Field notes · 2026 estimate
When to see peak color at Leelanau Peninsula
Peak fall color is predicted around October 23. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 18 to October 28.
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 Leelanau County and across Michigan.
That is 2 days later than usual (October 22): the six weeks to October 13 ran 1.2°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
Other places to see color near Leelanau Peninsula
30 to 60 minutes
2 to 3 hours
Over 3 hours
- Tahquamenon Falls, Michigan222 mi · 4 hr 39 minPeak: Oct 6Status: Peak color
- Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore261 mi · 5 hr 30 minPeak: Oct 9Status: Peak color
- Upper Peninsula (U.P.)305 mi · 6 hr 23 minPeak: Oct 12Status: Peak color
- Door County (Peninsula State Park, Cave Point)427 mi · 8 hr 50 minWisconsinPeak: Oct 18Status: High color