When do the leaves change in Minneapolis?
The Twin Cities get a fast, vivid continental autumn: the Chain of Lakes and the Mississippi gorge turn in early October, and the maple forests along the North Shore of Lake Superior peak even earlier.
Peak: October 6–October 10
Color builds from September 23 · mostly bare by October 29
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Minneapolis’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for Minneapolis itself at 253 m elevation. Estimates, not promises — street trees vary block to block. Check locally before you plan around a weekend.
Fall activities in Minneapolis
Minnesota
109 miPeak October 3
The North Shore's birch and maple hillsides drop straight into Lake Superior, while the Superior Hiking Trail traces some of the Midwest's boldest fall overlooks.
Wisconsin
162 miPeak October 14
Northwoods maple and birch forests surround thousands of glacial lakes, with Door County's shoreline bluffs adding a second wave of color along Lake Michigan.
Iowa
206 miPeak October 20
Bluff-top oak-hickory and sugar maple forests along the Mississippi River at Effigy Mounds National Monument and Yellow River State Forest give northeast Iowa its best color, typically peaking in mid-October.
South Dakota
347 miPeak October 17
Spearfish Canyon's birch and aspen turn brilliant gold against Black Hills ponderosa pine, while Custer State Park's hardwood draws add color to granite backdrops. Peak typically falls in late September to early October.
Michigan
378 miPeak October 13
Sugar maples and birches ring the Great Lakes shoreline, with the Tunnel of Trees along M-119 and Upper Peninsula waterfalls framed in color by late September.
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in Minneapolis
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season — the iconic fall stops within a day trip of Minneapolis.
Twin Cities Harvest Festival and Maze
Corn mazeColor nearby peaks October 7
The Twin Cities' largest corn maze - nearly 20 acres re-cut to a new design each year - anchors this fall festival in Brooklyn Park, at the southeast corner of 109th Avenue and Highway 169. General admission is free; a wristband unlocks the carnival, pumpkin patch and sunflower field.
Don’t miss: Nearly 20-acre corn maze · New maze design each year · Pumpkin patch and sunflower field
Excelsior Apple Days
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks October 8
Excelsior's Water Street closes down for a weekend of craft booths, an apple pie contest, history tours and a beer and wine garden, a few blocks from the Lake Minnetonka docks. It is a smaller, more neighborhood scale fall festival than the big Twin Cities pumpkin farms.
Don’t miss: Apple pie contest and craft booths · History tours of downtown Excelsior · Beer and wine garden with live music
Anoka Halloween
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks October 7
Anoka bills itself as the Halloween Capital of the World, home to a 106-year-old civic celebration that fills historic downtown through October. The Grande Day Parade of more than 100 units marches down Main Street, joined after dark by the illuminated Light Up the Night Parade.
Don’t miss: Halloween Capital of the World · Grande Day Parade on Main Street · Month-long downtown festival
Pine Tree Apple Orchard
OrchardColor nearby peaks October 9
A White Bear Lake orchard close enough to the Twin Cities for an after work trip, with a corn maze, u-pick pumpkins and wagon rides out into the trees. The farm store sells its own fresh pressed cider, caramel apples and baked goods alongside whatever variety is ready that week.
Don’t miss: Corn maze and pick-your-own pumpkins · Fresh cider and caramel apples · Wagon rides through the orchard
Aamodt's Apple Farm
20 miOrchard
Color nearby peaks October 10
Family-run near Stillwater since 1948, this orchard is a Twin Cities fall-weekend fixture built around U-pick Honeycrisp apples, wagon rides, a petting farm, and a bakery. It's the kind of low-key harvest outing (cider donuts, not amusement-park scale) that Minnesotans return to every October.
Don’t miss: U-pick Honeycrisp apples since 1948 · wagon rides and petting farm · on-site bakery
in Minnesota
Sever's Corn Maze & Fall Festival
23 miCorn maze
Color nearby peaks October 9
The Peterson family cut the first corn maze in the Midwest here in 1997, and Sever's is now cited as the second-oldest hand-cut maze in the country. Each fall's redesigned maze anchors a full festival ground of hayrides, a pumpkin patch, and food stands south of the Twin Cities.
Don’t miss: First corn maze in the Midwest (1997) · redesigned maze every year · full fall-festival grounds
in Minnesota
Guides
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Minneapolis in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 6–October 10 (best estimate October 8). Color starts around September 23 and trees are mostly bare by October 29. These dates are computed for Minneapolis itself — at 253 m elevation — from the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in Minneapolis?
- Minneapolis colors during autumn (September–November). The Twin Cities get a fast, vivid continental autumn: the Chain of Lakes and the Mississippi gorge turn in early October, and the maple forests along the North Shore of Lake Superior peak even earlier.
- What's the best foliage near Minneapolis?
- Minnesota (109 mi, peak ~October 3); Wisconsin (162 mi, peak ~October 14); Iowa (206 mi, peak ~October 20).
- What are the best things to do in fall in Minneapolis?
- Beyond the leaves: Twin Cities Harvest Festival and Maze (14 mi); Excelsior Apple Days (16 mi); Anoka Halloween (16 mi); Pine Tree Apple Orchard (17 mi); Aamodt's Apple Farm (20 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.
- What are the best things to do in autumn near Minneapolis?
- Come autumn — autumn (September–November) — locals head for Twin Cities Harvest Festival and Maze (14 mi); Excelsior Apple Days (16 mi); Anoka Halloween (16 mi); Pine Tree Apple Orchard (17 mi); Aamodt's Apple Farm (20 mi). Each is on the map with the distance from Minneapolis.