Brunswick is at 45 percent color, and for once there is no drought. Peak is about ten days out.

The leaves are on schedule. In the I LOVE NY foliage report for September 30 through October 6, the volunteer spotter for Brunswick reported 45 percent color change, with yellow, red and bright orange showing and more of it at elevation. East Nassau, at the other end of the county, also reported 45 percent. The report rates the whole Capital-Saratoga region as midpoint, which historically means peak around the second and third weeks of October.

What is different this year is the water. The last two autumns followed dry summers, and drought-stressed trees drop their leaves early or turn a disappointing brown. This summer was the opposite: the July storms that flooded the southern end of the county soaked everything else, and the federal drought monitor shows Rensselaer County with no drought and none forecast. Foresters quoted in regional coverage expect the brightest reds in several years, provided a windstorm does not strip them first.

Where to look from here:

• Route 2 east through Grafton to the Petersburgh overlook, where the elevation puts the color a week ahead of the valley.
• The Grafton Lakes trails, free on weekdays and after Columbus Day on weekends too.
• Closer to home, the Hoosic from the Schaghticoke gorge down to the Hudson, or simply Route 40 north past the village, where the hills open up.

The state updates its map every Wednesday; we will note peak when the spotters call it.

Sources: the I LOVE NY Fall Foliage Report for the week of September 30, 2026; the National Integrated Drought Information System’s Rensselaer County page; regional foliage coverage from CBS6 and the Daily Gazette.