Foliage map › Destinations › New York › Cooperstown
Cooperstown, New York fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Cooperstown area peaks around October 12, with the best viewing from roughly October 11 to October 19.
- Typical peak
- October 12
- Best viewing
- Oct 11 – Oct 19
- Color starts
- Around Sep 30
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 25
- Elevation
- 1,260 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 12. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s estimated status and the five-week outlook.
The season at a glance
Bar height shows how good the viewing typically is on each day, from September 1 through November 30. Colors show the stage, from green through peak red to bare.
Open Cooperstown on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Cooperstown
Cooperstown sits at the south end of Otsego Lake, which James Fenimore Cooper called “Glimmerglass” in his Leatherstocking Tales. From the village, the wooded hill at the far end of the lake, Mount Wellington, is known as the Sleeping Lion for its shape. About 8 miles north, Glimmerglass State Park sits at the head of the lake, where the Sleeping Lion Trail climbs about 2.5 miles over the mountain, with views back down the lake toward the village. The park also has the Hyde Hall Covered Bridge, and on a point along the east shore stands Kingfisher Tower, a Gothic-style stone tower at the water’s edge.
Scenic drive
Route 80 follows the west shore of Otsego Lake north from the village, with the water below and the hills of the east shore across it. At the head of the lake, roads lead around to County Route 31, which comes back down the east shore past Glimmerglass State Park, making a loop through the hills that surround the lake.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head farther north
Old Forge, NY (70 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 7 days earlier, and Lake Placid, NY (119 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 10 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head lower or farther south
Albany, NY (59 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 5 days later, and Woodstock, NY (61 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 6 days later.
Nearby destinations
- Hunter (Catskills), NYTypical peak Oct 13, about the same time. 49 miles away.
- Albany, NYTypical peak Oct 17, 5 days later. 59 miles away.
- Woodstock, NYTypical peak Oct 18, 6 days later. 61 miles away.
- Saratoga Springs, NYTypical peak Oct 15, 3 days later. 63 miles away.
- Old Forge, NYTypical peak Oct 6, 7 days earlier. 70 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Cooperstown?
In a typical year, fall color in the Cooperstown area peaks around October 12, with the best viewing from roughly October 11 to October 19. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Cooperstown?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around September 30, and most leaves are down by about October 25.
Is Cooperstown early or late compared with the rest of New York?
Cooperstown typically peaks about 3 days earlier than the New York average of Oct 15. It ranks 3 of 14 New York destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Cooperstown?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, red maple, American beech, and northern red oak. See the leaf guide to identify them.
Estimates come from the Leaves.com model of typical years, based on latitude, elevation, and distance from large bodies of water. They are not live observations. How it works.