Foliage map › Destinations › New York › Buffalo
Buffalo, New York fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Buffalo area peaks around October 18, with the best viewing from roughly October 17 to October 25.
- Typical peak
- October 18
- Best viewing
- Oct 17 – Oct 25
- Color starts
- Around Oct 6
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 31
- Elevation
- 600 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 18. 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 Buffalo on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Buffalo
Buffalo’s park system was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and Delaware Park, its centerpiece, has a lake and wooded paths, with Forest Lawn Cemetery’s old trees next door. About 20 miles north, Niagara Falls State Park, the oldest state park in the country, surrounds the falls, and the Niagara Gorge below them is lined with color, best seen from Whirlpool and Devil’s Hole state parks on the rim.
Scenic drive
The Niagara Scenic Parkway follows the river north from Niagara Falls along the top of the gorge to Lewiston, where the river leaves the escarpment, and on to Youngstown and Lake Ontario. For a longer trip, Letchworth State Park is southeast of the city.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Nothing nearby turns earlier
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Buffalo typically peaks much earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Nothing nearby turns later
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Buffalo typically peaks much later.
Nearby destinations
- Letchworth State Park, NYTypical peak Oct 14, 4 days earlier. 47 miles away.
- Watkins Glen, NYTypical peak Oct 17, about the same time. 108 miles away.
- Wellsboro (Pine Creek Gorge), PATypical peak Oct 16, 2 days earlier. 113 miles away.
- Ithaca, NYTypical peak Oct 16, 2 days earlier. 124 miles away.
- State College, PATypical peak Oct 21, 3 days later. 154 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Buffalo?
In a typical year, fall color in the Buffalo area peaks around October 18, with the best viewing from roughly October 17 to October 25. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Buffalo?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 6, and most leaves are down by about October 31.
Is Buffalo early or late compared with the rest of New York?
Buffalo typically peaks about 3 days later than the New York average of Oct 15. It ranks 11 of 14 New York destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Buffalo?
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.