Fall foliage in Midwest
Maple and oak country around the Great Lakes and beyond: Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Wisconsin's Door County, and river-bluff drives along the Mississippi, with color sweeping south from late September through October.
136 hand-picked fall stops in Midwest — leaves & views, farms & harvest, cider & donuts, Halloween haunts, towns & rides. Tap a 🍁 for its peak-color window, drag the date slider to watch the color arrive, or see every destination on the big map.
Ohio
Peak ~October 22
Sugar maple, oak, beech, and sassafras color the sandstone gorges of Hocking Hills State Park and Mohican State Forest, with much of the state reaching peak color in mid-October.
Indiana
Peak ~October 25
Brown County State Park and the Hoosier National Forest turn sugar maple, oak-hickory, and sweetgum into a patchwork of red and gold across Indiana's forested hill country by mid-to-late October.
Illinois
Peak ~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.
Michigan
Peak ~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.
Wisconsin
Peak ~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.
Minnesota
Peak ~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.
Iowa
Peak ~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.
Missouri
Peak ~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.
Kansas
Peak ~October 29
Mostly prairie, but eastern Kansas oak-hickory woodlands and cottonwoods along the Kansas and Missouri rivers turn gold and bronze, while the Flint Hills bluestem grasslands add a coppery glow across the horizon in mid-to-late October.
Nebraska
Peak ~October 21
Cottonwoods trace gold ribbons along the Platte and Niobrara rivers, and ponderosa pine mixes with turning aspen and birch in the Pine Ridge near Chadron. Peak color arrives early-to-mid October across the plains and panhandle.
South Dakota
Peak ~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.
North Dakota
Peak ~October 6
Cottonwoods along the Missouri and Red rivers turn gold, and the Turtle Mountains' aspen and birch color the state's northern hills. Theodore Roosevelt National Park's badlands draws add rust tones by late September.
Cities in Midwest
Guides & reading for Midwest
2026 Fall Foliage Forecast: When Leaves Peak in Every State
Our 2026 fall foliage forecast for the US and Canada, region by region, built from ERA5 weather data and a phenology model, with live peak dates on the map.
5 Leaf-Peeping Road Trips for 2026
Five real fall road trips for 2026, from Vermont's Route 100 to Germany's Alpine Road, with route feel, standout stops, and how many days to plan for each.