Foliage map › Destinations › New York › Ithaca
Ithaca, New York fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Ithaca area peaks around October 16, with the best viewing from roughly October 14 to October 22.
- Typical peak
- October 16
- Best viewing
- Oct 14 – Oct 22
- Color starts
- Around Oct 4
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 29
- Elevation
- 800 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 16. 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 Ithaca on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Ithaca
Ithaca sits at the south end of Cayuga Lake, and its gorges are the main attraction. In town, Ithaca Falls drops 150 feet near the foot of the Cornell campus, and the Cascadilla Gorge Trail climbs past several waterfalls from downtown up to the campus. About 10 miles north on the lake’s west shore, Taughannock Falls plunges 215 feet into a deep gorge, taller than Niagara, with an overlook from the rim and a nearly flat trail along the gorge floor. South of town, Buttermilk Falls State Park and Robert H. Treman State Park have gorge trails of their own; at Treman, Lucifer Falls drops 115 feet through Enfield Glen.
Scenic drive
The Cayuga Lake Scenic Byway loops around the lake for about 87 miles. From Ithaca, Route 89 runs north along the west shore past Taughannock Falls State Park, with the lake below and farms and vineyards on the slopes above. To the west, Route 79 crosses the hills toward Seneca Lake and Watkins Glen.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Old Forge, NY (117 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 10 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head farther south
Jim Thorpe, PA (115 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 8 days later, and Delaware Water Gap, NJ (124 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 9 days later.
Nearby destinations
- Watkins Glen, NYTypical peak Oct 17, 2 days later. 19 miles away.
- Wellsboro (Pine Creek Gorge), PATypical peak Oct 16, about the same time. 63 miles away.
- Letchworth State Park, NYTypical peak Oct 14, about the same time. 79 miles away.
- Cooperstown, NYTypical peak Oct 12, 3 days earlier. 82 miles away.
- Jim Thorpe, PATypical peak Oct 24, 8 days later. 115 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Ithaca?
In a typical year, fall color in the Ithaca area peaks around October 16, with the best viewing from roughly October 14 to October 22. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Ithaca?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 4, and most leaves are down by about October 29.
Is Ithaca early or late compared with the rest of New York?
Ithaca 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 Ithaca?
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.