The predicted color stage on the selected date, modelled from years of fall color records. A forecast, not a live observation.When each area's color is predicted to peak this season. The date doesn't change this view.

Fall foliage near Chicago, Illinois

Explore locations and scenic byways near Chicago, Illinois.

2 to 3 hours

Starved Rock State Park96 mi · 2 hr 1 minPeak: Late OctoberStatus: High colorRock Cut State Park95 mi · 2 hr 4 minPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Peak colorSeven Bridges Trail at Grant Park93 mi · 2 hr 4 minWisconsinPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Moderate colorPotato Creek State Park84 mi · 2 hr 4 minIndianaPeak: Late OctoberAnderson Japanese Gardens (Rockford)94 mi · 2 hr 5 minPeak: Late OctoberStatus: High colorBonneyville Mill County Park (Elkhart County)113 mi · 2 hr 14 minIndianaPeak: Late OctoberStatus: High colorSchlitz Audubon Nature Center108 mi · 2 hr 23 minWisconsinPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Moderate colorMilwaukee Area (Seven Bridges Trail, Lake Park)108 mi · 2 hr 24 minWisconsinPeak: Late OctoberStatus: High colorFred Russ Forest114 mi · 2 hr 24 minMichiganPeak: Mid OctoberCastle Rock State Park114 mi · 2 hr 31 minPeak: Late OctoberStatus: High colorLion's Den Gorge Nature Preserve120 mi · 2 hr 38 minWisconsinPeak: Late OctoberStatus: High colorSaugatuck Dunes State Park137 mi · 2 hr 41 minMichiganPeak: Late OctoberHolland State Park148 mi · 2 hr 57 minMichiganPeak: Late OctoberStatus: High color

Over 3 hours

Scenic driveDoor County Coastal Byway250 mi · 5 hrFall foliage against the blue water of Lake Michigan and Green Bay.Scenic driveRiver Road Scenic Byway363 mi · 6 hr 45 minPanoramic views over the AuSable River Valley from high bluffs, with fall color.Scenic driveAmish Country Byway360 mi · 6 hr 59 minRolling hills and farmland backed by autumn color.Robert Allerton Park152 mi · 3 hr 4 minPeak: Late OctoberBlack Partridge Park148 mi · 3 hr 7 minPeak: Late OctoberStatus: High colorPokagon State Park155 mi · 3 hr 7 minIndianaPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Peak colorEagle Creek Park163 mi · 3 hr 16 minIndianaPeak: Late OctoberStatus: High colorTurkey Run State Park144 mi · 3 hr 29 minIndianaPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Peak colorTom and Jane Dustin Nature Preserve (Fort Wayne)156 mi · 3 hr 36 minIndianaPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Peak color

Driving distance and time by road from Chicago.

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Planning Your Trip to Chicago

From Chicago you can reach 14 fall color locations and 0 scenic byways in Illinois, for day trips that range from a one-hour hike to a full-day drive.

When to Visit

Across the destinations we track around Chicago, peak color has historically landed in Mid November, measured from years of fall color records at those spots.

Highlights around Chicago

How we know when Chicago peaks

Each date above comes from years of fall color records at that specific spot, checked against what observers on the ground saw — not a regional average wearing a local name. Where a location has no usable observations of its own, we withhold the date and point you somewhere nearby that does.