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Forecast issued Nov 10, 5:22pm ET

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National Forest·Minnesota·2,093,604 acres

Superior National Forest

Forecast issued Nov 10, 5:22pm ET

Peak colorOct 1Aim for Sep 30 to Oct 3
In the forest today, Nov 10Leaves down
SepOctNov

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.

I-35US 2US 63US 141BabbittHibbingHoyt LakesTwo HarborsSilver BayGrand RapidsArnoldGrand MaraisVoyageurspeak Oct 10Superior
I-35US 2VirginiaSilver BayTwo HarborsGrand MaraisAshlandInternational FallsKeewatinVoyageurspeak Oct 10Superior
Still greenStartingNearly peakPeakPast peakNo fall canopy we forecastInside the line, each band of elevation is painted on its own date.
Around Superior National Forest St. Louis County holds most of the forest and is leaves down today. Lake County, to the south, is 7 days ahead. Cook County, to the east, is 7 days ahead.
Superior National Forest fall foliage map 2026: the unit and the counties around it painted by how far along their color is on Nov 10. Peak forecast around Oct 1, best Sep 30 to Oct 3.
Save or share this mapToday’s Superior National Forest fall foliage map as a picture, redrawn every morning. Free to reuse with credit to More Than Just Parks and a link back; the terms.Save the mapPin itFacebookXEmail

When is peak fall foliage at Superior National Forest in 2026?

Our forecast puts peak color at Superior National Forest around Oct 1, and the four days to aim for are Sep 30 to Oct 3.

The forest runs from about 1,006 to 1,896 feet, and the color comes downhill over about 4 days: the high stands around Sep 30, the low ground around Oct 4. That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.

Superior, fall color week by week, 2026
WeekIn the forestElevation at peak
Sep 14 to Sep 20Starting to turn
Sep 21 to Sep 27Nearly peak
Sep 28 to Oct 4Peak color500 to 750 ft, 1,000 to 1,250 ft, 1,250 to 1,500 ft, 1,500 to 1,750 ft, 1,750 to 2,000 ft
Oct 5 to Oct 11Just past peak
Oct 12 to Oct 18Just past peak
By elevation The forest runs from about 1,006 to 1,896 feet. That’s 4 days of season between the top and the bottom: the high stands peak around Sep 30, the low ground holds until about Oct 4, and the color comes downhill in between. The date at the top of this page is the 1,250 to 1,500 foot band.
  1. 1,750–2,000 ftLeaves downpeak Sep 3017%
  2. 1,500–1,750 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 136%
  3. 1,250–1,500 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 132%
  4. 1,000–1,250 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 210%
  5. 500–750 ftLeaves downpeak Oct 44%

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 trip

If 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, September 30 to Thursday, October 1

You’ll find it peak color.

That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.

  • 1,750–2,000 ftPeak colorpeak Sep 30
  • 1,500–1,750 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 1
  • 1,250–1,500 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 1
  • 1,000–1,250 ftPeak colorpeak Oct 2
Where to drive
Gunflint Trail (County Road 12), about 53 miles
What turns
paper birch, quaking aspen, sugar maple, red maple, water oak

What turns, and when

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.

Questions people ask about Superior National Forest

When is peak fall foliage at Superior National Forest?

Our forecast puts peak color at Superior National Forest around Oct 1, and the four days to aim for are Sep 30 to Oct 3.

Where is the best fall color at Superior National Forest right now?

On Nov 10 the forest is leaves down. The last band to peak was 500 to 750 feet, around Oct 4.

How long does peak last at Superior National Forest?

About four days at the top, Sep 30 to Oct 3, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across the forest's elevations the color moves over about 4 days, so there's peak color somewhere in it for roughly 8 days.

Is Superior National Forest past peak?

Yes. Peak was around Oct 1, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.

What trees turn color at Superior 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

All of Minnesota

Nearby, and when they turn

Voyageurs is on the map above, with its own date.

  1. Apostle Islands National LakeshoreWI · about 72 miles
    Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
  2. Isle Royale National ParkMI · about 120 miles
    Peak Oct 9 best Oct 8 to 11
  3. Chippewa National ForestMN · about 128 miles
    Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
  4. Saint Croix National Scenic RiverwayMN, WI · about 135 miles
    Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
  5. Ottawa National ForestMI · about 145 miles
    Peak Oct 5 best Oct 4 to 7

Fall color roads near Superior National Forest

Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the forest, so allow more by road.

  • Gunflint Trail (County Road 12) · about 53 miles, MN · 57 miles of road

    Runs from Grand Marais to the Boundary Waters. The mix of birch, aspen, and spruce along Superior's ridgeline is world-class.