Michigan fall color · field guide
The Au Sable River country around Grayling usually peaks around October 9 to 17. This is maple and aspen turning over dark stands of pine, mirrored on slow current, with the color sitting later here than to the north and west. The middle of October is the window, and the river itself is the best way to see it.
The Au Sable runs clear and cold through jack pine and hardwood, and in fall the gold of aspen and birch plays against the near-black of the pines along the banks. From a canoe the color comes doubled, real leaves above and their reflection on water so slow it barely seems to move. It is a quieter, more intimate color than the big U.P. overlooks.
The River Road Scenic Byway follows the Au Sable's south bank toward Oscoda, with the Lumberman's Monument overlook high above the valley and the Largo Springs stairway down to the river. Inland, the country roads around Grayling and Hartwick Pines string together pine and hardwood. The byway is the set-piece drive of northeast Michigan.
Hartwick Pines State Park near Grayling holds one of the last stands of old-growth white pine in Michigan, with easy trails among trees that predate the logging era. The interpretive loop is short and worth it. Trails at the Lumberman's Monument drop to the riverbank for a closer view.
The Holy Waters of the Au Sable, the mainstream from Burton's Landing down to Wakeley Bridge, is the classic float: easy, steady current, three to four hours through color. Liveries in Grayling, including Gates Au Sable Lodge, Carlisle, Penrod's, and Borchers, rent canoes and run shuttles into early fall. The Rifle River near Rose City is a gentler family alternative nearby.
Mid-October is the reliable window, a week or so behind the northwest Lower Peninsula. Mornings on the river are still and often misted; the color is best with the sun up but low. Check livery hours, since canoe rental winds down as the season ends.
The Au Sable country around Grayling usually peaks around October 9 to 17, a week or so behind the northwest Lower Peninsula. Maple and aspen turn gold over the dark pine along the banks.
Yes. The Holy Waters from Burton's Landing to Wakeley Bridge is an easy three-to-four-hour float, and Grayling liveries rent canoes and run shuttles into early fall. Check current hours, since rental season winds down as the weather turns.
The River Road Scenic Byway along the Au Sable toward Oscoda, with the Lumberman's Monument overlook above the valley. Hartwick Pines State Park adds old-growth white pine and easy trails.
Sleeping Bear and Traverse City to the west peak a few days earlier. The central Lower Peninsula and Saginaw Bay follow about a week later.