Illinois Fall Color Report

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

 The Best Places to See Fall Colors:

• Starved Rock State Park, a storied natural area located less than 100 miles southwest of Chicago. Stay in the Starved Rock Lodge for amazing views overlooking the trees
• The lush woods that make up over 10,000 acres of protected land at the Forest Preserves of Winnebago County
• In Chicago, the fall trees are a great excuse to visit sites such as Millennium Park with its iconic Cloud Gate
• Located in Lisle, the Morton Arboretum celebrates with fall-themed events among 1,700 acres of seasonal splendor

Estimated Peak Times

Second week of October

What's Happening This Week:

• Northeast Illinois:
• The fall colors are waning, with high winds knocking down and blowing away the remaining leaves on many species of trees.
• Some oaks are still showing reds and browns.
• Red oak trees that aren’t defoliated are reddish brown.
• Black oaks and bur oaks are yellowish brown, with white oaks reddish brown.
• Mulberry tree leaves have mostly blown away with some yellow leaves remaining, while elms range from green to yellow.
• Silver maples are mostly done, with some red remaining in red maples.
• North Central:
• A lot of trees are bare in north central Illinois after rain, followed by wind stripped a lot of the yellow color out of the forested areas in the region.

The Best Places to See Fall Colors:

• Galena, an idyllic river town surrounded by tree-lined hilltops
• Pere Marquette State Park, located at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers
• Drives from Alton to Grafton along the Great River Road

Estimated Peak Times

Second week of October

What's Happening This Week:

• Throughout northwest Illinois:
• Early November finds the colors of fall are past the peak, but still presenting a pleasant landscape view.
• Oak leaves are hanging on with the main colors of dark orange, brown, and red.
• Colors are mainly past peak in west central Illinois, but there is still a lot of color to see.
• While many maples are now bare, there are a lot of sugar maples that are still golden and some red maples that are spectacular red.
• Silver maples are dropping leaves quickly, while oaks have all turned various reds, browns and golden (and many still have some green leaves).
• Hickories are totally brown, while sweet gums are starting to turn yellow and orange.
• Flowering dogwoods are turning purple.
• In wind-protected landscapes, hickory, Paw Paw, Osage orange, mulberry, catalpa, and black oak trees are still showing yellow, with some sugar maples still showing yellow/red/gold/orange.
• Patches of sumac and individual sassafras and dogwoods continue to show red, with white oaks, red oaks, pin oaks, and shingle oaks showing rust-colored red.
• The upland portions of Brown County are quite beautiful right now as oak species have colored, creating a rusty appearance with red highlights from the understory fragrant sumac.  

 The Best Places to See Fall Colors:

• Farms and orchards, such as Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery and The Great Pumpkin Patch
• The town of Monticello, home to the 1,517-acre Allerton Park
• The area round beautiful Lake Decatur, including the Rock Springs Nature Center

Estimated Peak Times

Middle of October

What's Happening This Week:

• In rural central Illinois, the leaves that remain are past peak and dropping fast, with some remaining red, yellow, orange, and brown hues.
• In urban areas with cultivars of European, Asian and other species, plus a lot of maples that show color later in the season, community parks and boulevards are still worthy of a stroll or bike ride.

The Best Places to See Fall Colors:

• The canopies of Shawnee National Forest — with a great overhead view from Garden of the Gods
• More outdoor trails (including horseback riding) at Giant City State Park
• The many wine trails, lakes, and other activities near Carbondale

Estimated Peak Times

Last week of October

What's Happening This Week:

• Throughout the southern Illinois region, colors are peaking or past peak in many locations.
• Some sugar and red maples have some color left.
• Hickory leaves are now a yellowish-brown, while the bald cypress leaves are mainly still holding mostly brown, with a few having a little bit of green remaining.
• The forest is a mixture of some green, yellow, and brown.
• Natural areas in southern Illinois are still colorful enough on a sunny day in most areas for a fun drive or trail hike, but this first full weekend of November is likely the last weekend for a good fall color show.