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 17
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 18
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 23
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 9
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 8
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 ~September 29
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 14
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 24
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 22
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 15
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 11
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 2
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.
Top fall stops in Midwest
136 hand-picked places across 12 regions, by what you go for.
Leaves & views
- Brown County State ParkState park · Peak Oct 22
- Starved Rock State ParkState park · Peak Oct 18
- Tunnel of Trees (M-119)Scenic drive · Peak Oct 12
- Peninsula State ParkState park · Peak Oct 10
- Gooseberry Falls State ParkState park · Peak Oct 3
- Maquoketa Caves State ParkState park · Peak Oct 13
- Ha Ha Tonka State ParkState park · Peak Oct 28
- Flint Hills National Scenic BywayScenic drive · Typically Oct 15–Oct 31
- Smith Falls State ParkState park · Typically Oct 10–Oct 20
- Spearfish Canyon Scenic BywayScenic drive · Peak Oct 6
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)National park · Peak Oct 2
- Hocking Hills State ParkState park · Peak Oct 18
- Morton ArboretumArboretum · Peak Oct 17
- Pierce Stocking Scenic DriveScenic drive · Peak Oct 11
- Devil's Lake State ParkState park · Peak Oct 9
- North Shore Scenic Drive (Highway 61)Scenic drive · Peak Sep 30
- Katy Trail State Park (Rocheport)Trail · Peak Oct 23
- Clinton State ParkState park · Typically Oct 18–Nov 3
- Chadron State ParkState park · Typically Oct 10–Oct 20
- Custer State ParkState park · Peak Oct 6
- Pictured Rocks National LakeshoreNational park · Peak Oct 5
- Holy Hill BasilicaViewpoint · Peak Oct 10
- Lutsen MountainsViewpoint · Peak Sep 28
- Elk City State ParkState park · Typically Oct 24–Nov 7
- Platte River State ParkState park · Typically Oct 24–Oct 31
- Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State ParkState park · Peak Oct 10
Farms & harvest
- Circleville Pumpkin ShowFall festival · Color peaks Oct 18
- Center Grove OrchardOrchard · Color peaks Oct 15
- Papa's Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Color peaks Oct 2
- Beasley's OrchardOrchard · Color peaks Oct 20
- Richardson Adventure FarmCorn maze · Color peaks Oct 15
- Howell's Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Color peaks Oct 15
- Our FarmPumpkin patch · Color peaks Oct 13
- Lil' Bitz Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Color peaks Oct 3
- Goebbert's Farm - South BarringtonPumpkin patch · Color peaks Oct 16
Halloween
Cities in Midwest
Guides & reading for Midwest
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