Your 2024 Guide to Wisconsin’s Fall Colors

Shades of yellow and orange are starting to spread across Travel Wisconsin’s ‘Fall Colors’ Map! Every year, the statewide website tracks when colors will peak in all 72 counties.

Right now, trees in the northernmost counties (places like Burnett and Hurley) are just starting to turn their brightest shades. On average, fall colors are their most vivid during the last week of September and/or the first week of October in the northern third of the state.

Central Wisconsin’s peak arrives shortly after, during the first two weeks of October. The southern half of the state usually reaches its peak by mid-to-late October. Normally, the height of colors will hit around the 15th or slightly after.

🍁 What determines how bright the fall colors will be?

Not every year is the same and depends on temperature and rainfall. Colors, especially reds, thrive on warm days and cool (but not freezing) nights. Severe weather conditions, like an early frost, strong winds, or heavy rain can delay or impact the season’s color.

🍁 What colors are most common in Wisconsin?

Different tree species produce different color palletes. Wisconsin’s most common trees are oaks (red/brown leaves), birch (bright yellow), dogwood (purple/red), poplar (golden yellow), and maple trees (orange/red/yellow.)

🍁 When will my leaves change?

Click here to view the currently forecasted peak in your neighborhood!

🍁 Where are the best spots to see Wisconsin’s fall colors?

You can find fall colors in every part of the state – from the deep woods of Northern Wisconsin to the rolling hills of the Driftless region. But here are the most scenic destinations (and how to make a weekend of it.)

HIDDEN GEM 💎 Eagle Tower, located in Fish Creek’s Peninsula State Park, offers panoramic views of the park, Green Bay (and some of its islands!), the village of Ephraim, and the Upper Michigan shoreline. In one word, it’s breathtaking.

The tower itself is 60 feet high, but it’s built on top of Eagle Bluff–making it a total of 253 feet above the Bay of Green Bay. You can reach the top by either taking 100 stairs or using the fully-accessible 850-foot walkway that winds its way above the treeline. (Don’t worry: The walk has level spots and benches along the way where you can stop for a rest and a view!)

🚧 Fun Fact: This isn’t the first, or even second, Eagle Tower. The initial observation deck was built in 1914 and stood for 18 years before it was deconstructed and fully rebuilt in 1932. The second version was closed in 2015 due to structural safety concerns and was carefully deconstructed in 2016. The third (and current) Eagle Tower opened in 2021 as the only fully-accessible wood observation tower of its height in the country!

MORE: The Exact Dates Colors are Expected to Peak Across Wisconsin