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New York State Fall Foliage Viewing Points

July 30, 2008 3:37 pm | Fall, View by THEME

  1. Allegany State Park, exit 21 off Route 86, offers a phenomenal lake view featuring spectacular fall foliage; there is also an overlook pull-off on the road into the park looking over the valley containing the City of Salamanca.
  2. Bald Mountain (also know as Rondaxe Mountain), off Route 28 in Old Forge, features a fire tower offering great scenic vistas of the Fulton Chain of Lakes, as well as the parks of the southwestern Adirondacks.
  3. The top lookout of Perkins Memorial Drive in Bear Mountain State Park in Bear Mountain offers spectacular views of Bear Mountain and Harriman State Parks. (Route 9W or the Palisades Interstate Parkway).
  4. Bristol Mountain, Route 64 in Canandaigua, provides a terrific view of the valley below from the chairlift rides, especially in autumn.
  5. Chimney Bluffs State Park on Garner Road in Huron offers great views of Lake Ontario and an expanse of trees on the bluffs.
  6. Chittenango Falls State Park on Route 13 in Cazenovia offers a spectacular view in the autumn of waterfalls and a colorful gorge.
  7. Clermont State Historic Site off Route 9G in Clermont offers magnificent views of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains.
  8. Cold Spring Harbor, on Route 25A, offers beautiful fall views of a quaint Long Island town.
  9. DeLaVergne Hill, Route 44 East, in Amenia, a mile-long “S” curve on a descending road, features magnificent views of three states. (Rt. 44 East)
  10. Adjacent to each other off the Robert Moses State Parkway midway between the Village of Lewiston and downtown Niagara Falls, Devil’s Hole State Park and Whirlpool State Park offer several miles of panoramic views of the scenic Lower Niagara River gorge with spectacular foliage viewing.
  11. Elks-Brox Park Overlook, off of Route 97 near Hawk’s Nest in Port Jervis, provides scenic views of the valley where the Neversink River meets the Delaware.
  12. New York City’s Empire State Building in mid-town Manhattan offers sky-high views of foliage in the City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.
  13. The Empire State Plaza in Albany features an observation deck at the 42-story Corning Tower, offering spectacular views of the Helderbergs and Catskills.
  14. Erlandson Overview Park on Oak Hill Road in Frewsburg, the second highest elevation in Chautauqua County, begins the foothills of the Alleghenies.
  15. Fillmore Glen State Park on Route 38 in Moravia offers a hike along a beautiful glen in a heavily wooded area perfect for fall foliage viewing.
  16. Genesee Gorge at Letchworth State Park, off Route 36 near Mt. Morris, is called the “Grand Canyon of the East.”
  17. Gleason Meadows and Frenchman’s Bluff in Tanglewood Nature Center, 443 Coleman Avenue in Elmira, offers spectacular views of the Chemung River Valley from the bluffs with migratory bird path above.
  18. Grafton Lakes State Park on Route 2 in Grafton provides great views along Route 2 and throughout the park along fives lakes
  19. Harris Hill, west of Elmira, off Route 17/86 in the Finger Lakes region, is a high plateau area popular for soaring.
  20. Harris Hill Overpass in Elmira offers wonderful views of the foliage of the Chemung Valley; it’s the same view Mark Twain enjoyed while writing his classics.
  21. Harvey Mountain State Forest in Austerlitz offers magnificent views of the Hudson Valley Region. (East Hill Rd. off Rt 22, near the I-90 B-3 Exit)
  22. Henderson Scenic Overlook on Route 3 in Henderson Harbor, along the Seaway Trail, overlooks Henderson Harbor, Henderson Bay, and a handful of islands including Association Island.   
  23. Hill Cumorah, at Palmyra, east of Rochester off Route 21, offers sweeping views of  rolling countryside.
  24. The scenic overlook at John Boyd Thatcher State Park, located on the Helderberg escarpment, on Hailes Cave Road in Voorheesville, offers amazing views of the Hudson-Mohawk lowlands, including the City of Albany, and the southern Adirondacks.
  25. Jump Off Point, at Ontario County Park, Route 64 in Naples, part of the Finger Lakes Trail and the highest point in Ontario County, offers a scenic view of the Naples Valley.
  26. Kaaterskill Falls, Route 23A, in Haines Falls, the highest cascading waterfalls in New York State, with scenic marked hiking trails and magnificent views of the Hudson Valley.
  27. Letchworth State Park in Castile, the “Grand Canyon of the East,” offers many breathtaking views along the 600-foot deep Genesee Gorge.
  28. Luensman Overview Park on Thayer Road in Portland off Route 20, offers visitors hiking trails, picnic facilities, and a magnificent view of the flatlands and Lake Erie.
  29. Minnewaska State Park on Route 44/55 in New Paltz, provides spectacular views of the Shawangunk Mountains and Hudson Valley.
  30. Mount Defiance at Ticonderoga, off Route 22, overlooks Fort Ticonderoga and Lake Champlain.
  31. The summit of Mt. Defiance in Ticonderoga features a picnic pavilion with spectacular views of the Champlain Valley and Fort Ticonderoga. 
