Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Jackson Park
Peak fall color is predicted around November 11. Plan for the strongest viewing window from November 6 to November 16.
- Predicted peak
- November 11
- Best window
- November 6 – November 16
- Confidence range
- ±5 days
The prediction comes from 25 years of fall color records at this spot, checked against what observers on the ground saw. Where state foliage spotters report peak (New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Missouri), it has landed inside our ±5-day window about two years in three. An unusual summer or autumn can still move it further. Explore fall color around Chicago and across Illinois.
That is 4 days later than usual (November 7): the six weeks to October 24 ran 3.0°F warmer than the 2001–2025 average, and a warmer run before peak delays the color. This will settle about ten days before peak, as the weather comes in.
Nearby locales