Fall colors options - GTA/New York/St. John's

[Khurram]

I've got quite a bit of travel for work in October and will have some time to shoot on weekends as I'll probably be staying the weekend while traveling.

I wanted to get some advice on whether these are good dates for fall colors at some of the locations I was considering:

October 7 to 10 - Toronto/GTA or option of driving to New York for the weekend

October 23 - St. John's Newfoundland - will only have one day available, would appreciate advice on some good locations

October 28-31 - Toronto/GTA or option of driving to  New York area.

[Robert Roaldi]

Early to mid October can be very good in the Toronto area, actually best north-west of the city, Hockley Valley, Shelburne, Caledon Hills, an hour's or two's drive.

Can't answer about St. John's. My feeling is that Oct 23ish a rainy time of year there. But there are many scenic spots within easy drive of the city in any direction.

Late October in Toronto is normally late for good fall colour, although what's left can also be interesting. But maybe driving a bit south, to NY, might still be colourful, not sure that NY is south enough though. I assume you mean upper New York state, not NY city. I drive through the Adirondacks to Lake Placid on the first November weekend once and the scenery was beautiful even though the main colours were over, but that's quite far from Toronto, not a convenient weekend drive. There are hilly areas south of Buffalo, closer to Toronto, but maybe someone else can help there.

[AndrewKulin]

Can't say anything about St. John's though my guess, it being a colder, wetter climate than Toronto, is that Oct 23 is going to be well past prime.

Toronto area is usually fine early mid-October for fall colours.  Within the city limits the colours are typically later than the surrounding countryside (due to heat island effect of all the pavement/buildings) and there are lots of natural treed river valleys within the city limits to explore (Rouge River, Highland Creek in the East end, Don River in the central part, Humber River in the west end) if when you get here things are not so peak outside the city.  Typically I find (living next to the Rouge) the peak happens around Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (10th - 15th sort of range) and a bit later as you get closer to the city core.  Currently I'd say colours along periphery of the city (NE part) is at most 5%, though leaves while still mostly green are losing the green and more yellowish green.

I also used to live in Orangeville about 20 years ago (about 45 min. NW of the airport and just north of Caledon) and remember the peak colours in the Orangeville/Caledon/Mon Hills area seemed to occur around October 1-3 every year.  I am heading into Caledon this weekend for some shooting and could report back on Monday if you're interested.  That part of the countryside is absolutely stunning area too as someone else mentioned.  Oak Ridges Moraine which is a long east west trending ridge/hills located north of the city is also well worth exploring (similar hilly/hummocky topography to Caledon and also quite forested).

Something else to consider in Toronto area if you are looking more towards countryside shooting and you think you've missed the prime colours north of the city is to head down to the Niagara peninsula - climate down that way is milder so stands to reason colour peaking would be later down that way.

[Khurram]

Early to mid October can be very good in the Toronto area, actually best north-west of the city, Hockley Valley, Shelburne, Caledon Hills, an hour's or two's drive.

Can't answer about St. John's. My feeling is that Oct 23ish a rainy time of year there. But there are many scenic spots within easy drive of the city in any direction.

Late October in Toronto is normally late for good fall colour, although what's left can also be interesting. But maybe driving a bit south, to NY, might still be colourful, not sure that NY is south enough though. I assume you mean upper New York state, not NY city. I drive through the Adirondacks to Lake Placid on the first November weekend once and the scenery was beautiful even though the main colours were over, but that's quite far from Toronto, not a convenient weekend drive. There are hilly areas south of Buffalo, closer to Toronto, but maybe someone else can help there.

Thanks for the Toronto suggestions Robert!

I actually was thinking of driving to NYC.  I've spent so much time in the GTA for work this year, I thought about heading to NYC for the weekend - I've heard central park is nice in the fall, but not sure if its too early or too late.

I've only got one day in St. John's for myself.  Any suggestions on best places to hit given the limited time I have?

[Khurram]

Can't say anything about St. John's though my guess, it being a colder, wetter climate than Toronto, is that Oct 23 is going to be well past prime.

Toronto area is usually fine early mid-October for fall colours.  Within the city limits the colours are typically later than the surrounding countryside (due to heat island effect of all the pavement/buildings) and there are lots of natural treed river valleys within the city limits to explore (Rouge River, Highland Creek in the East end, Don River in the central part, Humber River in the west end) if when you get here things are not so peak outside the city.  Typically I find (living next to the Rouge) the peak happens around Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (10th - 15th sort of range) and a bit later as you get closer to the city core.  Currently I'd say colours along periphery of the city (NE part) is at most 5%, though leaves while still mostly green are losing the green and more yellowish green.

I also used to live in Orangeville about 20 years ago (about 45 min. NW of the airport and just north of Caledon) and remember the peak colours in the Orangeville/Caledon/Mon Hills area seemed to occur around October 1-3 every year.  I am heading into Caledon this weekend for some shooting and could report back on Monday if you're interested.  That part of the countryside is absolutely stunning area too as someone else mentioned.  Oak Ridges Moraine which is a long east west trending ridge/hills located north of the city is also well worth exploring (similar hilly/hummocky topography to Caledon and also quite forested).

Something else to consider in Toronto area if you are looking more towards countryside shooting and you think you've missed the prime colours north of the city is to head down to the Niagara peninsula - climate down that way is milder so stands to reason colour peaking would be later down that way.

Thanks for the suggestions Andrew!  Are there any particular places you can suggest around the Niagara Peninsula?

[AndrewKulin]

I am not too familiar with the area as I do not get down that way very much at all.

What I will say is that you don't want to necessarily explore the region by traveling along the QEW highway/expressway.  It is down in the flats by the lake, (wine growing country though) with Escarpment seen to west. 

Rather I think you'd be better served exploring along the "back" roads along the Escarpment itself.  There should also be plenty of Conservation Areas along the escarpment itself (Niagara Conservation Authority, Hamilton Conservation Authority) protecting key natural/heritage features (wetlands, waterfalls, etc.) that might be worth your while since you are visiting, and with limited time to explore.

I am sure there are some members from the local area who can provide you with better information.

[Geoff Wittig]

Here in western New York the autumn color is getting a good start, though still probably a good 10-12 days away from peak. There are already scattered screaming orange maples.

If you head this way, the State Parks are wonderful. Most all have WPA-era stone walled trails leading to multiple waterfalls and overlooks. Letchworth State Park is very large, though the most photogenic locations are clustered at the Southern end. Stony Brook has several excellent waterfalls you can walk right up to, along with a mile-long gorge trail. It's really the perfect size park for a half-day shoot in overcast weather. Taughannock Falls, Tremain and the other State Parks down near Ithaca are also lovely.