This is something that my late father-in-law knew a lot about. According to my wife and her brothers, their dad knew every single worthwhile backroad in the entire state. He knew them all because it was his life-long habit to avoid paying tolls using whatever legal means necessary.
Leaf color changes are just starting, and around the second week of October leaf color will be at about 15% with changes almost daily going forward. Peak foliage dates are