Catskills Fall, Measured Against USA Today’s Top 10

Catskills fall is having its week, and Upstate just made a national list without it. On September 30, 2026, Jacqueline M. Domin at Syracuse.com / newyorkupstate.com reported that two Upstate destinations landed on USA TODAY 10BEST’s Best Place to Visit for Fall (2026): Rochester at No. 6 and Saratoga County at No. 7, with Sleepy Hollow rounding out New York at No. 10. Mackinac Island took No. 1.

The Catskills didn’t make the list. Here’s the case, item by item, from a Hunter, NY porch about 2 hours 40 minutes from Midtown: every reason the voters gave has a Catskills match, and this is the week the color is turning.

The dated read on color is the I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report for September 30–October 6, 2026: foliage at the midpoint of change in many parts of the Catskills, with Windham, Highmount, Delhi and Tannersville changing fastest. The next report lands Wednesday, October 7. Treat that as a window, never a peak date.

What the 2026 list actually says

USA TODAY 10BEST’s Readers’ Choice list of the best places to visit in fall is an expert-panel nomination followed by a reader vote. Results for 2026 posted September 16. The top 10, with the three New York entries in bold:

1. Mackinac Island, MI · 2. Allegany County, MD · 3. Woodstock, GA · 4. Gatlinburg, TN · 5. Lafayette, LA · 6. Rochester, NY · 7. Saratoga County, NY · 8. Burlington, VT · 9. Yakima Valley, WA · 10. Sleepy Hollow, NY.

Rochester slipped from No. 2 in 2025 to No. 6 this year; Sleepy Hollow slipped from No. 8 to No. 10. The Catskills’ own national nod came in a separate category: Kelder’s Farm in Kerhonkson, Ulster County, placed No. 3 in Best Pumpkin Patch 2026.

The Catskills match, item by item

Drive times below are OSRM free-flow estimates from Midtown (Times Square), pulled October 5, 2026 — about, without traffic. Spot-check Hunter and Rochester in Google Maps before you go.

Rank	Winner	What voters praised	Catskills match	Drive from Midtown
1	Mackinac Island, MI	Carriage-ride pace, island town	Hunter Scenic SkyRide + Tannersville Main Street	~2:40 (Hunter)
2	Allegany County, MD	Scenic railroad, towpath	Catskill Mountain Railroad + Ashokan Rail Trail (11.5 mi)	~2:00 (Kingston)
3	Woodstock, GA	Small-town fall energy	Kelder’s Farm (No. 3 pumpkin patch) + Woodstock, NY	~2:05 (Kerhonkson)
4–5	Gatlinburg / Lafayette	Mountain festival; brew scene	Hunter Mountain Oktoberfest: Colors in the Catskills	~2:40 (Hunter)
6	Rochester, NY	Orchards, waterfall trail	Apple picking + Kaaterskill Falls	~2:40 vs ~6:40
7	Saratoga County, NY	Railway, festival, cider	CMRR + Hunter festival + farm-stand cider/doughnuts	~2:40 vs ~3:45
8	Burlington, VT	Notch drive	Route 23A / Mountain Cloves Scenic Byway	~2:40 vs ~6:35
9	Yakima Valley, WA	Harvest country	Schoharie Valley farm stands (Carrot Barn lane)	~3:35 (Jefferson)
10	Sleepy Hollow, NY	Irving legend	Rip Van Winkle country + Thomas Cole NHS, Catskill	~0:47 vs ~2:00

No. 1 Mackinac Island → the SkyRide and one slow town

Mackinac’s carriage-ride pace maps to Hunter’s Scenic SkyRide plus a walk down Tannersville’s Main Street. For festival weekends and how little driving each overlook asks, see our Hunter Mountain fall foliage guide.

No. 2 Allegany County, MD → a scenic train and a rail trail

The Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and C&O towpath have a Catskills match in the Catskill Mountain Railroad Fall Foliage Adventure out of Kingston (about 1 hour 15 minutes, about 8 miles round trip; last foliage runs October 9–12) and the Ashokan Rail Trail, an 11.5-mile crushed-stone path along the reservoir between West Hurley and Boiceville. Both sit about two hours from Midtown.

No. 3 Woodstock, GA → Kelder’s Farm, and the other Woodstock

Kelder’s Farm in Kerhonkson placed No. 3 nationally for pumpkin patches — the same rank Woodstock, Georgia, took on the destination list. Its Fall Festival runs September 12–November 1. Then there is Woodstock, NY, and the Overlook Mountain fire tower; our Catskills fall hikes page covers Overlook and related trails. Verify any Woodstock, NY event on the organizer’s page before you build a day around it.

Nos. 4–5 Gatlinburg and Lafayette → a mountain festival with beer

Gatlinburg’s mountain festival lane and Lafayette’s brew scene line up with Hunter Mountain Oktoberfest: Colors in the Catskills: Authentic Oktoberfest October 10–11 and Costume Takeover October 17–18 (Saturdays 11–6, Sundays 11–5; free admission; SkyRide separate). 10BEST itself notes Lafayette’s trees aren’t known for vibrant colors. Ours are the point.

