Fall color fans, get ready: This could be a particularly good year for autumn leaves in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources released its official fall color forecast and online dashboard this week as some trees in the northwestern corner of the state are already showing the first reds and yellows of the season.
Brian Schwingle is a forest health consultant with the DNR. He said this year’s changeover could be earlier — and more colorful — than usual.
“Relative to 2024, the weather has really cooperated in 2025 for fall color display,” Schwingle said.
Schwingle said the good weather started in May, with dry conditions that helped trees leaf out and avoid leaf diseases. And, unlike in recent years, there was no significant drought in the state this summer. September started with cooler-than-average weather, which Schwingle said can boost red pigments in leaves.
“If things proceed as they have historically — if we don’t see a horrible warm-up in September, temperatures stay cool — we’ll probably see peak in the latter third of September in various locations throughout northern Minnesota,” Schwingle said.
The DNR predicts a peak in early to mid-October across central Minnesota, and mid- to late October in the southern third of the state.
DNR officials expect a busy leaf-viewing season in state parks in the coming weeks. Spokesperson Sara Berhow said the peak visitor season used to end around Labor Day — but since 2020, numbers have stayed high through October.
“There’s a lot of people who sort of found the outdoors during the pandemic, and they’re continuing to come. And that’s great, we love that,” Berhow said.
The DNR said state parks tend to be especially busy on weekends, during the middle of the day. They recommend weekday or early morning trips to help avoid crowds.
Visitors can check the DNR’s online dashboard for maps showing typical peak color dates around Minnesota, and updates on the progress of fall leaves — along with fall grasses and wildflowers — at each state park.
Schwingle said it’s a good resource to check regularly, because autumn leaves can be hard to forecast.
“I honestly think that predicting fall colors is more complicated than rocket science,” Schwingle said. “There are so many variables that have been studied and continue to be studied.”
Even before and after the peak of autumn leaves in a given location, Schwingle added, visitors can still catch some amount of color — as well as other fall sights, including bird migrations and clear night skies.
