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.
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Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Rock Cut State Park
Peak fall color is predicted around October 23. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 18 to October 28.
- Predicted peak
- October 23
- Best window
- October 18 – October 28
- Confidence range
- ±5 days
The prediction comes from 14 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 Winnebago County and across Illinois.
That is 4 days later than usual (October 19): the six weeks to October 13 ran 3.1°F warmer than the 2001–2025 average, and a warmer run before peak delays the color.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Rock Cut State Park
1 to 2 hours
- Castle Rock State Park50 mi · 1 hr 11 minPeak: Oct 23Status: High color
- Busse Woods65 mi · 1 hr 16 minPeak: Oct 26Status: Moderate color
- Blackwell Forest Preserve69 mi · 1 hr 32 minPeak: Oct 27Status: High color
- Morton Arboretum80 mi · 1 hr 36 minPeak: Oct 28Status: High color
- Starved Rock State Park83 mi · 1 hr 37 minPeak: Oct 27Status: High color
- Lincoln Park85 mi · 1 hr 49 minPeak: Nov 11Status: High color
- Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park87 mi · 1 hr 50 minWisconsinPeak: Oct 28Status: Moderate color