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Hunter, New York fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Hunter (Catskills) area peaks around October 13, with the best viewing from roughly October 12 to October 20.
- Typical peak
- October 13
- Best viewing
- Oct 12 – Oct 20
- Color starts
- Around Oct 1
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 26
- Elevation
- 1,600 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 13. 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 Hunter on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Hunter
Hunter sits in the northern Catskills among some of the range’s highest peaks, including Hunter Mountain. A few miles east, Kaaterskill Falls drops about 260 feet in two tiers, one of the tallest waterfalls in New York, and a favorite subject of the Hudson River School painters. Nearby, North–South Lake sits on the edge of the Catskill escarpment, near the site of the historic Catskill Mountain House, where trails lead to ledges with views out over the Hudson Valley.
Scenic drive
Route 23A runs east from Hunter through Tannersville and Haines Falls, then plunges about 2,000 feet in a couple of miles through Kaaterskill Clove, a deep gorge with Kaaterskill High Peak rising to the south and waterfalls along the way. It is the same scenery that inspired many Hudson River School paintings. For a second route, Route 214 heads south from Route 23A through Stony Clove Notch, a narrow pass between Hunter and Plateau mountains, to Phoenicia.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head farther north
Old Forge, NY (110 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 7 days earlier, and Killington, VT (120 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 7 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head lower
Woodstock, NY (13 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 5 days later, and Litchfield, CT (62 miles away) typically peaks about 5 days later.
Nearby destinations
- Woodstock, NYTypical peak Oct 18, 5 days later. 13 miles away.
- Albany, NYTypical peak Oct 17, 4 days later. 38 miles away.
- Lenox, MATypical peak Oct 14, about the same time. 49 miles away.
- Cooperstown, NYTypical peak Oct 12, about the same time. 49 miles away.
- Litchfield, CTTypical peak Oct 18, 5 days later. 62 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Hunter?
In a typical year, fall color in the Hunter area peaks around October 13, with the best viewing from roughly October 12 to October 20. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Hunter?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 1, and most leaves are down by about October 26.
Is Hunter early or late compared with the rest of New York?
Hunter peaks close to the middle of the New York season, about Oct 15 on average across the 14 New York destinations we track.
What trees color up around Hunter?
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.