On September 22nd, 2024, the air became a bit crisper, pumpkin candles were lit and apple cider was poured. It was officially the first day of fall.

Many will agree that the best part of fall is the beautiful fall foliage colors. Locals will say that the mid-Hudson region has some of the best fall foliage spots, but we may be biased.

When Will The Hudson Valley Experience the First Burst of Foliage?

In early September, Upstate New York started to see speckles of foliage starting to pop. Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington shared this photo as proof:

Which got us thinking about the Hudson Valley and when we would get to enjoy the color pop. According to the website and interactive map on ExploreFall.com, the Hudson Valley should start seeing those bright fall colors in the first week of October 2024.

The I Love NY website is also tracking the change with its foliage map that they share on social media every week or so.

As of last week, most of the Hudson Valley is not seeing any change.

While we wait for the leaves to change, we might as well plan out where we'll be doing our leaf peeping right?

One website has named some of the best places in the US to check out the gorgeous foliage, and New York made the list twice! However, there was a BIG snub.

2 New York Regions Named Best Foliage Spots in US

USA Today has a program called 10Best which runs throughout the year. They'll send their experts out to explore the US to find the best of the best whether it be a store, a town, a product, or a place.

The publication recently announced the winners of the 10 Best Places to See Fall Colors in The United States and 2 of the top locations are located in New York!

Coming in at #10 our neighbors in the Adirondacks. We can't argue with that, the Adirondacks are home to some of the best hiking trails and views which make leaf peeping a breeze.

The same could be said for the #8 pick of The Finger Lakes. USA Today writes "At Carolabarb Park overlooking Canandaigua Lake, picnic tables and viewfinders offer a perfect perch for those warm autumn hues."

Sure, the Finger Lakes and Adirondacks are great picks but how did the Hudson Valley not get any foliage love?!

Where's Your Favorite Hudson Valley Foliage Spot?

Who needs a national list when we can make our own? What's your favorite place to check out the foliage in the Hudson Valley?

Here are a few ideas:

Minnewaska State Park- Kerhonkson, NY

Any of these towns will do:

To spice it up, maybe visit a creepy fall town!