Albany, New York fall foliage

Washington Park. The city’s grand park, about 81 acres, was laid out beginning in 1870, with winding paths and a lake in the romantic style of the time. In fall its winding paths are covered in leaves, and the footbridge over Washington Park Lake is one of the classic views.

John Boyd Thacher State Park. About 15 miles southwest of the city, the park sits on top of the Helderberg Escarpment, a line of limestone cliffs. From the overlook, the view takes in the Hudson and Mohawk valleys and, on clear days, the Adirondacks and Vermont’s Green Mountains. The Indian Ladder Trail runs along the base of the cliffs past waterfalls.

Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Just west of the city, the preserve protects one of the few inland pine barrens in the world, with rolling sand dunes under pitch pine and scrub oak. More than 20 miles of trails wind through it, and the scrub oaks turn deep red and bronze in fall.

Along the rivers. Downtown, the Corning Preserve follows the Hudson River, with fall color reflected in the water. North of the city, Cohoes Falls drops over a wide ledge on the Mohawk River, and Peebles Island State Park sits where the Mohawk meets the Hudson.

Pine Hollow Arboretum. In Slingerlands, a few miles west of the city, this small arboretum and nature preserve has collections of trees and quiet trails that color up in October.

The Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway, follows the Mohawk River and the old Erie Canal for about 26 miles between Schenectady and Waterford, northwest of the city. In Clifton Park it passes the Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve, where trails follow an original section of the canal and its towpath, and at its eastern end it passes Cohoes Falls on the way to Waterford. Southwest of the city, Route 85 and Route 157 climb to John Boyd Thacher State Park and its overlooks along the escarpment.

Rather not drive? See fall foliage tours, from train rides and boat cruises to guided hikes.

Albany is the capital of New York, a city of about 100,000 people on the west bank of the Hudson River, about 10 miles south of where the Mohawk River flows in. It grew from a small Dutch settlement in the 1600s into the state capital, and the State Capitol and Empire State Plaza anchor its downtown. Saratoga Springs and Lake George are an easy drive north.

For restaurants, events, hotels, and things to do across the Capital Region, see Albany.com, a local guide to Albany, Schenectady, and Troy.

The hills around Albany are classic northeastern hardwood forest. Sugar maple and red maple bring the orange and scarlet, oaks add russet and bronze later in the month, and beech and ash fill in with gold and purple. In the Pine Bush, pitch pines stay green while the scrub oaks turn red and bronze.