National Lakeshore·Wisconsin·41,377 acres
Apostle Islands 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.
Weather Hard frost Friday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore around Oct 13, and the four days to aim for are Oct 12 to 15.
That's 3 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 | 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.
Monday, October 12 to Tuesday, October 13
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- Where to drive
- Gunflint Trail (County Road 12), about 70 miles · Route 41 through Copper Country, about 118 miles · Brockway Mountain Drive, about 131 miles
- What turns
- sugar maple, paper birch, red maple, quaking aspen, yellow birch
What turns, and when
- sugar maple29%
- paper birch21%
- red maple19%
- quaking aspen12%
- yellow birch9%
- American beech9%
Also named across Wisconsin, outside what the canopy read measures here: Red Oak.
Wisconsin's Northwoods produce vivid sugar maple orange against birch gold and the dark green of hemlock and spruce, while the Mississippi River bluffs add a warm oak-and-hickory palette.
Across Wisconsin as a whole: Late September in the Northwoods, mid-October in Door County, early-to-mid October in the Driftless Area, late October in the south.
Questions people ask about Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
- When is peak fall foliage at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore?
Our forecast puts peak color at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore around Oct 13, and the four days to aim for are Oct 12 to 15.
- Where is the best fall color at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore right now?
On Nov 10 the lakeshore is leaves down.
- How long does peak last at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore?
About four days at the top, Oct 12 to 15, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Apostle Islands National Lakeshore past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 13, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore?
Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Quaking Aspen, Paper Birch, Red Oak. Wisconsin's Northwoods produce vivid sugar maple orange against birch gold and the dark green of hemlock and spruce, while the Mississippi River bluffs add a warm oak-and-hickory palette.
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
Superior and Ottawa and Chequamegon-Nicolet are on the map above, with their own date.
- Peak Oct 7 best Oct 6 to 9
- Peak Oct 9 best Oct 8 to 11
- Peak Oct 8 best Oct 7 to 10
Fall color roads near Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the lakeshore, so allow more by road.
- 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.
- 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.