North Shore Scenic Drive (Highway 61)
Scenic drive · Minnesota
This All-American Road runs 154 miles from Duluth's Canal Park to the Canadian border near Grand Portage, hugging Lake Superior below the Sawtooth Range through 96 waysides. Immortalized by Bob Dylan, it's Minnesota's benchmark fall drive, with birch and maple color moving south down the shore through late September.
Don’t miss
Peak: October 1–October 5
Color builds from September 17 · mostly bare by October 23
Sampled at North Shore Scenic Drive (Highway 61)’s own coordinates and elevation (186 m) rather than a regional average.
48 weather points cover Minnesota, and the model shifts their answer 9 days earlier, which is what it takes to match 2 published peak dates from smokymountains.com. Minnesota is running 1 day later than its own average this year. How the forecast works
When to go to North Shore Scenic Drive (Highway 61)
The color window runs about 25 days, holding until around October 12. That is about 1 day earlier than Minnesota as a whole.
North Shore Scenic Drive (Highway 61) on the map
Drag the date slider to see when color reaches this corner of Minnesota, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
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Frequently asked
- When does North Shore Scenic Drive (Highway 61) peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 1–October 5 (best estimate October 3). Color starts around September 17 and is mostly bare by October 23.
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