Why October Is the Month Everyone Wants
October in the Finger Lakes delivers the most concentrated visual payoff of any month. The hillsides surrounding all 11 lakes turn in a progression of sugar maple red, hickory gold, birch yellow, and oak bronze, all of it reflected in the water below. The wine trails are in the middle of harvest. The temperatures are comfortable for hiking. The bugs are gone. And the gorge trails, still open through early November, look better against fall color than they do in any other season.
The tradeoff: everyone knows this. October is the most competitive month for lodging in the Finger Lakes, and the most popular weekends require planning months in advance. What follows is a week-by-week breakdown of what to expect, what closes, what stays open, and how to navigate the peak without losing your mind.
Foliage Timing: Week by Week
Late September Through First Week of October
Color begins at higher elevations. The Bristol Hills south of Canandaigua, the ridgelines above Keuka Lake, and the hills around Naples show the first change. Sugar maples lead, turning orange and red on upper slopes while the lakeshores and valley floors remain green. If you visit during this window, you get early color on the hilltops and full green below, which creates a two-tone effect that has its own appeal. Crowds are lighter than they will be in two weeks.
Second Week of October (Columbus Day Weekend)
This is the peak-color window for most of the region. The hillsides above the lakes fill in completely, and the lakeshores begin to catch up. The full palette runs from ridgeline to waterfront: red, orange, gold, bronze, with evergreen hemlocks providing contrast. Columbus Day weekend is the single busiest weekend of the year in the Finger Lakes. Every hotel room, vacation rental, and B&B within reasonable distance of the central lakes books months ahead. If your trip falls on this weekend, you either planned early or you are sleeping in your car.
Third Week of October
Peak color holds at lower elevations and along the lakeshores. The deepest lakes, Seneca and Cayuga, moderate the surrounding temperatures enough to keep their shoreline foliage colorful a few days longer than the smaller western lakes. The ridgelines and higher elevations begin to fade to brown. This is a strong window for visiting: the color is still excellent at lake level, and the Columbus Day crowds have thinned noticeably. Midweek visits during this window hit the sweet spot of color and breathing room.
Fourth Week of October and Beyond
Color fades across the region. By Halloween, the hills are mostly bare or brown, with patches of yellow oak holding out on south-facing slopes. The gorge trails at state parks remain open through early November, and the bare trees actually improve the gorge views, letting you see deeper into the canyon. The atmosphere shifts from peak-season energy to late-autumn quiet.
What Is Open in October
Gorge Trails
All major gorge trails remain open through October. The Watkins Glen Gorge Trail typically stays open through early November, weather permitting. Taughannock Falls gorge trail is open year-round. Robert H. Treman and Buttermilk Falls state park trails generally close in early November. October is the last full month to hike them, and the fall color framing the gorge walls makes this the most photogenic season for the trails.
Wine Trails and Tasting Rooms
All four wine trails are in full operation. October is harvest season, and many wineries hold special events: barrel tastings, harvest dinners, grape-stomping weekends, and seasonal wine releases. The Seneca Lake Wine Trail and Keuka Lake Wine Trail both run themed event weekends through the month. Tasting rooms see good traffic but tend to be less chaotically busy than July, when summer visitors pack the patios. The energy in October is more focused and more knowledgeable: the people visiting wineries in harvest season tend to care about the wine.
Restaurants and Dining
All restaurants in Geneva, Ithaca, Watkins Glen, Hammondsport, Canandaigua, and Skaneateles are open and operating at full capacity. October is prime season for farm-to-table menus, with late-season produce, apples, squash, and game appearing on menus throughout the region. Reservations are more important in October than in any other month. FLX Table in Geneva, Hazelnut Kitchen in Trumansburg, and Red Newt Bistro on Seneca Lake all book out on October weekends. Make reservations as far ahead as possible.
State Parks
All state parks are open, though some reduce their services after Columbus Day. Swimming beaches close for the season by mid-September. Campgrounds at Watkins Glen, Taughannock Falls, and other state parks generally close after Columbus Day weekend, though a few sites extend through late October. Day-use areas, trails, and picnic facilities remain available.
Outdoor Activities
Hiking is at its best. Temperatures average highs in the upper 50s to low 60s at the start of October and drop to the low 50s by month’s end. Morning fog on the lakes is frequent and burns off by mid-morning, creating the best photography conditions of the day. The Finger Lakes National Forest between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes is open for hiking and free dispersed camping year-round. Kayaking remains possible, though water temperatures drop into the 50s by mid-October, making a dry suit or wetsuit advisable for any extended time on the water.
What Closes or Changes in October
Public Swimming
Over. Lifeguarded beaches at Seneca Lake State Park, Kershaw Park in Canandaigua, and other public swimming areas close after Labor Day. You can still access the lakeshores for wading or launching a kayak, but organized swimming with lifeguards is done for the year.
Boat Rentals
Most pontoon boat, kayak, and jet ski rental operations close after Labor Day or mid-September. A few may extend into early October in warm years, but do not count on it. If you want to get on the water in October, bring your own kayak or canoe.
Sonnenberg Gardens
Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua typically closes for the season in mid-October. The gardens are past their summer peak by this point, but the autumn light on the grounds and the fall color in the surrounding trees make an early-October visit worthwhile.
