Michigan's fall color turns from north to south. It usually peaks in late September across the Upper Peninsula and the Keweenaw, through the second and third weeks of October in northern Michigan and the Lower Peninsula, and in the last week of October near Ann Arbor and the southern border. This guide follows the season from live canopy and weather data, with a multi-day forecast and rivers to paddle through the color.
Typical peak windows are Sep 28–Oct 6 in the western U.P., Oct 5–17 across northern Lower Michigan, and Oct 18–28 in southern Michigan. These are seasonal planning ranges, not observations of today's leaves. When recent data is available, a dated model estimate replaces this baseline.
Staying after sunset? Plan fall color by day and a northern lights check after dark. Check each forecast before choosing your trip.
Choose a path; the live statewide read stays below.
See where the color stands closest to you, and which way to drive to find it sooner.
When the maples have let go, the season softens rather than ends. Tamarack turns gold in the northern bogs through early and middle November, oak and beech hold their russet and copper, and the Lake Michigan shoreline runs about a week behind the inland woods. There is color to find well past the rush.
A river is an unhurried way to see the color. You drift beneath the canopy with maple and aspen leaning over both banks and doubled in the water below. Each run carries the live color of its region, so you can see what is turning before you go. Levels and liveries change with the season, so it is worth a call ahead.
What turns what color, and roughly when. The first reds are red maple in wet ground; the golds are aspen and birch; the late russets are oak and beech; and the last to turn is tamarack, the conifer that goes gold and lets its needles fall in the northern bogs.
Orange to deep red. The quiet headliner, strongest up north.
Deep scarlet, often the first red, in wet ground.
Clear gold that stirs in any breeze.
Russet and bronze, holding on into November.
Coppery tan that lingers through early winter.
Gold needles in northern bogs, the season's last note in November.
Michigan's fall color peaks from north to south over about four weeks. The Upper Peninsula turns first, usually in late September and the first week of October. Northern Lower Michigan, including the Tunnel of Trees, Sleeping Bear, and the Grayling and Au Sable country, peaks in the second and third weeks of October. Southern Michigan, including Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and the Irish Hills, peaks in the last week of October.
See the full region-by-region timeline with a live statewide snapshot, kept current through the season.
An autumn trip can include fall color by day and an aurora check after dark. Clear skies and a favorable aurora forecast determine whether the night portion is worthwhile. Check where fall color and northern lights overlap if you are staying out after dark rather than driving home at dusk.
Or plan an actual trip: tell the planner where you live and which weekend you can travel, and it ranks all eight regions by how close to peak they will be on your dates and how far you have to drive.
Or start from the road: the tour map lays out twelve named scenic drives, from the Tunnel of Trees to the Keweenaw shore, each showing how close to peak it will be on the date you pick.
| Region | Area | Typical peak | Where to go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Upper Peninsula | Porcupine Mountains, Keweenaw, Ontonagon | Late September to early October | Brockway Mountain Drive and the Porcupine Mountains, the first color in the state. |
| Eastern Upper Peninsula | Tahquamenon, Hiawatha, Whitefish Point | The first and second weeks of October | M-123 through the Tahquamenon Falls country. |
| Tip of the Mitt | Tunnel of Trees, Petoskey, Mackinaw | The first and second weeks of October | The Tunnel of Trees on M-119 from Harbor Springs to Cross Village. |
| Northwest Lower Michigan | Sleeping Bear, Traverse City, Leelanau | The second and third weeks of October | The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive in Sleeping Bear Dunes. |
| Northeast Lower Michigan | Grayling, the Au Sable, Rifle River, Oscoda | The second and third weeks of October | The River Road Scenic Byway along the Au Sable. |
| Central and Saginaw Bay | Bay City, Midland, Mount Pleasant | Mid to late October | The woods and rivers around Midland and Bay City. |
| Southwest Lower Michigan | Grand Rapids, Saugatuck, Kalamazoo | The third and fourth weeks of October | The Saugatuck dunes and the Lake Michigan shoreline. |
| Southeast Lower Michigan | Detroit, Ann Arbor, Irish Hills | The last week of October, holding into November | The Irish Hills along US-12 and the Huron River through Ann Arbor. |
Old-growth sugar maple above Lake of the Clouds, the first and one of the most intense turns in the state. Peaks late September to early October.
Brockway Mountain Drive along a ridge over Lake Superior at Michigan's far northern tip. Peaks late September to early October.
Gold birch and maple over the amber water of the Upper Falls in the eastern U.P. Peaks the first week or so of October.
How the whole peninsula turns, west to east, with the standout drives and overlooks. Peaks late September into mid-October.
The canopy drive on M-119 from Harbor Springs to Cross Village. Peaks early to mid-October.
Color without cars at the Straits, seen by bike along the bluffs. Peaks early to mid-October.
Hardwood color over dune and Lake Michigan on the Pierce Stocking drive. Peaks the second and third weeks of October.
Maple and aspen over dark pine, best by canoe on the Holy Waters near Grayling. Peaks mid-October.