  32. Mount Arab Fire Tower, in the hamlet of Piercefield, near Tupper Lake, offers great views of Tupper Lake and Mount Morris to the southeast, the Adirondack High Peaks to the east, The Raquette River valley to the north, Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest to the southwest, and Mt Arab Lake and Eagle Crag Lake to the west.
  33. The scenic overlook on County Route 12 in Naples offers a great view of Canandaigua Lake. New to the overlook is a parking area with interpretive kiosk.
  34. Olana State Historic Site on Route 9G in Hudson offers magnificent views of the Hudson River and surrounding farm land.
  35. Orleans County Marine Park, on the Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway at Point Breeze, offers a scenic view of the hardwoods along the Oak Orchard River, blue herons nesting and fall boating activity.
  36. The Overlook Trail at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, off Route 5S, in Fort Hunter offers scenic views of the Schoharie Aqueduct with the Mohawk Valley’s fall foliage in the background and the Schoharie Creek in the foreground.
  37. Pepacton and Cannonsville reservoirs in Delaware County offer breathtaking views of fall foliage, along with some of the best fly fishing east of the Mississippi. (Route 30 from Margaretville or Andes to Downsville along the southern edge of the Pepacton, and Route 10 from Walton to Deposit)
  38. Point Lookout, on Route 23 in East Windham, offers scenic viewing of the Hudson Valley and five states.
  39. Prospect Mountain in Lake George, off Route 9, offers vistas of Lake George and a 100-mile view of five states from a 2,030-foot summit.
  40. Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls provides one of the best vantage points for viewing the entire sweep of the Falls.
  41. Rock City Park, three miles south of Olean on Route 16, offers a 20-mile vista with plentiful foliage.
  42. Round Top picnic area, in Endicott, off Route 17C, offers hiking, shelters and scenic east-west overlooks.
  43. Salmon River Falls in Orwell, a 110-foot waterfall in the pristine Salmon River Corridor, offers a walking trail (handicapped accessible) and two overlook areas for photos. (Falls Road (seasonal) off Oswego County Rt. 22, north from NYS Rt. 13, on the Revolutionary Byway)
  44. The 155-foot Saratoga Monument, off Route 29, in Schuylerville has 187 steps to the top and offers beautiful panoramic views of a view of Albany’s skyline, the Adirondack and Catskill mountains and three states.
  45. Sam’s Point Dwarf Pine Ridge Preserve, a National Landmark on Route 52 in Ellenville, showcases views of five states.
  46. Saratoga National Historical Park, Routes 4 and 32, in Stillwater offers a variety of  scenic views including one overlooking the Hudson River Valley and another that overlooks three states.
  47. Scenic View Park in Alexandria Bay overlooks Boldt Castle on Heart Island and the islands of Millionaires Row. (Rt. 12 to Church Street to Fuller Street)
  48. View foliage surrounding Skaneateles Lake from an overlook in Cortland County. (Starting from North Main Street in the Village of Homer, take Rt. 41 north, through the Hamlet of Scott for 10.5 miles)
  49. Sky Top Tower (also known as Smiley Memorial Tower) at Lake Mohonk, near New Paltz off Route 299, offers views of six neighboring states. Requires a hike to the top.
  50. A drive to the top of Torture Hill near the statue of the Lady of Fatima and the Monument of the Unborn at the Auriesville Shrine, located just off Route 5S in Auriesville, offers commanding scenic views of the confluence of the Mohawk River and the Schoharie Creek.
  51. Thompson Park in Watertown has three separate overlooks with sweeping views of the City of Watertown, Black River Valley and eastern Lake Ontario. (US Rt. 11 to Thompson Blvd.)
  52. Thousand Islands International Bridge at Collins Landing off I-81 provides a birds-eye view of the island-dotted St. Lawrence Seaway.
  53. Trophy Point, on a tour of the grounds of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (Route 9W), boasts magnificent fall views of the Hudson River and the Hudson Valley.
  54. Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, Route 9, in Hyde Park overlooks the Hudson River with a spectacular view of the Catskill Mountains.
  55. Vroman’s Nose, off Route 30 near Middleburgh, offers a short uphill hike and breathtaking views of Schoharie Valley and the northern Catskill Mountains.
  56. Watkins Glen State Park, off Route 14 in the Finger Lakes, features a winding trail beside a spectacular gorge with waterfalls and rapids.
  57. Whiteface Mountain near the Wilmington/Lake Placid area has a 4,872-foot summit that can be reached via Memorial Highway. The breathtaking Gondola Sky Ride at Whiteface Mountain Ski Center offers unique views of the Adirondack High Peaks, and the Olympic Region, as it climbs to the top of Little Whiteface peak.
  58. West Point Overlook, Route 9W between Highland Falls and Cornwall, offers scenic viewing of the United States Military Academy at West Point and the Hudson River.

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