Priceline recently named New York’s Hudson Valley as the number one place to visit to see fall foliage during the month of October in 2025. Just a brief two-hour drive out of the city, the gateway to the Catskills is a great place to start an epic upstate road trip. Whether you just want to get outside the hustle and bustle of New York City, or are coming from another state looking for an adventure, upstate New York is filled with fall colors, hiking trails, historic sites and plenty of photo opportunities.
Make a weekend of this road trip, or stretch it out over several days, and you still won’t see everything the area has to offer. This route takes you from Hudson Valley to Saratoga Springs to Lake Placid to the 1,000 Islands of Alexandria Bay.
Heading upstate
The best way to get to the Hudson Valley is to hop on the scenic Palisades Interstate Parkway, from the George Washington Bridge to the Bear Mountain Bridge. This 40-mile stretch of elevated road overlooks the cliffs that descend to the Hudson River, 400 feet below.
Along the way, you can pull off to take pictures or detour to explore Rockland Lake, Harriman or Bear Mountain State Park. Two things to note: the first 11 miles or so is actually in New Jersey or straddling the state line, and this parkway is only for cars and motorcycles. Trucks, towed campers and RVs need to stick to the more traditional Interstate 87. Keep your eye on gas prices here, as you may want to load up on gas before it becomes even more expensive.
Hudson Valley
There’s plenty to do in the Hudson Valley, even if you’re not into leaf peeping. But if you’re looking for fall foliage, there are a few places better. Vibrant yellows, reds and oranges scatter across the landscape. Once you round the Bear Mountain Bridge, head another 33 miles north to hit Poughkeepsie, where you’ll find the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park.
The Walking Bridge opened in January 1889 as a railroad trestle over the Hudson River. In 2009, it reopened as a 212-foot-high, 1.28-mile steel cantilever bridge walkway stretching from Poughkeepsie to Highland, New York. It’s the world’s longest elevated pedestrian bridge, and it boasts views you won’t see anywhere else, especially in October, at the peak of fall colors in New York. You can walk across both ways, or stop in the middle and turn around.
After you’re back in your car, keep heading north for another half hour to find yourself in Catskill country. The Catskill Mountains are fantastic to look at, and the best way to check them out is on the Catskill Mountain Railroad. Board the train at Westbrook Station at Kingston Plaza and ride the open-air cars for an 8-mile round trip. In October, check out the fall foliage excursion, or for a few bucks more, the Pumpkin Express will let you pick your own pumpkin.
Drive another 30 miles north and west to check out Kaaterskill Falls. The highest two-tiered waterfall in New York State, the dual falls drop a total of 260 feet and are one of America’s oldest tourist stops. Hudson River School artists famously painted the falls in the 19th century.
Artists especially will want to take a stroll along the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, named for the main character in “Sleepy Hollow.” It’s part of a longer 6-mile walk on the Hudson River Skywalk that joins two historic artists’ residences: Frederick Church and Thomas Cole. Spend the night in Catskill or Jefferson Heights.
Saratoga Springs
About an hour north of Catskill is Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where the Battle of Saratoga took place. The Continental Army’s victory over British forces not only saved New England but also convinced the French to back the colonials’ fight, helping end the Revolutionary War sooner. Visitors can trace the battle’s route and visit the home of Hamilton’s father-in-law, General Philip Schuyler.
In the midst of Saratoga Springs is the Saratoga Spa State Park. The park boasts 21 mineral springs, two golf courses, the peerless pool and a geyser trail. The state park hosts the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, one of America’s most prestigious outdoor amphitheaters. The Saratoga Automobile Museum also rests on parklands, in the converted New York State Bottling Plant.
Just north of downtown, you can drive by Skidmore College, one of the first liberal arts-centered schools in the United States. Then head up to Grant’s Cottage, the home of the 18th president when he died. The 1872 hotel has been preserved as it was in 1885 and you can see where President Ulysses S. Grant spent his final years and wrote his memoirs. And don’t skip the amazing eats around this area.
Lake Placid
A two-hour drive north and west of Saratoga Springs will take you into the Adirondack Mountains. Cruising along State Route 73, you’ll get to see the spectacular High Peaks Region of the Adirondack Park. The 6-million-acre park is larger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier and the Grand Canyon National Parks combined, and contains 85% of all the wilderness in the Eastern United States.
A quick detour takes you to Hurricane Mountain, one of the 46 peaks in the Adirondacks. The 6-mile, 2,000-feet-elevation hike is not a climb for the faint of heart, but it’s worth it to see unparalleled views surrounded by an explosion of fall colors. Just reaching the peak is enough, but if you really want to get a new perspective, climb the stairs in the recovered fire tower for an additional 35 feet of height.
Lake Placid is world famous as the site for two Olympic winter games, 1932 and 1980. The town is small and the fewer than 2,500 residents cater mostly to tourists. Take a tour on the Cloudsplitter Gondola Rides, drive up a mountain on the Whiteface Veterans’ Memorial Highway and visit the Whiteface Mountain weather station, a castle built in 1935 from the granite excavated for the highway construction.
It’s worth a drive north of Lake Placid to see the High Falls Gorge. Since the 1890s, the 22-acre, privately owned nature park has provided safe trail access for all ages to an otherwise inaccessible narrow granite-walled gorge with four spectacular waterfalls. Families and nature fans will want to stop by the Wild Center on their way west. The former Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks features interactive exhibits and the fully accessible Wild Walk that takes visitors on a tour of the treetops, even to an eagle’s nest.
Alexandria Bay
The final stop on this epic road trip is none other than the 1,000 Islands. Yes, the area that gave the salad dressing its name. There are actually closer to 2,000 islands in Alexandria Bay, overlooked by the historic 1947 lighthouse on Rock Island State Park.
Southwest of the lighthouse is the Clayton Country Club and Antique Boat Museum on the St. Lawrence River. Heart Island hosts the Boldt Castle, built by the then-owner of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel for his wife. Sadly, she died before it was completed. Accessible only by boat, it hosts weddings and tourists who explore the 120-room castle and grounds.
Nearby Singer Castle on Dark Island is the only remaining castle on the St. Lawrence River to be completed, fully furnished and inhabited. The Bourne family, owners of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, summered there from 1905 to the 1960s. Tourists can visit, or even rent, the Royal Suite wing of the castle.
Magical mystery tour
While there are plenty of places to see fall color, none casts a spell quite as spectacular as upstate New York. The area offers the chance to skip going abroad, and stay in the U.S. to see the scenery and take loads of photos from elevated areas, whether driving, walking or climbing. And families get the added enjoyment of learning about history and nature, all within a few hours’ drive.
Ksenia Prints is a food and travel writer from Montreal, Canada. She blogs over at We Travel We Bond, writing about family travel off the beaten path.
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