Fall is always our favorite time to go to upstate New York. The air is crisp, the sky is blue, the days are still warm, and the landscapes are painted with brilliant shades of red, yellow, orange and gold. As the cooler weather moves down south, the peak in foliage hits different areas at different times: Adirondacks in mid Sep, Catskills in late Sep/early Oct, then Hudson Valley in mid-to-late Oct, and lastly New York City in late Oct/early Nov. So make sure to check the latest foliage report before you set out for a beautiful foliage drive in upstate New York.
lovely porch
a big yard
The Catskills region has a lot to offer for a weekend getaway, from mountain trails to waterfalls, from farmer stands to antique shops, from music fairs to harvest festivals. Among the many events held in this region throughout the year, our favorite is Taste of the Catskills, a 2-day festival that takes place at Maple Shade Farm during the Columbus Day weekend. The outdoor festival showcases the region's best food, beer/wine, crafts, and features a variety of local vendors. If that's not enough for you, there are also games, fireworks, music performances, animals you can pet or purchase, and scavenger hunts in the pumpkin field.
The Catskills have many hiking trails to choose from. The owner of our rented cabin recommended us Andes Rail Trail and we really enjoyed it. It is an easily accessible and well-maintained hiking trail in an idyllic setting. The trail starts at 266 Depot Street, the historic Depot Building, with a beautiful pergola filled with piles of red and black barrels.
The first section of the trail continues for one very flat mile (2 miles round trip) along the old rail bed, and provides a peaceful experience of golden woodland beauty. The second section, Bullet Hole Spur, extends the rail trail an additional 2.2 miles, bringing the option of the total walk to ~4 miles round trip. The Spur climbs the ridge above the rail bed, taking hikers through mature hardwood forest, open woodlands covered in ferns and princess pine, an old pine plantation and hemlocks towering above the Bullet Hole Creek.
Beautifully restored from a country farmhouse, Peekamoose Restaurant is a worthy stop for lunch or dinner in the Catskills. The restaurant supports local growers by changing their menu daily, to represent the freshest ingredients available. Chef Devin and Marybeth Mills, trained at some of New York City's finest restaurants (think Le Bernardin and Gramercy Tavern), opened Peekamoose as a result of seeking to move closer to the farms supplying their hearty menu.