NY is an incredibly beautiful state and this sentiment is amplified in the fall when everything turns into gorgeous yellows, reds, orange, and brown in a fruity pebble landscape of color.
The best way to enjoy these colors is generally with a hike! Most of these hikes are focused in the Adirondacks which tend to have the best mountain views, particularly in the high peaks region! However, these hikes will not require trekking up a high peak since your best color is going to be at lower elevation.
Be aware though, just like you’re on the search for fall color, so is everyone else! These all tend to be popular hikes so go early to avoid parking and crowding issues. We’ve never had a problem with crowding at any of these places because we’re there early!
Mt. Jo
Distance: 2.4-2.6 miles round trip
Parking: huge lot that fills up quickly with a fee of $18
Difficulty: Easy
This trail is probably one of the busiest trails in the Adirondack’s in the fall but it’s so worth it! This trail can be completed as a loop or an out and back. If you go up clockwise you will experience a slightly longer more gradual trail which is what we did as an out and back. If you go up the other side it’s a little steeper, shorter, and slight scrambling. To get the iconic views you’ll need to take the herd path up to the right just before the ladder to the summit. This will give you the best views and will be less crowded.
Watkins Glen Gorge Trail
Distance: 2.2 miles
Parking: $10 to park, parking can fill up quickly
Difficulty: Easy
This trail is also extremely popular but so worth it! We were lucky enough to go early in the morning and basically had the trail to ourselves. The trail is pretty flat with some stairs to climb. Through this gorge you’ll see 19 waterfalls and stunning rock formations. This trail is generally done as an out and back.
Indian Head
Distance: 10.8 miles
Parking: free reservation required
Difficulty: Hard
See my full blog post on Indian Head for all of the details. You do need a permit not only to park but to hike this trail. They open up two weeks ahead of time and run out very quickly. However, once you’re able to get a permit this is an incredible hike. It is quite long but a good chunk of the hike is on a road through private land. You can go up the gorgeous Gill Brook trail loop or you can do the shorter out and back by getting on trail further down the road. You’ll go to the lower viewpoint to get those iconic fjord views.
Crane Mountain
Distance: 3.2 miles
Parking: free small lot on dirt road
Difficulty: Moderate to hard
This hike has a little bit of everything! Ladders, views, water, caves, and scrambles! This is usually done as a loop, going up the ladder side and down the longer more gradual side. However, going down is surprisingly more difficult with scrambles than you’d expect! You’re getting toward the end when you reach the water.
Owls Head Lookout
Distance: 5.2 miles
Parking: Small roadside lot
Difficulty: Moderate
Love, love, love this hike! This is done as an out and back and brings you fall views that rival Indian Head and Mt. Jo in the Adirondacks. The best spot is the rock outcropping where you can get 360 degree views at the top but really you can’t go wrong with any of these spots. One thing to note is the trail crosses over water several times and in high water made things a little hard for us and our dog.
Those are my favorite fall hikes! As we continue to explore NY I’m sure we’ll add more to this list!
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