Foliage map › Destinations › New York › Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen, New York fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Watkins Glen area peaks around October 17, with the best viewing from roughly October 16 to October 24.
- Typical peak
- October 17
- Best viewing
- Oct 16 – Oct 24
- Color starts
- Around Oct 5
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 30
- Elevation
- 460 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 17. 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 Watkins Glen on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen sits at the south end of Seneca Lake, the deepest of the Finger Lakes, and Watkins Glen State Park begins right at the edge of the village. Its Gorge Trail climbs about a mile and a half through a narrow gorge, past 19 waterfalls and up more than 800 stone steps, with spots like Rainbow Falls and Cavern Cascade where the trail passes behind the water. A few miles north on Route 414, Hector Falls drops beside the road.
Scenic drive
Route 414 runs north along the east shore of Seneca Lake from Watkins Glen, past Hector Falls, with vineyards on the slopes above the water. Route 14 follows the west shore north to Geneva, at the lake’s north end, and the two roads together loop the lake. To the east, Route 79 crosses the hills to Ithaca and Cayuga Lake.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Cooperstown, NY (102 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 5 days earlier, and Old Forge, NY (133 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 12 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head farther south
Jim Thorpe, PA (120 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 6 days later, and Delaware Water Gap, NJ (132 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 7 days later.
Nearby destinations
- Ithaca, NYTypical peak Oct 16, 2 days earlier. 19 miles away.
- Wellsboro (Pine Creek Gorge), PATypical peak Oct 16, about the same time. 49 miles away.
- Letchworth State Park, NYTypical peak Oct 14, 3 days earlier. 62 miles away.
- Cooperstown, NYTypical peak Oct 12, 5 days earlier. 102 miles away.
- Buffalo, NYTypical peak Oct 18, about the same time. 108 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Watkins Glen?
In a typical year, fall color in the Watkins Glen area peaks around October 17, with the best viewing from roughly October 16 to October 24. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Watkins Glen?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 5, and most leaves are down by about October 30.
Is Watkins Glen early or late compared with the rest of New York?
Watkins Glen 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 Watkins Glen?
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.