No. 6 Rochester → orchards and a waterfall trail

U-pick and the Genesee Riverway become apple picking across Greene, Ulster, Schoharie and Delaware — call first after the April freeze — plus Kaaterskill Falls. Trail and parking notices change; read the hikes page and the land manager before you go. Rochester is about 6 hours 40 minutes from Midtown without traffic. Hunter is about 2 hours 40.

No. 7 Saratoga County → a railway, a festival, cider and doughnuts

Point back to the Catskill Mountain Railroad and Hunter’s festival weekends. For cider and doughnuts, use the farm stands on the harvest-shopping route (Carrot Barn country in Schoharie County and the Ulster stands). Do not invent a Catskills cider fest that isn’t on an organizer calendar.

No. 8 Burlington → a notch drive becomes a clove drive

Smugglers’ Notch becomes Route 23A through Kaaterskill Clove and the Mountain Cloves Scenic Byway. Same safety line as our Hunter guide: no stopping in the travel lane; marked parking only. Burlington is about 6 hours 35 minutes from Midtown. The clove is on the Hunter side of the clock.

No. 9 Yakima Valley → Schoharie Valley farm country

The harvest-country match is the Schoharie Valley farm stands — the Carrot Barn lane verified on our apple-picking route. Jefferson, in Schoharie County, is also where Juniper Ridge is coming. Coming soon only; not bookable.

No. 10 Sleepy Hollow → Irving’s other story

Sleepy Hollow has the Headless Horseman; the Catskills have Rip Van Winkle, Washington Irving’s story set in these mountains. Add the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY (Hudson River School). Historic buildings run Wednesday–Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m., plus October Mondays 11 a.m.–3 p.m.; grounds are open daily dawn to dusk. Sleepy Hollow itself is about 47 minutes from Midtown — the one list entry closer than Hunter.

Upstate made the list three times. The Catskills match every reason on it, and they’re closer to the city than any of them except Sleepy Hollow.

Catskills vs Adirondacks: why the closer mountains still win a weekend

Priceline’s 2026 ranking, based on hotel searches for October 2–26, put the Adirondacks No. 1 among U.S. scenic areas for leaf peeping. Their color turns earlier: the September 30 I LOVE NY report already had the Adirondacks near peak or at peak, while the Catskills sat at midpoint. Lake Placid is about 5 hours 50 minutes from Midtown without traffic; Hunter is about 2 hours 40. If you have four days and want the earliest color, go north. If you have two nights, go to Hunter. For the smaller weekend case, see our Catskills cabin weekend.

Fall in the Catskills, the next two weekends

October 10–12 (long weekend)

Authentic Oktoberfest at Hunter, the last Catskill Mountain Railroad foliage trains (through October 12), and the I LOVE NY October 7 report as the deciding read on whether valleys have caught up. Do not assume they have. Browse current events and the by-town-base foliage method if you are chasing color across counties.

October 17–18

Hunter’s Costume Takeover weekend, the Catskill Mountain Railroad Pumpkin Express starts (also October 24–25), and Kelder’s Fall Festival is still open through November 1. Whether color is still on the trees by then depends on weather and leaf drop. Say that plainly; no report can promise it a fortnight ahead.

Drive time is the whole argument

Fall weekend trips from NYC live or die on the clock. Fall in upstate New York includes Rochester and Saratoga on the national list — and both spend a two-night weekend on the highway.

Rochester is a 6.5-hour drive each way, which eats a two-night weekend. Hunter leaves you Saturday morning.

Route 214: little to no cell service. Download maps before entering the corridor. Clove Creek has Wi-Fi and supports Wi-Fi calling; that does not give your phone coverage on the road.

Where to stay: Clove Creek in Hunter, NY

Clove Creek only · Hot tub · Sauna · Solo Stove fire pit

Clove Creek Cabin is our live base in Hunter, NY — hot tub, sauna, Solo Stove fire pit, and Wi-Fi. Check dates on the booking calendar. Juniper Ridge, our tiny cabin in Jefferson, NY (Schoharie County), is coming soon and not yet bookable; planned amenities include a hot tub, wood-fired sauna, outdoor movie theater, fire pit, private hike and pizza oven. Follow Juniper Ridge for updates.

FAQ

Did the Catskills make USA Today’s 2026 best places to visit in fall list?

No. USA TODAY 10BEST’s 2026 Readers’ Choice list of the best places to visit in fall named three New York entries: Rochester (No. 6), Saratoga County (No. 7) and Sleepy Hollow (No. 10). Mackinac Island, Michigan, was No. 1. The Catskills did place in a separate category: Kelder’s Farm in Kerhonkson, Ulster County, was voted the No. 3 pumpkin patch in the country.

When is fall color in the Catskills in 2026?

The I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report for September 30–October 6, 2026 put much of the mid and upper Catskills at the midpoint of change, with Windham, Tannersville, Highmount and Delhi changing fastest. Reports come out every Wednesday afternoon, so check the latest one before you drive. Higher ground turns first and the valleys follow.

Catskills or Adirondacks for a fall weekend from NYC?

Priceline’s 2026 hotel-search ranking put the Adirondacks No. 1 for leaf peeping, and their color turns earlier. But Lake Placid is about a 5 hour 50 minute drive from Midtown without traffic, against about 2 hours 40 minutes to Hunter in the Catskills. For a two-night weekend, the Catskills leave you more time on the ground.