Fall Foliage in NY/NJ/CT/PA ?

[Marat]

Anywhere that you guys can suggest for viewing leaf color in the NY/NJ/CT/PA area ?

 

[Fishy]

Basically, anywhere.

The Taconics, the Hudson Valley, Adirondacks, Litchfield, Shawangunks, Catskills, Hudson Highlands, etc.

Where are you starting from?

 

[8893]

My deck

 

[Marat]

Basically, anywhere.

The Taconics, the Hudson Valley, Adirondacks, Litchfield, Shawangunks, Catskills, Hudson Highlands, etc.

Where are you starting from?

Basically looking for specific spots - like in Hudson Valley . I'ld be starting out from NYC.

 

[Fishy]

Basically looking for specific spots - like in Hudson Valley . I'ld be starting out from NYC.

Well, you know, my deck.

But failing that, I'm guessing you have a car and that you don't mind a hike.

Everyone in NYC heads for Bear Mountain and Anthony's Nose on the weekends. I'd avoid it just because it's so freaking packed this time of year.

Three options.

1) This one is the longest drive. Head to the Copake area of the Taconics and take a hike up Mount Alander. It's a mild, pleasant hike. You park in Mount Washington State Park in Massachusetts and walk up a well-marked trail that leads you to the summit vista which happens to be in New York. The entire Taconic valley is the payoff. It's beautiful.

On the way back, you can either veer west and do dinner at the Culinary or any of the places in Rhinebeck or Poughkeepsie or stay on the route and head to Pawling.

This would be a tiring day and perhaps not my first pick for you.

2) Storm King Art Center. This is the train option, although you certainly could drive it easily. (Taconic to I-84....an hour from the NYC/Westchester line.) You can buy a discounted package at Grand Central that includes a MetroNorth ticket to the Beacon Station and a discounted admission ticket to the Art Center. The Art Center runs shuttles on the weekend from Beacon to the center. You gotta pre-book those.

I'll steal their description, "Storm King is a 500-acre outdoor sculpture museum, come prepared to spend the day outdoors, wear comfortable walking shoes, and bring sunscreen, and bug spray. Bug spray, sunscreen, and water are also available for purchase in the Visitor Center. Plan to explore Storm King’s rolling meadows and wooded areas, by foot or bicycle." Google it.

Beacon itself is a nice place to return to after the Art Center. Good restaurants and bars. (Several breweries, at least one distiller and as of last month, Industrial Arts Brewing are all in Beacon.)

3) A little longer drive up 87, but the most spectacular.

Drive to Mohonk Preserve and buy a day pass. (There will be a rep at the trail head selling passes. We're members, but I gave away all of my day passes already. Bad news...$15 a head. Good news....it keeps the masses further south at Minnewaska.)

Walk the Carriage Roads to the Mountain House. Go through the Labyrinth and Lemon Squeeze. Once you get to the top of the Lemon Squeeze, the Duck Pond Trail will foliage your brains out. (You don't have to look for it - the wooden overlook shacks are your landmark.)

The $15 pass assumes you park at one of the Preserve trailheads or the visitor center. It's not a hard hike by any means, but it is a hike. If you're looking for much less walking, I highly recommend that you go to the Mohonk Mountain House Gatehouse. (The Preserve and the Mountain House are connected, but the Mountain House grounds are technically private property and serve the hotel....if you want to park at the Mountain House lot, you're basically skipping the hike in.) Weekend hiking passes there are $27 a day.

Afterwards, head into New Paltz for dinner, drinks, whatever. If you like German food, hard cider or bourbon, let me know because there are side trips to each. If you want to convert it into an overnight, Route 9 across the River has a ton of hotels that work.

 

[Sonofabeach]

I am going to Lake George, NY in Mid. October for some Kayak fishing and hoping to see lots of fall foliage when I am on the lake. We reserved a hotel right on the lake for about $500.00 Sunday - Friday. Can't wait!

 

[Marat]

Well, you know, my deck.

But failing that, I'm guessing you have a car and that you don't mind a hike.

Everyone in NYC heads for Bear Mountain and Anthony's Nose on the weekends. I'd avoid it just because it's so freaking packed this time of year.

Three options.

1) This one is the longest drive. Head to the Copake area of the Taconics and take a hike up Mount Alander. It's a mild, pleasant hike. You park in Mount Washington State Park in Massachusetts and walk up a well-marked trail that leads you to the summit vista which happens to be in New York. The entire Taconic valley is the payoff. It's beautiful.

On the way back, you can either veer west and do dinner at the Culinary or any of the places in Rhinebeck or Poughkeepsie or stay on the route and head to Pawling.

This would be a tiring day and perhaps not my first pick for you.

