best locations for red, orange leaf peeping?

[Mike G]

I'm thinking of taking a little trip somewhere to the north of home (Tulsa) in October for fall color. My question is mainly for you folks in MN, IA, northwest MO and eastern KS: would you care to point out any particular areas or drives where I'm likely to see a good concentration of sugar maples and suchlike? Yellows are okay (no offense to the aspen lovers) , but I'm much more interested in the vivid reds and oranges. Thanks in advance for any hints.

[HABBERDABBER]

Just South of Lake Superior, the Munising, MI, Upper Peninsula area is my pick. Lot's of maple trees there which produce the vibrant colors, tons of State & Hiawatha National Forest campgrounds are also right there.

Friends last Fall went out East, Vermont, Maine, etc for colors but found the best near Munising.

There are Fall color reports and maps put out by state tourism agencies that can help in timing.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

Just South of Lake Superior, the Munising, MI, Upper Peninsula area is my pick. Lot's of maple trees there which produce the vibrant colors, tons of State & Hiawatha National Forest campgrounds are also right there.

Friends last Fall went out East, Vermont, Maine, etc for colors but found the best near Munising.

There are Fall color reports and maps put out by state tourism agencies that can help in timing.

I wish you wouldn't tempt me to drive that far! You dastardly villain, you! I'm trying to not get carried away, and stay a bit closer to home. I do have a soft spot in my heart for Michigan, though, since I lived there for my first 33 years.


Around where I live now, the fall color is mostly rust colored leaves mixed with dingy brown leaves. Exceptions are spotty at best.

[Iowa Dave]

Hello Mike,
It wouldn’t be right for me to make a recommendation for anywhere but the upper Midwest, namely NE Iowa,
SE Minnesota, SW Wisconsin and NW Illinois. October 7 through October 25. On average.

That said, the absolute best color day I ever experienced was in Oak Ridge Tennessee on October 15, 1978. I was there for a job interview and the ride around was magnificent. Surprising and very enjoyable were the fall colors in the Black Hills at the very end of September when we were there to enjoy the Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park. I lived in SW iowa and NW Missouri for 8 years in the 70s. The leaves could be very good but in dry fall weather they would just fizzle out to browns and the oaks would dissapoint.

Though you might not be a fan of the yellows, the hickories in the Rend Lake Area of south central Illinois are so intense in Shagbark campground that if the light is right, the color balance your eyes have gets totally affected. If you spend a few hours camped in the woods the shagbark and shellbark hickories will transport you into a world of yellows and golds. If you decide to go for a drive you’ll need to stop for a few minutes as you get out from under the Hickory canopy to let the rods a cones realign back to “normal”. That’s a great experience for me. The photo below with our Escape 21 is from Rend Lake in 2020. We rented the whole group camp for our family for three days to get in some anti Covid camping. Worked.

In the next couple years I’d like to be in the NE United States for their color peak out there. You must subscribe to the color peak updates from your possible destinations to hit the hotspots. The peak can vary greatly by only an hours worth of driving.

The photo below was taken at a lunch stop in Garnavillo Iowa last fall on October 17 . An hour later we were in SW Wisconsin camped in the Cottonwoods along the Mississippi. Virtually no color of note but good weather, good fishing, good food, and good friends. And that’s what I live for.

Best of luck to you and to all of the fiberglass family who stretch that shoulder season into the Jack Frost days of the fall leaf peeping experience.
“Cowboy” Iowa Dave Sheriff of the Shagbarks

[Mike G]

Give that sheriff a star!

[Iowa Dave]

I had a badge but I gave it away a few years ago. However, it was a Parks Commissioner badge. It only worked on people who couldn’t read English and naked love makers in low light situations. That has been my standard Halloween costume for many years. Quick and easily stored.
Iowa Dave

[Chama]

Surprised no one has suggested Brown County, Indiana. Beautiful area for leaf peeping. 630 miles from Tulsa.

[Ooshkaboo]

Originally Posted by Mike G

I'm thinking of taking a little trip somewhere to the north of home (Tulsa) in October for fall color. My question is mainly for you folks in MN, IA, northwest MO and eastern KS: would you care to point out any particular areas or drives where I'm likely to see a good concentration of sugar maples and suchlike? Yellows are okay (no offense to the aspen lovers) , but I'm much more interested in the vivid reds and oranges. Thanks in advance for any hints.

Time it when the eagles are also out, Hwy 79 between Louisiana and Hannibal.
You’re be right where the river looks the best.

Mark Twain cave is combined with a nice RV park.
Lovers Leap is amazing, best view ever of the river.
Hit Becky Thatchers for breakfast and lunch.

The old downtown of Hannibal is a bit rundown but it’s a safe area.

[HABBERDABBER]

It's all about past weather conditions, recent & current weather, location, location....site specific ecological tree species predominance....etc.

Grasshopper......seek.....and ye shall find.........somewhere.

bon voyage,

[Iowa Dave]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Recognizing this, there is a tourism driven subculture called “Stick Season” It promotes driving near abandoned country roads on bright blue sky days, looking at bark colors, bark texture, perfect branching patterns, healed or unhealed storm damage, ancient lightning damage to the trees. This occurs after the leaves have mostly fallen to the ground below. The attraction is the solitude, The contemplation of the season or seasons gone by are warmed by a cabin fireplace, a nice dinner in a local restaurant, a moonlit walk around an ancient sheep pasture now a town square and finally a nights sleep under heavy quilts and the promise of doing it all again tomorrow. Stick season, it’s real.
Iowa Dave

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by Chama

Surprised no one has suggested Brown County, Indiana. Beautiful area for leaf peeping. 630 miles from Tulsa.

Never heard of it before. Thanks.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by Ooshkaboo

Time it when the eagles are also out, Hwy 79 between Louisiana and Hannibal.
You’re be right where the river looks the best.

Mark Twain cave is combined with a nice RV park.
Lovers Leap is amazing, best view ever of the river.
Hit Becky Thatchers for breakfast and lunch.

Thanks for the info.

[HABBERDABBER]

I hope it works.

https://madison.com/eedition/page-y4...ce7a1d8d.html?

[Perry Butler]

The Historic Bluff Country National Scenic Byway is a great fall drive that runs from Dexter (I90) to Le Crescent, MN. It's a fantastic drive in the spring and fall. Personally, I would start at Preston or Lanesboro.

Food for thought,

Perry

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

I hope it works.

https://madison.com/eedition/page-y4...ce7a1d8d.html?

Behind a paywall, unfortunately. Thanks for the thought though.

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by Perry Butler

The Historic Bluff Country National Scenic Byway is a great fall drive that runs from Dexter (I90) to Le Crescent, MN. It's a fantastic drive in the spring and fall. Personally, I would start at Preston or Lanesboro.

Food for thought,

Perry

I am starting to sense that this part of MN, and the part of WI northeast of Dubuque, is a good section to linger in!

[Iowa Dave]

Originally Posted by Mike G

I am starting to sense that this part of MN, and the part of WI northeast of Dubuque, is a good section to linger in!

It is if you can get past the beauty of iowa you will go through first.
Iowa Dave

[HABBERDABBER]

Stunning Fall photo in this link. It's all about timing and good weather.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#in...FJPgCZZDksZCpp

bon chance,

[Mike G]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

It is if you can get past the beauty of iowa you will go through first.
Iowa Dave

More like, the beauty of Iowa on the way back south. Maybe I can chase the color as I go.

[HABBERDABBER]

https://www.travelwisconsin.com/fall...3f4ac2d2c0db88