CATSKILLS, NY and POCONOS, PA — The Upper Delaware is a beautiful part of the world at all times of the year, but there’s something especially appealing about the way it looks during the autumn. Trees turn from green to gold, and visitors and long-time residents alike can spend hours looking for the best views in the region. 

The best times to catch the seasons changing vary depending on where you are in the Northeast. In the Catskills Mountains of New York, the leaves in recent times have turned their most brilliant shade of red in the last week of September and the first week of October. The forests of Sullivan County hit their peak aesthetics slightly later than the rest of the region, with the best views presenting themselves in mid October. 

In Pennsylvania, the Pocono Mountains have more than their share of leaf-peeping opportunities. The northern chunk of the Poconos—a region that covers all of Wayne County and some of Pike County—hits its peak in early October, following along with the northern Catskills. The forests more to the south get their colors a touch later, with the middle sector of the Poconos (including southern Pike County) finding its colors in early to mid October, and parts further south (below the I-80 line) waiting until mid to late October to fully bloom.