Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Spring Mill State Park
Peak fall color is predicted around October 28. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 23 to November 2.
- Predicted peak
- October 28
- Best window
- October 23 – November 2
- Confidence range
- ±5 days
- Color season
- October 13 – November 2
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 Lawrence County and across Indiana.
That is 5 days later than usual (October 23): the six weeks to October 18 ran 4.2°F warmer than the 2001–2025 average, and a warmer run before peak delays the color.
Fall color at Spring Mill State Park begins as early as October 13 in some spots and continues through November 2 in others — a 20-day window where you can catch peak color somewhere in the area regardless of when you visit.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Spring Mill State Park
1 to 2 hours
- Brown County State Park63 mi · 1 hr 42 minPeak: Oct 29Status: Moderate color
- Hoosier National Forest58 mi · 1 hr 44 minPeak: Oct 30Status: High color
- Iroquois Park69 mi · 1 hr 54 minKentuckyPeak: Nov 2Status: Moderate color
- O’Bannon Woods State Park63 mi · 1 hr 54 minPeak: Oct 26
- Cataract Falls70 mi · 1 hr 56 minPeak: Oct 26Status: High color
- E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer State Park70 mi · 1 hr 57 minKentuckyPeak: Nov 1Status: Peak color
- Clifty Falls State Park67 mi · 2 hrPeak: Oct 27Status: Peak color