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Illinois Fall Color Report

Enjoy Illinois presents the official Illinois Fall Color Report courtesy of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Discover the best places to see foliage unfolding in every region of the state.

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This is the final update to our 2021 fall color report. We hope you enjoyed these weekly updates - and more importantly, we hope you were able to get out and see the stunning fall colors across the state. Read on to find out what to look for and where.

The map below shows the estimated peaks to see the autumn hues in each region. Click the links to jump directly to a region and see what colors have sprung up this week — and explore the best places to see the fall colors for yourself.

Updated 11/12/2021

The regions of Illinois
Estimated Peak Times
Chicago & Beyond: Second week of October
Great Rivers Country: Second week of October
Land of Lincoln: Middle of October
Trails to Adventure: Last week of October

AMBER SKYLINES AROUND THE VIBRANT CITY

Chicago & Beyond

At night, the lights of Chicago's skyline make for a dazzling display of its own, but look down and you'll see plenty of fall foliage popping up among the city's verdant parks and public spaces. Be sure to venture outside the city, where some of the best fall colors can be seen, peppering the region known as Chicago & Beyond with all the hues of autumn.

 The Best Places to See Fall Colors:

Estimated Peak Times

Second week of October.

What We're Seeing Now

Starved Rock State Park

Fall colors on October 20

Illinois Beach State Park

Fall colors on October 24

Starved Rock State Park

Fall colors on October 20

Matthiessen State Park

Fall colors on October 20

Matthiessen State Park

Fall colors on October 20

Northern Illinois

Poison sumac on October 20

Illinois Beach State Park

Fall colors on October 24

Illinois Beach State Park

Fall colors on October 24

Starved Rock State Park

Fall colors on October 27

Northeast Illinois

Fall colors on November 10

Northeast Illinois

Fall colors on November 10

Northeast Illinois

Fall colors on November 10

Northeast Illinois

Fall colors on November 10

What's Happening This Week:

  • The Illinois State Forester reports this weekend may be the last best chances to enjoy the peak of fall color. 
  • After a slow start due to extended warm and dry weather into the early autumn, colors peaked and are waning in much of northern Illinois. 
  • However, a weekend drive or hike through woodlands and tree-lined urban parks or city streets will still offer a good show. 

Red Leaves Between the Rivers

Great Rivers Country

Stretching the western edge of Illinois along the bank of the Mississippi River, Great Rivers Country is home to some of autumn's most brilliant landscapes. There you'll find trees such as oak, white ash, red maple, sugar maple, hickories, and burning bushes, which by the end of the season, shine with a brilliant scarlet in the sun.

The Best Places to See Fall Colors:

Estimated Peak Times

Second week of October.

What's Happening This Week:

  • In west central Illinois, some trees are retaining leaves while others saw leaf drop accelerating with the high winds and occasional rain that followed last week’s cold overnights. 

CENTRAL ILLINOIS' SHIMMERING SUMACS

Land of Lincoln

The central region of Illinois is steeped in history, but the leaves keep turning year after year in the Land of Lincoln. Home to cities such as the capital, Springfield, the Illinois River Valley comes alive with the orange and yellow of maples and oaks, the purple hues of dogwoods and hazelnuts, and the red and orange clusters of rose hips on wild roses.

 The Best Places to See Fall Colors:

Estimated Peak Times

Late October.

What We're Seeing Now

Urbana, Illinois

Flowering dogwood on October 16

Urbana, Illinois

Sweetgum on October 16

Urbana, Illinois

A colorful combination of crabapples on October 16

Urbana, Illinois

Changing dogwood on October 27

Newton Lake

Fall colors in Jasper County on November 4

Iroquois River

Fall colors in Iroquois County on November 10

What's Happening This Week:

  • In some counties in central Illinois, leaf watchers report the best of fall color is at or just past peak this week. 
  • In east central Illinois, the orange and yellow of sugar maples and hickories have been waning. 
  • Most white oaks have turned with some purple or scarlet. Black oaks and red oaks have some red and burnt orange. 
  • Sugar maples are showing the best colors of the season this week in some locations, with some seemingly glowing. 
  • Oak species are now showing their fall colors with oak/hickory landscapes displaying a myriad of yellow and rustic red/brown. 
  • Hickory, walnut, silver maple, cottonwood, pawpaw, Osage orange, mulberry, catalpa, hackberry, and buckeye trees continue to show yellow but are browning and losing leaves quickly. 
  • Sycamores are still showing orange and brown in most areas.
  • This middle weekend of November should offer a good view for fall color drives on township and country roads, though this week’s rain and wind defoliated a number of trees in some locations.

Saffron Hues in Southern Illinois

Trails to Adventure

The sprawling canopies of Shawnee National Forest cover the landscape of Southern Illinois, a region known as Trails to Adventure. In the fall, hickories, red oak, and sassafras form a tapestry of yellow and orange, while trees like white oak settle into a deep red. All of it makes for a perfect time to hike among the trails or take a trip through Shawnee Wine Trail.

The Best Places to See Fall Colors:

Estimated Peak Times

Last week of October.

What We're Seeing Now

Southern Illinois

Bald cypress cones on a bald cypress branch

Southeast Illinois

Aerial view of fall colors on October 27

Crissenberry Lake

Fall colors in Jackson County on November 4

Giant City State Park

Fall colors in Southern Illinois on November 10

What's Happening This Week:

  • In some areas of southern Illinois, the peak fall color has finally appeared, but leaf watchers fear it may not last long as some species are losing leaves quickly. 
  • Sassafras and sweetgums are still mainly yellow/red, and sumacs are bright red. 
  • Cypress are almost completely bronze, contrasting with the yellow of hickory leaves. 
  • The bottomlands are still holding some yellows and golds, with yellow in the elm, pawpaw, maple, sycamore, basswood, hickory, oak, and tulip poplar trees. 
  • Red/purple colors are showing in some southern Illinois sassafras, blackgum, sweetgum, dogwood, and oaks. 
  • The rolling Shawnee Hills are at or slightly past peak. Driving through more densely forested areas offers some great views. 
  • The canopy is a calming mix of yellow-orange and red-brown, though the leaf fall has started to pick up on windy days. 
Fall Road Trips & Scenic Drives Fall Activities
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