National Forest·Minnesota·659,658 acres
Chippewa 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 Thursday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Chippewa National Forest in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Chippewa National Forest around Oct 2, and the four days to aim for are Oct 1 to 4.
That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the forest |
|---|---|
| Sep 14 to Sep 20 | Starting to turn |
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Nearly peak |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Peak color |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Just past peak |
| 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.
Thursday, October 1 to Friday, October 2
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- What turns
- sugar maple, red maple, paper birch, quaking aspen, yellow birch
What turns, and when
- sugar maple25%
- red maple21%
- paper birch18%
- quaking aspen10%
- yellow birch8%
- American beech8%
Also named across Minnesota, outside what the canopy read measures here: Tamarack.
The Boundary Waters and North Shore produce a mosaic of aspen gold, birch yellow, and maple scarlet against the dark boreal backdrop of spruce and fir.
Across Minnesota as a whole: Late September inland in the Arrowhead, early October along the North Shore, early-to-mid October in the metro, late October for tamaracks.
Questions people ask about Chippewa National Forest
- When is peak fall foliage at Chippewa National Forest?
Our forecast puts peak color at Chippewa National Forest around Oct 2, and the four days to aim for are Oct 1 to 4.
- Where is the best fall color at Chippewa National Forest right now?
On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down.
- How long does peak last at Chippewa National Forest?
About four days at the top, Oct 1 to 4, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Chippewa National Forest past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 2, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Chippewa National Forest?
Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Quaking Aspen, Paper Birch, Tamarack. The Boundary Waters and North Shore produce a mosaic of aspen gold, birch yellow, and maple scarlet against the dark boreal backdrop of spruce and fir.
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
Voyageurs is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 1 best Sep 30 to Oct 3
- Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Peak Oct 9 best Oct 8 to 11
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15