![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CT_ViewsalongRte-214_ScenicbyWay_Fall-NYSDED_F632737F-BF71-1A23-E16A3CE46036183A-f632727fb0b879f_f63.jpeg\")
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Fall<\/a> has a way of making even the most stubborn city dweller start googling foliage maps, and this year there\u2019s one road that keeps showing up at the top of the list. <\/p>\n The Upper Delaware Scenic Byway has just been named one of the 10 best roads in America for fall foliage in 2026, according to a new ranking from MarketWatch<\/a>, and if that sounds familiar, it\u2019s because this stretch of upstate New York earned the exact same honor last year too. <\/p>\n Back-to-back recognition on a national list is rare. A drive this close to the city pulling it off twice in a row is rarer still.<\/p>\n Here are more details about this one-of-a-kind route and why you should already be bookmarking it before the leaf colors start changing.<\/p>\n The route that keeps winning<\/p>\n The byway traces 70 miles of New York\u2019s Route 97, running alongside the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River between Port Jervis and Hancock, and its signature move is contrast: deep blue-black river water on one side, hillsides erupting into orange, red, and gold on the other. <\/p>\n MarketWatch specifically called out that pairing in this year\u2019s list, describing the drive as a chance to take in \u201cthe contrast of the deep hues of the water against the backdrop of oranges, yellows and reds.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just MarketWatch that\u2019s noticed. <\/p>\n In 2024, the byway won the National Byway Award for Partnership from the National Scenic Byway Foundation, and it\u2019s also picked up recognition as USA Today\u2019s top drive in the Northeast and the number two autumn drive in the country. <\/p>\n This year, the byway is even running its own \u201cEvery Mile Tells a Story\u201d photo contest<\/a>, open through November 1, encouraging drivers to document the route as they go, which tells you locals take this scenery just as seriously as the magazines do.<\/p>\n What you\u2019ll actually see along the way<\/p>\n Expect cliffside overlooks, slow river bends, and glimpses of historic landmarks like Roebling\u2019s Delaware Aqueduct, one of the oldest suspension bridges in the country, tucked right into the drive. <\/p>\n Peak color typically hits from late September through mid-October, when the hillsides shift from patchy green-and-gold into a fuller blaze of red and orange, so timing your trip toward the middle of that window tends to pay off. <\/p>\n A few overlooks worth building stops around:<\/p>\n Hawk\u2019s Nest<\/a>, a dramatic, cliffside curve with sweeping valley views<\/p>\n State Line Lookout, where you can take in the river cutting between two states at once<\/p>\n Where to stop, eat, and stay a while longer<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the case for treating this as more than a day trip. <\/p>\n Port Jervis sits a little under two hours from Manhattan, and Hancock<\/a> is about two-and-a-half, which technically makes the whole route doable in a single day. You wouldn\u2019t necessarily want to, though. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HVFall_0920-92e06c31905fdbd_92e06d9e-a2a5-95d0-414e36257dab5b6a-1024x684.jpg\")
Source \/ I LOVE NY<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HVFall_0970-92e99773b06439e_92e998b2-c5a7-a6ab-baf56f52024701ab-1024x684.jpg\")
Source \/ I LOVE NY<\/p>\n