New York City is gearing up for a long and spectacular fall foliage season, and there’s no better place to take in the brilliant shades of amber, gold, and crimson than Central Park. To help locals and tourists perfectly time their visits, the Central Park Fall Foliage Map is officially live for the 2026 season.
Maintained by the Central Park Conservancy’s expert arborists, this interactive tracker provides real-time updates on the park’s 19,000 trees. Instead of guessing when the leaves will turn, users can monitor the park’s 843 acres to see exactly when and where the trees look their most autumnal.
How the Fall Foliage Tracker Works
The interactive map divides Central Park into eight distinct zones, allowing users to scroll through and check the exact stage of the leaves in each area.
The foliage status is categorized into four stages:
- No Change: Leaves are still green
- Changing: Early signs of autumn colors
- Peak: Maximum vibrant fall hues
- Post-Peak: Leaves are past their prime and dropping
See the tracker on Central Park Conservancy’s website.
Central Park’s Current Foliage Status (As of Sept 23, 2026)
Unsurprisingly for late September, the park is currently universally categorized as No Change. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, NYC should be at or around peak fall color by November 1, 2026.
However, as the season progresses, here’s what you can expect to see in each zone—along with a few insider tips for your visit:
🍂 North Woods (Mid-Park at 101st-110th Streets)
- Current Status: No Change
- What to Look For: Designed to resemble the Adirondacks, this 40-acre forest will soon be filled with towering scarlet oaks, red maples, and black cherry trees
🍂 Great Hill (West Side at 103rd-107th Streets)
- Current Status: No Change
- What to Look For: Encircled by American elms and pin oaks, this broad meadow will turn brilliant yellows, deep russets, and rich reds
- Insider Tip: This is one of the park’s most underrated picnic spots
🍂 The Pool (West Side at 100th-103rd Streets)
- Current Status: No Change
- What to Look For: A highly photogenic spot where bald cypresses line the water and turn a striking bronze, surrounded by hickories, sweetgums, and tupelos igniting in red, orange, and purple
🍂 North Meadow (Mid-Park at 97th-102nd Streets)
- Current Status: No Change
- What to Look For: Dogwoods, sugar maples, and hickories bursting into deep seasonal hues alongside butterfly gardens that draw migrating monarchs
🍂 Reservoir (Mid-Park at 86th-96th Streets)
- Current Status: No Change
- What to Look For: Famous for spring cherry blossoms, the Reservoir shines just as bright in autumn. West side Kanzan cherries glow bronze and red, while the east side’s Yoshino cherries turn golden yellow
- Insider Tip: The loop is one of the park’s premier running spots, especially when framed by fall foliage
🍂 The Ramble (Mid-Park at 73rd-79th Streets)
- Current Status: No Change
- What to Look For: Head to Tupelo Meadow to see its towering tupelo tree blaze scarlet
- Insider Tip: The Ramble’s 36 acres of woodlands offer some of the best fall migration birdwatching in the city
🍂 The Mall & Literary Walk (Mid-Park at 71st Street)
- Current Status: No Change
- What to Look For: Central Park’s grand promenade features a famous canopy of American elms that will transform into a glowing tunnel of gold—easily the park’s most iconic fall photo op
🍂 Hallett Nature Sanctuary (East Side at 60th-62nd Streets)
- Current Status: No Change
- What to Look For: A peaceful woodland retreat lined with diverse tree species, including ginkgos whose fan-shaped leaves turn a brilliant, unmistakable yellow