National Forest·Michigan·994,772 acres
Ottawa National Forest
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Higher ground turns first, so the slopes above the road lead the valley by a few days.
Weather Hard frost Wednesday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Ottawa National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Ottawa National Forest around Oct 5, and the four days to aim for are Oct 4 to 7.
The forest runs from about 702 to 1,734 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 3 days: the high stands around Oct 4, the low ground around Oct 7. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the forest | Elevation at peak |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn | |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak | |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color | 1,500 to 1,750 ft |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color | 500 to 750 ft, 750 to 1,000 ft, 1,000 to 1,250 ft, 1,250 to 1,500 ft |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
- 1,500–1,750 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 445%
- 1,250–1,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 516%
- 1,000–1,250 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 620%
- 750–1,000 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 610%
- 500–750 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 76%
Height off 3DEP inside the forest’s own boundary; each band carries the date our model gives that elevation, corrections and all. The percentage is how much of the forest stands in it.
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.
Sunday, October 4 to Monday, October 5
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- 1,500–1,750 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 4
- 1,250–1,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 5
- 1,000–1,250 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 6
- 750–1,000 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 6
- Where to drive
- Route 41 through Copper Country, about 77 miles · Brockway Mountain Drive, about 90 miles · Gunflint Trail (County Road 12), about 117 miles
- What turns
- sugar maple, red maple, paper birch, quaking aspen, yellow birch
What turns, and when
- sugar maple27%
- red maple20%
- paper birch19%
- quaking aspen11%
- yellow birch9%
- American beech9%
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.
Questions people ask about Ottawa National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Ottawa National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Ottawa National Forest around Oct 5, and the four days to aim for are Oct 4 to 7.
- Where is the best fall color at Ottawa National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 500 to 750 feet, around Oct 7.
- How long does peak last at Ottawa National Forest?
About four days at the top, Oct 4 to 7, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 3 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 7 days.
- Is Ottawa National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 5, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Ottawa 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
Chequamegon-Nicolet is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Peak Oct 9 best Oct 8 to 11
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Peak Oct 11 best Oct 10 to 13
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
Fall color roads near Ottawa National Forest
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.
- 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.
- 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.
- Gunflint Trail (County Road 12)
Runs from Grand Marais to the Boundary Waters. The mix of birch, aspen, and spruce along Superior's ridgeline is world-class.