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 Eau Claire & Chippewa Valley
Peak fall color is predicted around October 21. Plan for the strongest viewing window from October 16 to October 26.
Predicted peakOctober 21
Best windowOctober 16 – October 26
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 Eau Claire and across Wisconsin.
That is 4 days later than usual (October 17): the six weeks to October 11 ran 3.3°F warmer than the 2001–2025 average, and a warmer run before peak delays the color.
Nearby locales
Other places to see color near Eau Claire & Chippewa Valley
1 to 2 hours
- Perrot State Park64 mi · 1 hr 38 minPeak: Oct 16Status: Peak color
- Fort Snelling State Park94 mi · 1 hr 52 minMinnesotaPeak: Oct 19Status: Moderate color
- Summit Avenue (St. Paul)94 mi · 1 hr 53 minMinnesotaPeak: Oct 23Status: Moderate color
- Minnehaha Falls93 mi · 1 hr 54 minMinnesotaPeak: Oct 19Status: Moderate color
2 to 3 hours
- Hyland Hills Ski Area (Bloomington)101 mi · 2 hr 2 minMinnesotaPeak: Oct 18Status: Moderate color
- Taylors Falls94 mi · 2 hr 5 minMinnesotaPeak: Oct 10Status: High color
- Interstate State Park95 mi · 2 hr 6 minMinnesotaPeak: Oct 10Status: High color
- Wildcat Mountain State Park110 mi · 2 hr 13 minPeak: Oct 11Status: Peak color
- Interstate State Park96 mi · 2 hr 17 minPeak: Oct 10Status: High color