Some Smaller Wineries
The major tasting rooms on all four wine trails stay open. A few smaller operations reduce their hours or shift to appointment-only visits after Columbus Day. If you have a specific small winery in mind, call ahead to confirm October hours.
What Gets Packed
Lodging
This is the critical constraint. October lodging in the Finger Lakes, particularly on weekends and especially around Columbus Day, is the tightest of the year. Lakefront vacation rentals, popular B&Bs, and hotels in Geneva, Skaneateles, Canandaigua, and Watkins Glen book out months in advance. If you are planning an October weekend trip, book lodging by July at the latest. Earlier for premium lakefront properties.
Midweek stays are significantly easier to find and often 20 to 40 percent cheaper than Friday-Saturday rates. If your schedule allows a Tuesday-through-Thursday trip in mid-October, you get peak color, available lodging, and uncrowded trails. See our town-by-town lodging guide for options and pricing across the region.
Watkins Glen Gorge Trail
The gorge draws heavy traffic on October weekends, though not at the July-August peak levels. Arrive before 10 AM for the best experience. The shuttle between the upper and lower entrances may operate on reduced schedules in October, so check the park website before assuming it is running.
Scenic Drives
The popular foliage drives see increased traffic on peak-color weekends. Route 54A along Keuka Lake, Route 21 from Canandaigua to Naples, and the park road through Letchworth State Park all attract leaf-peeping traffic. The roads are two-lane and do not have passing lanes in most sections, so expect to drive behind slow-moving sightseers. Build extra time into your driving estimates on October weekends.
Letchworth State Park
Letchworth, about 35 miles south of Rochester on the western edge of the Finger Lakes region, delivers the most dramatic fall color in the area. The 17-mile Genesee River gorge with three major waterfalls framed by layered fall foliage is spectacular. It is also mobbed on October weekends. Arrive before 10 AM or go midweek. The $10 vehicle entrance fee applies year-round.
What Is Perfect in October
Hiking the Rim Trails
The Rim Trail at Watkins Glen in October adds a dimension that summer visitors never see. Walking above the gorge, you look down through a canopy of red and orange into the stone canyon below, with waterfalls visible through the thinning leaves. The Indian Trail and South Rim Trail are both open and less crowded than the gorge floor. The contrast of fall color against gray Devonian shale and white water is the best the park looks all year.
The Keuka Lake Drive
Route 54A on the west side of Keuka Lake, from Hammondsport north toward Branchport, is one of the finest fall drives in the Finger Lakes. The road follows the lakeshore with vineyards turning gold on the hillside above and the blue Y-shaped lake below. In mid-October, the combination of golden vineyard rows, red and orange forest, and water creates a composition that looks deliberate rather than natural. Pull off at any of the informal overlooks for photographs. Heron Hill Winery, perched high above the northwest branch, provides an elevated vantage point that takes in the entire scene.
Harvest-Season Wine Tasting
October tasting rooms have a different energy than summer tasting rooms. The staff has more time. The crowds are enthusiastic rather than overwhelming. New releases from the current and previous vintages are often available. And the views from tasting room windows, which in July show green hillsides, now show the full fall palette. The Seneca Lake Wine Trail in October, with harvest activity visible in the vineyards as you drive between stops, is the wine trail at its most alive.
The Naples Grape Festival
Held the last weekend of September or first weekend of October in the village of Naples at the south end of Canandaigua Lake, the Grape Festival draws upward of 75,000 visitors over two days. Grape pie, a regional specialty made with Concord grapes, is the main attraction. Local wineries, craft vendors, and live music fill the village. Parking is limited and the crowd is substantial. This is a big, festive event, not a quiet afternoon out.
Taughannock Falls in Fall Color
The 215-foot waterfall at Taughannock Falls State Park, framed by an amphitheater of fall-color foliage at the rim, is arguably the single best view in the Finger Lakes in October. The flat gorge trail to the base is an easy 1.5-mile round trip. The South Rim Trail above provides an overlook that puts the falls, the gorge walls, and the foliage canopy in a single frame. October morning light, entering the gorge at a low angle through mist, creates conditions that make professional photographers plan entire trips around.
Weather in October
Expect warm days and cold nights. Average highs range from the low 60s in early October to the low 50s by month’s end. Nights drop into the 30s and 40s, with the first frost typically arriving in the second or third week at higher elevations. Rain is common. October is not reliably dry, so pack layers and a rain jacket regardless of the forecast. Morning fog on the lakes is frequent, burning off by mid-morning and often creating the day’s best light.
The October Playbook
If you want the best October experience in the Finger Lakes:
- Book lodging by July. Earlier for Columbus Day weekend.
- Visit midweek if possible. Tuesday through Thursday in the second or third week of October is the sweet spot: peak color, available lodging, manageable crowds.
- Make dinner reservations in advance. October weekend tables at the popular restaurants go fast.
- Start mornings early. The gorge trails are quieter before 10 AM, and morning fog on the lakes creates the best scenery and photography of the day.
- Layer up. A 38-degree morning can become a 62-degree afternoon. Dress for both.
- Follow local social media for real-time foliage updates. Winery operators and local photographers share hillside color reports that are more accurate than regional forecasts published weeks in advance.