2) Storm King Art Center. This is the train option, although you certainly could drive it easily. (Taconic to I-84....an hour from the NYC/Westchester line.) You can buy a discounted package at Grand Central that includes a MetroNorth ticket to the Beacon Station and a discounted admission ticket to the Art Center. The Art Center runs shuttles on the weekend from Beacon to the center. You gotta pre-book those.

I'll steal their description, "Storm King is a 500-acre outdoor sculpture museum, come prepared to spend the day outdoors, wear comfortable walking shoes, and bring sunscreen, and bug spray. Bug spray, sunscreen, and water are also available for purchase in the Visitor Center. Plan to explore Storm King’s rolling meadows and wooded areas, by foot or bicycle." Google it.

Beacon itself is a nice place to return to after the Art Center. Good restaurants and bars. (Several breweries, at least one distiller and as of last month, Industrial Arts Brewing are all in Beacon.)

3) A little longer drive up 87, but the most spectacular.

Drive to Mohonk Preserve and buy a day pass. (There will be a rep at the trail head selling passes. We're members, but I gave away all of my day passes already. Bad news...$15 a head. Good news....it keeps the masses further south at Minnewaska.)

Walk the Carriage Roads to the Mountain House. Go through the Labyrinth and Lemon Squeeze. Once you get to the top of the Lemon Squeeze, the Duck Pond Trail will foliage your brains out. (You don't have to look for it - the wooden overlook shacks are your landmark.)

The $15 pass assumes you park at one of the Preserve trailheads or the visitor center. It's not a hard hike by any means, but it is a hike. If you're looking for much less walking, I highly recommend that you go to the Mohonk Mountain House Gatehouse. (The Preserve and the Mountain House are connected, but the Mountain House grounds are technically private property and serve the hotel....if you want to park at the Mountain House lot, you're basically skipping the hike in.) Weekend hiking passes there are $27 a day.

Afterwards, head into New Paltz for dinner, drinks, whatever. If you like German food, hard cider or bourbon, let me know because there are side trips to each. If you want to convert it into an overnight, Route 9 across the River has a ton of hotels that work.

Thanks - lots of good stuff here.

I've been Mohonk once before during the summer on a day pass - definately seems like a good idea to return in the fall. You don't think it would be really packed on a peak-foliage weekend ? That's something worth considering .

So you're saying avoid driving to the top of Bear Mountain to the Perkins Memorial Tower on weekends, right? How does the view compare vs Meriden's Hubbard Park Castle Craig? I was just there the other week and really liked the view.

Yes like German food/beer . I have heard there is a nice German place called Mountain Brauhaus nearby.

Yes I know about Storm Art King Center, but never went - drove past a few times in the summer going further up I-87.

 

[Excalibur]

Saratoga/Lake George area is great in NY.

In CT, Lover's Leap, Kent Falls, and the area around the Cornwall bridge are popular.

For a less crowded spot in CT, look up Campbell Falls. It's on the Mass. border (I think the actual falls are in Massachusetts).

 

[CL82]

My deck

Cool. When should we come over?

 

[8893]

Cool. When should we come over?

I believe we have September 31st open.

 

[HuskyGooner124]

I believe we have September 31st open.

Made me think of this lol

 

[Fishy]

Thanks - lots of good stuff here.

I've been Mohonk once before during the summer on a day pass - definately seems like a good idea to return in the fall. You don't think it would be really packed on a peak-foliage weekend ? That's something worth considering .

So you're saying avoid driving to the top of Bear Mountain to the Perkins Memorial Tower on weekends, right? How does the view compare vs Meriden's Hubbard Park Castle Craig? I was just there the other week and really liked the view.

Yes like German food/beer . I have heard there is a nice German place called Mountain Brauhaus nearby.

Yes I know about Storm Art King Center, but never went - drove past a few times in the summer going further up I-87.

Everything will be more crowded than they normally are.

I would just avoid the Bear Mountain area entirely. My daughter has swim meets for her USA team on the weekends - we occasionally have warmups down in Nyack at 7 am. At 6 am or whenever we're heading across the Bear Mountain, all the roadside parking spots on 9D are already filling up.

Minnewaska, which is the state park just south of Mohonk, will be a zoo. The cost of the day pass keeps traffic down at Mohonk. The Mountain House parking lot will fill up quickly, but you can always get a spot at one the Preserve trail heads. There's so much trail available that it never feels crowded. (There's like 85 miles of trail and growing.)

Mountain Brauhaus is excellent - it's on the corner of 44/55. I prefer the Gunk Haus which is down the road in Highland. There are also some breweries, distilleries, wineries and hard cidereries(?) in the general area. Plenty of places in New Paltz as well.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I just go to the local ShopRite. Its on a hill and from there, its a straight-line view up the Ramapo Vally in North Jersey and Rockland County NY. The view is really cool in the fall and I don't have to spend 3 hours going 15 MPH behind leaf peepers who completely forget how to drive on a bunch of 2-lane back-country roads.