This is the first 2022 I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report for New York State. Reports are obtained from volunteer field observers and reflect expected color conditions for the coming weekend. Reports are issued each week.  

New York’s 2022 fall foliage season is under way, with the first signs of the spectacular seasonal colors to come appearing in several regions, including the Adirondacks, Thousand Islands-Seaway, Catskills, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Chautauqua-Allegheny, Greater Niagara, and Hudson Valley.

The popular reports — originate with volunteer observers in the field — and then are issued worldwide as part of the Empire State Development Division of Tourism’s I LOVE NY program.

Locally, Old Forge foliage spotters predict up to 30% color change this weekend with muted shades of yellow, and burgundy, along with some early shades of red.

In Central New York, Oneida County spotters in Utica expect about 10% color change with average to bright shades of yellow, red, and orange.

In the Adirondacks, Franklin County spotters in Saranac Lake expect about 10% color change this weekend, as muted red, orange, and yellow leaves begin to appear over the greens of summer. Spotters in Tupper Lake expect more than 5% color change, with some areas changed up to 20%, the state report says. As the leaves make their gradual transition toward dazzling bursts of brilliance, look for traces of copper and goldenrod along with spurts of burgundy and scarlet emerging from the predominantly green backdrop.

In the Thousand Islands-Seaway region, Jefferson County observers in Alexandria Bay expect up to 20% color change this weekend, with yellow leaves of average brilliance. St. Lawrence County spotters in Colton are expecting up to 15% foliage change with some emerging pops of brilliant yellow.

Fall colors are just beginning to appear in the Catskills. In Delaware County, spotters in Delhi project up to 10% foliage change this weekend, with some bright pops of orange and yellow leaves just beginning to appear.

In the Finger Lakes, some color is beginning to emerge in Monroe County, where Rochester spotters expect less than 10% color change, with some yellow leaves and touches of orange, red and some dark red. There’s very little change close to Lake Ontario from Greeceto the Webster area, as well as in the southern and western parts of the county.

Volunteer leaf peepers

The I LOVE NY team of volunteer leaf peepers, located throughout the state’s 11 vacation regions, are tasked with keeping track of the color change in their area as leaves progress each week. The information is then used for fall foliage reports, which are posted online each week, featuring a detailed map of color change throughout New York State, vantage points for viewing spectacular foliage and suggested autumn getaways.