Upstate New York nearing peak fall colors; Long Island not far behind

While leaves remain in the early stages of transition for much of Long Island and New York City, state officials say fall colors are at or close to peak elsewhere across New York and that now is the time to get out and revel in the change.

Among the peak areas to give leaf-watching a peek?

The state's I Love NY program suggests the Adirondacks, Catskills, the Capital-Saratoga region, Binghamton, Cooperstown, Waterloo in the Finger Lakes, Chautauqua, East Aurora, Ogdensburg in the Thousand Islands and in New City in the Hudson Valley. That information, the Empire State Development Division of Tourism said Thursday, is based on fall foliage reports from teams of volunteer spotters around the state. The spotters are tasked with "keeping track of the color change in their area as leaves progress each week," the tourism agency said.

While much of the Adirondacks and Catskills will be past peak after this weekend, officials suggest Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain and Liberty in Sullivan County as the best bets in each of those regions to see the most colorful foliage before weekend's end. Much of the remaining areas north of the downstate metro area are said to be at midpoint or near-peak when it comes to changing colors.

Even better is that the National Weather Service reports New Yorkers can bask in sunshine and peak fall weather this weekend, with no rain forecast statewide. From Lake Placid to New York City, and from Albany to Buffalo, forecasters are calling for bright clear weekend days with temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Overnights will be cooler.

I Love NY defines peak as "the best overall appearance the foliage will have during the season, taking into account color transition, brilliance and leaf droppage."

"Beautiful peak foliage will be found in parts of all nine upstate New York regions this weekend," the online I Love NY Fall Foliage Report states, "as it makes its way out of the upper elevations of the Adirondacks and Catskills. Most upstate foliage will range from midpoint to near-peak, while leaves on Long Island will mostly be at midpoint of change and most of New York City will still be in the early stages of transition."

Descriptions of leaves amid the changing season range from "bright autumn colors" to "average seasonal reds and muted yellows" and "average-to-bright golden leaves with some red pops."

An observation for Chautauqua County reads: "Very brilliant peak autumn shades of orange, yellow and red," while the report for the Thousand Islands-Seaway region reads "95% change and peak in Alexandria Bay with a mix of brilliant fall colors."

As for Long Island? Warm weather has kept much of the color changes at bay; observers noted that for most areas, the fall transition is only at about 50%.

However, observers suggest two areas are worth checking out if you want to see fall in full bloom: Mill Pond Park in Wantagh, where volunteers described the foliage bordering the lake "now at peak color," and Belmont Lake State Park in West Babylon, where observers said leaves are now at about 80% peak change "with peak purple, red, orange and yellow colors surrounding the lake with the picnic areas and trails featuring near-peak colors."

For more information on best leaf-watching locations across New York, visit www.iloveny.com/foliage.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”