When do the leaves change in St. Louis?
St. Louis gets a full Midwestern autumn: sugar maples, sweetgums and oaks fill Forest Park and Tower Grove Park, and the Missouri Botanical Garden's Japanese Garden is one of the country's great maple scenes. Downriver bluffs at Pere Marquette stretch the season with sweeping Mississippi views.
Peak: October 30–November 3
Color builds from October 17 · mostly bare by November 23
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures (Open-Meteo) drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at St. Louis’s own coordinates rather than a regional average. Dates are computed for St. Louis itself at 145 m elevation. Estimates, not promises — street trees vary block to block. Check locally before you plan around a weekend.
Fall activities in St. Louis
Missouri
127 miPeak October 31
Oak-hickory ridges and sugar maple hollows along the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and Ha Ha Tonka State Park turn color through the Ozark Plateau, generally peaking in mid-to-late October.
Illinois
109 miPeak October 30
Shawnee National Forest's Garden of the Gods and the bluffs of Starved Rock State Park turn oak-hickory and sugar maple gold, with peak color reaching most of Illinois by mid-to-late October.
Arkansas
284 miPeak November 10
The Ozark and Ouachita Mountains fill with oak, hickory, and sweetgum color each fall, with sourwood adding early crimson. The Talimena Scenic Drive and Mount Magazine offer sweeping overlooks, typically peaking in late October.
Where locals go
Things to do in fall in St. Louis
Orchards, cider, haunts, and harvest season — the iconic fall stops within a day trip of St. Louis.
The Darkness
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks November 1
In its 33rd year of fear next to historic Soulard Market, this two-floor St. Louis landmark pairs detailed monster sets with a Slaughterhouse attraction and escape rooms. The 2026 season opens with a one-night Slasher Weekend on Sep 19 and closes Nov 13.
Don’t miss: Two floors of monster sets · Slaughterhouse attraction · Escape rooms on site
Best of Missouri Market
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks October 31
Missouri Botanical Garden's fall marketplace fills the grounds with food, crafts, and farm goods from small Missouri producers for one October weekend. The Japanese Garden and the turning trees are a good reason to walk the grounds on the way to the jam and cider stalls.
Don’t miss: Missouri-made food and crafts · Japanese Garden and fall color on site · One weekend only, October 9 to 11
Brookdale Farms
25 miCorn maze
Color nearby peaks October 31
West of St. Louis in Eureka, Brookdale Farms opens a corn maze, a pumpkin patch, and a sunflower maze for the fall season, with a petting zoo and hayrides that make it an easy half-day trip from the city. 2026 dates were not yet posted when we checked.
Don’t miss: Corn maze, pumpkin patch, sunflower maze · Petting zoo and hayrides · Half hour from downtown St. Louis
in Missouri
Bloomsdale Fun Farm
42 miCorn maze
Color nearby peaks November 1
South of St. Louis toward Ste. Genevieve, this family farm runs a corn maze, a u-pick pumpkin patch, and flower fields alongside a trackless train, a jumping pillow, and apple cannons. The 2026 Fall Fest opens September 26, with the closing date not yet confirmed.
Don’t miss: Corn maze and u-pick pumpkins · Trackless train and jumping pillow · Handicap accessible grounds
in Missouri
Ste. Genevieve
45 miHistoric town
Color nearby peaks November 2
Missouri's oldest town keeps its French colonial houses standing along Market and Main streets, an hour south of St. Louis. Fall brings cooler air for walking the historic district, tasting wine on the Route du Vin trail, and browsing shops set inside 18th-century buildings.
Don’t miss: French colonial architecture · Route du Vin wine trail · Walkable historic downtown
in Missouri
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in St. Louis in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 30–November 3 (best estimate November 1). Color starts around October 17 and trees are mostly bare by November 23. These dates are computed for St. Louis itself — at 145 m elevation — from the same weather model as the tracker.
- When is fall foliage season in St. Louis?
- St. Louis colors during autumn (September–November). St. Louis gets a full Midwestern autumn: sugar maples, sweetgums and oaks fill Forest Park and Tower Grove Park, and the Missouri Botanical Garden's Japanese Garden is one of the country's great maple scenes. Downriver bluffs at Pere Marquette stretch the season with sweeping Mississippi views.
- What's the best foliage near St. Louis?
- Missouri (127 mi, peak ~October 31); Illinois (109 mi, peak ~October 30); Arkansas (284 mi, peak ~November 10).
- What are the best things to do in fall in St. Louis?
- Beyond the leaves: The Darkness (1 mi); Best of Missouri Market (3 mi); Brookdale Farms (25 mi); Bloomsdale Fun Farm (42 mi); Ste. Genevieve (45 mi). All of them are mapped on this page.
- What are the best things to do in autumn near St. Louis?
- Come autumn — autumn (September–November) — locals head for The Darkness (1 mi); Best of Missouri Market (3 mi); Brookdale Farms (25 mi); Bloomsdale Fun Farm (42 mi); Ste. Genevieve (45 mi). Each is on the map with the distance from St. Louis.