All across the Empire State, autumn means festivals, Halloween celebrations, and a colorful nature show.
By Jeff Crider
September 2022
Throughout September and October, cooler temperatures and changing leaves gradually make their way across the state of New York, signaling the arrival of fall and all that it brings.
“The colors typically peak first in the higher elevations of the Adirondacks and then gradually sweep across the state,” said Don Bennett Jr., president and CEO of Campground Owners of New York, which hosts CampNewYork.com, the travel planning website.
Many New York residents and visitors use campgrounds as base camps, not only to see the fall colors and engage in outdoor recreation before the onslaught of winter but also to enjoy a full range of fall activities. These include regional apple festivals and spooky, Halloween-inspired events that take place across the state in September and October.
The Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival recognizes all things apple, along with crafts and entertainment.
Apple Festivals
Fall seems a perfect season to celebrate nature’s bounty while enjoying food, art, music, and more. Several of New York’s apple festivals have been around for nearly half a century or more, and many of them have campgrounds nearby. Here is a sampling:
Busti Apple Festival, September 25, Jamestown: This western New York festival, originally the Busti Pioneer Crafts Festival, is now in its 50th year. The event features homemade apple pies, food and craft vendors, and historical exhibits. Festival attendees can learn how to make pioneer-style apple butter and watch experts demonstrate various crafts, including spinning and weaving, quilting, wood carving, and log hewing. Nearby campgrounds include Hidden Valley Camping Area in Jamestown and Camp Chautauqua in Stow.
Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival, September 30-October 2, Ithaca: Now in its 40th year, this festival celebrates apple growers, cider makers, and cider donuts. It features a craft fair with local and regional artisans; a “cider trail”; fresh apples, produce, and seasonal baked goods; and live entertainment. Nearby camping options include Spruce Row Campground in Ithaca and Pinecreek Campground in Newfield.
LaFayette Apple Festival, October 8-9, LaFayette: This event, which celebrates its 49th anniversary in 2022, features more than 500 craftspeople as well as pony rides, carnival rides, roaming entertainers, and farming and agriculture exhibits. Scheduled competitions include apple pie baking and scarecrow contests. Two nearby campgrounds are Wonderland Forest Campground in LaFayette and Forest Lake Campground in Truxton.
Apple Harvest Festival, September 25, Newfane: This 43-year-old festival features food and craft vendors, a flea market, historical exhibits, and more. Food options include baked goods, such as pies and apple cakes, as well as sausages and cotton candy. Nearby campgrounds include Branches of Niagara Campground and Resort in Grand Island and Niagara Hartland RV Resort in Gasport.
Warwick Applefest, October 2, Warwick: What began as a small harvest celebration in 1989 attracts more than 30,000 visitors today. In addition to 200-plus craft vendors and more than 75 food vendors, this event offers apple pie baking and eating contests, and four stages with live music. Nearby camping facilities include Black Bear Campground in Florida and New York City North/Newburgh KOA in Newburgh.
Here as elsewhere, campgrounds decorate for fall.
Halloween Fun And More
Families looking for spooky fall events and destinations will want to check out Haunted History Trail of New York State’s website: www.hauntedhistorytrail.com. The site highlights a variety of events and places to explore. These include the World’s Largest Ghost Hunt, September 24 and 25, at Alling Coverlet Museum in Palmyra; the Marble Orchard Ghost Walks, which take place at the Lewiston Peace Garden in Lewiston at various dates and times between September 10 and October 29; and the Hyde & Shriek! Candlelight Ghost Tours at Hyde Hall in Cooperstown, which also are held at various times from October 7 to 29. Families interested in these and other events can cross-check the haunts of interest with neighboring campgrounds by searching the FMCA RV Marketplace at www.fmca.com/rvmarketplace, and by visiting CampNewYork.com.
Campground events for all ages celebrate the season.
Pre-Halloween events include the Punkin Chunkin Festival, October 15 in Clayton, which includes adult and youth “chunkin” events, a barbecue feed and contest, and a farmers market. Campgrounds that could serve as base camps for this event include Merry Knoll Campground in Clayton and Swan Bay Resort and Marina in Alexandria Bay.
Of course, many New York campgrounds offer their own mix of fall activities, which include scary and non-scary Halloween-themed events and more. Here are some RV parks with such weekend events:
Cheerful Valley Campground, Phelps: This park will host a Halloween-themed weekend from September 30 to October 2, with campsite decorating, costume contests, and trick-or-treating.
