National Lakeshore·Michigan·56,717 acres
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Forecast issued Nov 10, 7:57am ET
Roadsides and wetland edges turn first, and the woods behind them run a few days later.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore around Oct 18, and the four days to aim for are Oct 17 to 20.
That's 2 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the lakeshore |
|---|---|
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Starting to turn |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Nearly peak |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Peak color |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Peak color |
| Oct 26 to Nov 1 | Just past peak |
That’s 2 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.
Saturday, October 17 to Sunday, October 18
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 64 miles
- What turns
- sugar maple, red maple, paper birch, quaking aspen, yellow birch
What turns, and when
- sugar maple25%
- red maple21%
- paper birch17%
- quaking aspen9%
- yellow birch8%
- American beech8%
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 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
- When is peak fall foliage at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore?
Our forecast puts peak color at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore around Oct 18, and the four days to aim for are Oct 17 to 20.
- Where is the best fall color at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore right now?
On Nov 10 the lakeshore is leaves down.
- How long does peak last at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore?
About four days at the top, Oct 17 to 20, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 18, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore?
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
Huron-Manistee is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Peak Oct 11 best Oct 10 to 13
Fall color roads near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the lakeshore, 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.