Oak and maple on the bay flats around Bay City and Midland, timed with the waterfowl push. Peaks mid to late October.
Late lakeshore color over the Lake Michigan dunes. Peaks the last week of October into early November.
The last color in the state, oaks holding russet into November. Peaks late October.
A research camera above the forest in the Sylvania Wilderness, looking out over mixed northern hardwood in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula. The map tells you the numbers; this shows you the trees.
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Driving up for colour? Check the rest of the trip before you go.
Drive to whichever region is inside its peak window on the date you are travelling, because Michigan turns north to south over about five weeks and there is almost always somewhere at peak between late September and late October. The ordinary sequence runs Western Upper Peninsula around September 28 to October 6, Eastern Upper Peninsula October 1 to 9, the Straits and Tip of the Mitt October 5 to 13, northwest Lower October 8 to 16, northeast Lower October 9 to 17, central Michigan October 14 to 22, southwest October 18 to 26, and southeast Michigan last at October 20 to 28. Those windows shift by up to a week with the season, so check the current regional read before you commit to a long drive. If your own trees have not turned, go north; if they are bare, go south.
The Western Upper Peninsula peaks first, usually in the last days of September and the first week of October. That covers the Porcupine Mountains, the Keweenaw and the Lake Superior shore around Marquette and Houghton, and it is the earliest color anywhere in Michigan. The Eastern Upper Peninsula around Tahquamenon and Sault Ste. Marie follows about three days later, in the first and second weeks of October. Two things drive the gap: the western U.P. sits higher and further from the moderating effect of the lakes, and its sugar maple stands turn hard and fast once cold nights arrive. Elevation matters within a region too, so ridges and inland hills turn several days before the shoreline below them. A cold, dry, sunny stretch sharpens the color; a warm wet autumn mutes it and drags peak later.
Michigan turns roughly north to south over about five weeks, which means that on any weekend from late September to late October some part of the state is at peak even when your own county is not. The sequence runs Western Upper Peninsula around September 28 to October 6, Eastern Upper Peninsula October 1 to 9, the Straits and Tip of the Mitt October 5 to 13, northwest Lower around October 8 to 16, northeast Lower October 9 to 17, central Michigan October 14 to 22, southwest October 18 to 26, and southeast Michigan last at October 20 to 28. Those are ordinary-year windows and shift by up to a week with the season. If your local trees have not turned, drive north; if they are already bare, drive south. Peak holds for roughly a week in any one place once it arrives, and a hard wind or a heavy rain can strip a stand inside a day.
Yes. A short written report on where the colour stands is published every day from August 20 through November 15, and it is also available as an RSS feed.
Yes. Color runs north to south across roughly four weeks. The Upper Peninsula leads in late September, northern Lower Michigan peaks in mid October, and the southern border near Ann Arbor and the Irish Hills peaks in the last week of October.
For most of the Lower Peninsula north of Grand Rapids, the second and third weeks of October are the surest bet. For the Upper Peninsula, aim for the last week of September into early October. Southern Michigan is best in the final week of October.
Tamarack is the last to turn. It goes gold and drops its needles in the northern bogs in early to mid November, a quiet second wave after the maples have fallen.
It blends a regional climatology model with Open-Meteo weather and PhenoCam canopy camera readings, plus NASA MODIS canopy greenness whenever a recent composite is available. The canopy readings show how far each region has turned, a run of cold nights pulls the peak earlier, and a short note is written each day through the season.
Yes. Rivers like the Au Sable Holy Waters near Grayling, the Pine near Wellston, the Platte and Crystal near Sleeping Bear, and the Two Hearted in the eastern Upper Peninsula run beneath hardwood canopy. The On the water tab shows the live color along each run.
The gentlest light is the first and last hour of the day, with the sun behind you and the leaves lit from the front. An overcast sky deepens the reds and takes the glare off the water.
Each region's color is estimated from its own climatology curve, anchored to PhenoCam canopy camera readings and adjusted by Open-Meteo weather: a run of cold nights and the first frosts pull the peak earlier. A regional climatology model sets the typical timing, and the live readings move it from there. Satellite composites lag real time by up to a couple of weeks, so the weather leads the edge of the season.
Michigan Fall Color is built and kept by Chris Izworski, a Michigan angler and outdoor writer on Saginaw Bay. It is one of a family of Michigan field guides alongside the Michigan Trout Report and Freighter View Farms. The color tracking is free and updated daily through the season. If you are chasing fall color on the Leelanau Peninsula, you can also plan a fall color wine tour through Traverse City wine country.
Live color from canopy camera readings and Open-Meteo weather. The forecast and the season curve are a guide, not a promise. Satellite readings lag real time by up to a couple of weeks, so the weather leads the edge of the season.
A Michigan field guide by Chris Izworski. More field guides: Michigan Trout Report · Freighter View Farms
Use the statewide map for the big picture, then check the places already drawing 2026 peak-color searches: Tunnel of Trees, Porcupine Mountains, Upper Peninsula and Michigan fall color drives.
Traveling outside Michigan? Use the U.S. Fall Color tool.