Catskills & Adirondacks Fall Foliage Reports 2022

Lower down, however, there’s still lots of fall foliage on show, and many green patches remain…

Up high, stick season is here. Down low, it’s coming soon.

Catskills Fall Foliage Report 2022
Week 6: Oct 19-25

TL;DR: We are now passing peak foliage in the Eastern Catskills, while the Western Catskills have passed peak foliage.

TUE, OCT 25: Your best bet for fall foliage right now is the cloves in the Eastern Catskills, which tend to hang on to leaves longer than anywhere else in the area. In Kaaterskill Clove, hit up Kaaterskill Falls and Inspiration Point, or Poet’s Ledge. In Platte Clove, Huckleberry Point is a good bet.

Also think about the Gunks: the Lake Minnewaska Loop (easy) and Gertrude’s Nose (hard) are excellent hikes with incredible seasonal foliage.

WED, OCT 19: IMO, the New York Fall Foliage map overstates how past-peak the Catskills really are. But time is definitely running out…

Both the fire tower at Ferncliff Forest and the Rhinecliff Bridge have great views of what’s going on right now. I’m still seeing a lot of green down low, in and around The Catskills. Higher up, on Overlook and Plattekill mountains, I do see lots of red. The end is near! But until then, so lovely out there.

Here’s what I saw today…

As you can see, there’s still plenty of green left to covert to fall foliage.

Further west, the mountains are more bare. For now, your best bet is to hit the Eastern Catskills, in particular the two major cloves — Kaaterskill Clove and Platte Clove — both of which have multiple incredible hikes and great places to eat!

The next few days should be good, perhaps extending into the weekend…

More fall foliage photos…

Catskills Fall Foliage Report 2022
Week 5: Oct 12-18

We are now at peak foliage. This is definitely the weekend to come. Next weekend? Who knows!

SUNDAY, OCT 16: Took a quick drive up to Kaaterskill Falls with approximately one billion other leaf-peepers. Foliage is now beginning to peak in the cloves.

Traffic and parking was insane. See the smart parking tip on my Instagram post.

Pinch of salt about The Catskills being past peak. Route 28 is still plenty green. Have a few locations in mind and be prepared to drive around. Still lots of amazing fall foliage to see in The Catskills.

But keep an eye on this week’s cold snap. Wear lots of layers so you can modulate your temperature as you walk around.

SATURDAY, OCT 15: Things have changed radically in The Catskills over the last 48 hrs. The big weekend is here. This is definitely the weekend to get outside. Here are today’s photos from Samuels Point.

It’s still patchy. There’s lots of green left, but it’s changing rapidly. (And this week will see the first big freeze of the cold season hit The Catskills.)

FRIDAY, OCT 14: From what a friend and I saw in Kaaterskill Clove tonight, it looked to us like the foliage there was still only 40% turned! Other spots, like Giant Ledge, are much further along. Some places are even past peak. The theme of this year’s fall foliage is PATCHY! It really depends on where you are in the Catskills, east/west, and the exact makeup of the forests. This weekend, it will pay to drive around and have several spots on your itinerary.

Next weekend’s foliage will be affected by a severe mid-week cold snap. Something to bear in mind.

THURSDAY, OCT 13: After work, I took a quick drive up Platte Clove Road to Prediger Road, to take a look at Indian Head. Kaaterskill High Peak was completely shrouded in cloud because an overnight rainstorm is currently blowing through The Catskills.

Indian Head was almost clouded over too, but not quite…

As you can see, the deciduous trees at the base of Indian Head are either peaking or about to peak. (Most of the green trees you can see in the photos above and below are evergreen.)

Higher up on Indian Head, when the clouds allowed a brief window, everything looked like it was peaking to me: lots of yellow and orange, not much green at all.

Prediger Road is the trailhead for Indian Head and Twin mountains. Currently, it’s a mix of green and yellow/orange trees. It looks like this…

Lower down on Platte Clove Road…

Looking into Platte Clove itself…

How this storm affects the trees remains to be seen. Currently, my plan is to hike after work Friday evening, and then hike again first thing Saturday morning.

I’ll update this page with additional photos over the course of the weekend.

Looking for a place to stay for your fall foliage trip? Check out these incredible Catskills Stays.

Next Step: bookmark this page and check back often — I’m out there every week and posting fresh Catskills fall foliage photos right here — and on my Instagram account.

Catskills Fall Foliage Report 2022
Week 4: Oct 5-11

You should plan on visiting either area this weekend and next weekend to make the most of it.

Thursday and Friday, I went to the Adirondacks as they’re beginning to peak right now. With scenes like these, I think I made the right call for sure…

The Catskills are further south, so they’re a little slower to get rolling — but it’s definitely starting down here too.

Catskills Fall Foliage Report 2022
Week 3: Sep 28-Oct 4

Catskills fall foliage colors are beginning to emerge in earnest. But only just. This weekend could see the start of the fall foliage show for real.

I was up on top of Thomas Cole and Black Dome mountains on Tuesday, September 27 — looking over at Blackhead — and this is what I saw…

It looked to me like about 5% fall foliage, tops! — well below other reports and predictions I’m seeing online.

Catskills Fall Foliage isn’t here yet but it’s on the way!

Catskills Fall Foliage Report 2022
Week 2: Sep 21-27

It’s still early days in the Catskills fall foliage for 2022. On a long hike in the Western Catskills last weekend, I was glad to see the trails were wet and the trees were faring better than during our August drought.

I think the ILOVENY foliage forecast might be getting a little ahead of things, based on what I saw on Dry Brook Ridge…

The yellow is definitely starting but I’m not convinced things will be that yellow this weekend. Then again, it’s never a bad idea to visit the Catskills.

Catskills Fall Foliage Report 2022
Week 1: Sep 14-20

We’re definitely starting a little earlier this year, due to the drought which has really affected a few species. Recent rains, I hope, will help return fall foliage to a more typical timeline.

As it stands, we have some yellowing but, really, it’s still very early in the change.

Friday this week, I’ll be hiking in The Catskills and will add pics below — so bookmark this page and check back later to see current reports from The Catskills.