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 Columbia, Missouri

Explore locations and scenic byways near Columbia, Missouri.

Over 3 hours

Scenic driveWoodlands Trace324 mi · 6 hr 10 minA ridge drive between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley under an autumn canopy.Scenic driveCherohala Skyway618 mi · 11 hr 57 minMile-high vistas and brilliant fall foliage in the southern Appalachian National Forests.Scenic driveDoor County Coastal Byway630 mi · 11 hr 59 minFall foliage against the blue water of Lake Michigan and Green Bay.Pere Marquette State Park128 mi · 3 hr 2 minIllinoisPeak: Early NovemberStatus: Early colorMark Twain National Forest153 mi · 3 hr 22 minPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Moderate colorAlley Spring172 mi · 3 hr 47 minPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Moderate colorElephant Rocks State Park168 mi · 3 hr 49 minPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Moderate colorTaum Sauk Mountain State Park188 mi · 4 hr 23 minPeak: Late OctoberStatus: Moderate color

Driving distance and time by road from Columbia.

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Planning Your Trip to Columbia

From Columbia you can reach 18 fall color locations and 0 scenic byways in Missouri, for day trips that range from a one-hour hike to a full-day drive.

When to Visit

Across the destinations we track around Columbia, peak color has historically landed in Late October, measured from years of fall color records at those spots.

Highlights around Columbia

Gfp-missouri-castlewood-state-park-staircase-path-at-castlewood

Castlewood State Park

Yinan Chen · Public Domain

Great River Road - Entry Arch at the Arkansas-Missouri Border

Great River Road

Public domain

181104-FS-Mark Twain-DSR-001

Mark Twain National Forest

usfs_Eastern_Region · Public domain

Gfp-missouri-taum-sauk-mountain-state-park-winter-forest

Taum Sauk Mountain State Park

Yinan Chen · Public Domain

How we know when Columbia 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.