broadway and Jerome Avenue, Bronx
The Old Croton Aqueduct Trail, the Putnam Trail, the Muir Trail, and the John Kieran Trail provide beautiful native hardwoods to walk through and enjoy the changing fall colors.

Fall Foliage in Rockland County

Bear Mountain State Park
Route 9W North
Hours: Daily, 10:30am-4pm
Price: $10 per vehicle, fee collected Sept. 17 through March 20, weekends and holidays, 8am-5pm
Bear Mountain State Park is considered a "must see" in autumn, especially the Perkins Memorial Tower. You can either drive up to the 40-foot tall stone look-out tower and then climb the steps to the observation windows, or, if you're feeling ambitious, you can hike from a lower point to the top. For a less strenuous walk, drive to the tower and then follow the Bear Mountain Summit Loop hike. 

Kennedy Dells Park
355 North Main St., New City
The park is heavily wooded with Hemlocks, White Pines, Beeches, Maples, Black and Red Oaks, White Ashes, and Black Locusts. 

Rockland Lake State Park
299 Rockland Lake Rd., Valley Cottage 
845-268-3020
Hours: Open year-round, from daylight to dusk
Price: $10 per vehicle. Fee collected Sept. 12 through Oct. 25, weekends and holidays, 8am-4:30pm
The park offers hiking trails with breath-taking views of the Hudson valley along with a variety of activities like tennis, golf, grilling, playgrounds, and water features.

High Tor State Park
415 South Mountain Road, New City
Hours: 8am-7:30pm, Wednesday-Sunday
Price: Free
Hike to the top of High Tor mountain and enjoy 360 degree views of the Hudson River and miles of fall foliage.

Haverstraw Bay Park
21 Gagan Road, West Haverstraw
Hike, participate in one of the many activities, or view many of the beautiful wildlife creatures like the Belted Kingfisher, Mallard, Canada Goose, Great Blue Heron, Northern Cardinal, American Crow, Blue Jay, Song Sparrow, Great Black-Backed Gull, and the Northern Mockingbird.