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 NASA satellite and weather data, with a multi-day forecast and rivers to paddle through the color.
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.
| 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.
The Western Upper Peninsula, including the Porcupine Mountains and the Keweenaw, usually peaks in the last days of September and the first week of October, the earliest color in the state. The Eastern Upper Peninsula around Tahquamenon follows in the first and second weeks of October.
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 live NASA MODIS satellite canopy readings with Open-Meteo weather and a regional climatology model. The satellite shows how far each region's canopy 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 NASA MODIS satellite readings of canopy greenness, compared to that region's summer maximum, then 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 NASA MODIS satellite canopy 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