National Scenic Riverway·Minnesota, Wisconsin·4,903 acres
Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
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 Thursday night. Peak may come early and go fast.
No new reports from the ground here this week.
When is peak fall foliage at Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway in 2026?
Our forecast puts peak color at Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway around Oct 9, and the four days to aim for are Oct 8 to 11.
That's 3 days later than our model alone would say, because this September has been running warm.
| Week | In the river |
|---|---|
| Sep 21 to Sep 27 | Starting to turn |
| Sep 28 to Oct 4 | Nearly peak |
| Oct 5 to Oct 11 | Peak color |
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Just past peak |
| 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.
Thursday, October 8 to Friday, October 9
You’ll find it peak color.
That's the day our forecast puts peak color here.
- Where to drive
- Route 13 (Great River Road), about 122 miles
- What turns
- northern red oak, white oak, red maple, sugar maple, shagbark hickory
What turns, and when
- northern red oak26%
- white oak23%
- red maple16%
- sugar maple13%
- shagbark hickory11%
- American basswood6%
Also named across Wisconsin, outside what the canopy read measures here: Quaking Aspen, Paper Birch.
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 Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
- When is peak fall foliage at Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway?
Our forecast puts peak color at Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway around Oct 9, and the four days to aim for are Oct 8 to 11.
- Where is the best fall color at Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway right now?
On Nov 10 the river is leaves down.
- How long does peak last at Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway?
About four days at the top, Oct 8 to 11, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive.
- Is Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway past peak?
Yes. Peak was around Oct 9, and on Nov 10 it's leaves down.
- What trees turn color at Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway?
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
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway is on the map above, with its own date.
- Peak Oct 6 best Oct 5 to 8
- Peak Oct 13 best Oct 12 to 15
- Peak Oct 2 best Oct 1 to 4
Fall color roads near Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway
Nearest first. Distances are straight-line from the river, so allow more by road.
- Route 13 (Great River Road)
The section between Trempealeau and Prairie du Chien follows the Mississippi through bluffs of oak and maple. Best in mid-October.