Central Park Fall Foliage Tracker: A Live Map of the Park's Changing Leaves

If you want to catch the leaves at their best in New York this fall, the Central Park Conservancy's Fall Foliage Tracker is a good place to start. It's a live map of the park's changing colors, so you can judge when and where to walk before you head out.

The map is kept current by the Conservancy's arborists, the people who look after the park's 19,000 trees. That means the information comes from staff who see the trees every day, not from a general seasonal forecast.

Color progress is shown in four stages: No Change, Changing, Peak and Post-Peak. For a weekend stroll, pick the areas marked Peak and build your route around them. The guide page opens with a photo of two people crossing a wooden bridge, surrounded by orange, yellow and green foliage, which gives a sense of what a good day looks like.

The same page gathers a few other fall ideas. The Central Park Farm Stand runs every Saturday through October 31, selling fresh, seasonal produce in the park, which pairs easily with a foliage walk. The Central Park Conservancy Shop offers cozy layers, totes and park-inspired tees if you want something to take home.

Photographers are invited to tag @CentralParkNYC on social media, and the best shots may be featured on the park's channels. The page also shares a selection of visitor photos from last fall.

For Japanese readers visiting or living in the city, the appeal is practical: one official page tells you how far the colors have come and what else is happening in the park. The Conservancy is the nonprofit that has cared for Central Park since 1980, and the tracker is part of its seasonal guide to the park.