National Forest·Michigan·899,297 acres
Hiawatha National Forest
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Roadsides and wetland edges turn first, and the woods behind them run a few days later.
Weather Hard frost Thursday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Hiawatha National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Hiawatha National Forest around Oct 8, and the four days to aim for are Oct 7 to 10.
That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the forest |
|---|---|
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Nearly peak |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
That’s 3 days later than our model alone would say. This September has been running warm, which shifts peak color.
Plan this tripIf you can only come on certain days
Set the days you can be here. Everything under them answers for those days, not for peak.
Wednesday, October 7 to Thursday, October 8
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- Where to drive
- Tunnel of Trees (M-119), about 58 miles · Brockway Mountain Drive, about 133 miles · Route 41 through Copper Country, about 137 miles
- What turns
- red maple, sugar maple, paper birch, water oak, sweetgum
What turns, and when
- red maple21%
- sugar maple16%
- paper birch14%
- water oak10%
- sweetgum10%
- quaking aspen10%
Also named across Michigan, outside what the canopy read measures here: Red Oak.
Michigan produces some of the most vivid sugar maple color in America, with the Upper Peninsula's maples turning neon orange and scarlet against birch gold and the dark green of hemlocks.
Across Michigan as a whole: Early October in the inland UP, mid-October on the Lake Superior shore and in the northern Lower Peninsula, late October in the south.
Questions people ask about Hiawatha National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Hiawatha National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Hiawatha National Forest around Oct 8, and the four days to aim for are Oct 7 to 10.
- Where is the best fall color at Hiawatha National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down.
- How long does peak last at Hiawatha National Forest?
About four days at the top, Oct 7 to 10, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Hiawatha National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 8, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Hiawatha National Forest?
Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Quaking Aspen, Paper Birch, Red Oak. Michigan produces some of the most vivid sugar maple color in America, with the Upper Peninsula's maples turning neon orange and scarlet against birch gold and the dark green of hemlocks.
This forecast is built from the species that stand here, their elevation and this September’s weather, and corrected in season by cameras, foresters and our own crew. We score it here against 13 long-running forest cameras: two dates in three land within 9 days of the camera’s own peak. How this map is made
Nearby, and when they turn
Pictured Rocks is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Peak Oct 18 best Oct 17 to 20
- Peak Oct 12 best Oct 11 to 14
- Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7
Fall color roads near Hiawatha National Forest
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.
- Tunnel of Trees (M-119)
A narrow road along Lake Michigan's northern shore between Harbor Springs and Cross Village. The overhanging canopy turns this into a literal tunnel of color.
- Brockway Mountain Drive
The highest above-sea-level road between the Rockies and the Alleghenies. Views of the Keweenaw's color canopy stretching to the lake horizon.
- Route 41 through Copper Country
Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula, surrounded by Lake Superior. The lake holds the color back, so the peninsula peaks a week or so after the inland Upper Peninsula, usually around the second week of October.