Campgrounds host Halloween weekends, complete with trick-or-treating.
Cherry Grove Campground, Wolcott: Guests can participate in the Halloween party at this park from October 7 to 10, which features dressing up in costumes, RV decorating, and a spooky wagon ride.
Houghton/Letchworth KOA Holiday, Houghton: A fall festival weekend is set for September 23 to 25 with fall-themed crafts, a fishing derby, and a nature scavenger hunt. Two Halloween-themed weekends in early October will feature Halloween games, RV decorating, a flashlight candy hunt, and trick-or-treating.
Jellystone Park at Birchwood Acres, Greenfield Park: This campground will present four consecutive Halloween-themed weekends starting September 16 to 18, complete with pumpkin painting; pumpkin bowling; a campsite decorating contest; and a costume contest during each Saturday night dance. The third weekend includes arts and crafts and candy bar bingo. A “house of horror” welcomes guests on the third and fourth weekends.
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, Mexico: Halloween-themed activities at this park are held over three consecutive weekends beginning September 16 through 18. The fun includes a costume parade, trick-or-treating, Halloween crafts, and a campsite decorating contest. Guests also can explore a haunted house.
Medina/Wildwood Lake KOA Holiday, Medina: This campground’s fall activities include a Mardi Gras-themed weekend September 16 to 18, with a golf cart parade. Halloween-themed weekends are held the last two weekends of September and feature a costume contest; trick-or-treating; and a Halloween party with music, games, and prizes. Over Columbus Day weekend, October 7 through 10, the park will offer pumpkin painting and children’s candy bar bingo, both for kids 17 and under, as well as live music for all ages performed by the Creekside Country Band.
Bristol Woodlands Campground in Canandaigua.
Tall Pines Campground, Bainbridge: This park offers Halloween-themed weekends September 30 to October 2 and October 7 to 10. The first includes Halloween activities for pets, including a pet parade and pet slate painting. A flashlight pumpkin hunt and Halloween crafts are also on tap. The second Halloween-themed weekend offers a costume parade, zombie laser tag, candy dish painting, a Grim Reaper’s candy hunt, tie-dye T-shirts featuring pumpkins and ghosts, and a spookiest campsite contest.
Many campgrounds also serve as base camps for fall foliage tours and other family activities; among them is Bristol Woodlands Campground in Canandaigua, located in the Bristol Hills. The camp is convenient for those visiting Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventures, which features everything from tightrope walks to rope ladders, bridges, zip lines, and special adventure packages for children ages 4 to 7.
Zip lining and other treetop activities are offered at Bristol Mountain Aerial Adventures.
Enjoy The Journey
Scenic routes in the Adirondack Mountains include State Route 73, also called the High Peaks Scenic Byway, which runs between Underwood and Lake Placid. This road winds past the Adirondacks’ highest peaks and along some of the region’s most picturesque waters, such as Chapel Pond, Johns Brook, Roaring Brook Falls, and the Cascade Lakes.
Other scenic Adirondack drives include the roadways through the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness and the Sentinel Range Wilderness. These include State Route 18, which skirts the northern side of the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness between Saranac Lake and Wilmington. Campgrounds in this area include the Wilmington/North Pole KOA Holiday in Wilmington.
The Wilmington/North Pole KOA Holiday makes a cozy retreat in the heart of the Adirondacks.
Other popular fall color drives include U.S. Route 20, which runs east to west through the heart of New York state, crossing along the tips of several Finger Lakes and offering beautiful rolling hills and sweeping vistas. The websites www.nyroute20.com and www.dot.ny.gov/display/programs/scenic-byways/route-20 cover sights to see in the central New York section. Popular base camps along the way include Lebanon Reservoir Campground in Hamilton, about 15 minutes off State Route 20, and Cider House Campground in Bouckville, right on Route 20 in the heart of the Madison Bouckville antiques community.
Fall-foliage seekers should also visit I Love NY’s weekly leaf peepers report and check out their list of things to do in fall at www.iloveny.com/things-to-do/fall.
Residents and visitors alike who explore the state in September and October especially will gain a firsthand appreciation for its iconic catchphrase: “I (Heart) NY.”