Fall colors in full swing across northern Minnesota and North Shore

Fall officially arrived on Sept. 22 with the autumnal equinox, but its presence has been visible for weeks across northeastern Minnesota.

In early September, some maple tree leaves turned a brilliant red, contrasting sharply with the surrounding green landscape within the Superior National Forest.

Red maple leaf on September 6 | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

The reduction of daylight hours in the fall initiates a process in deciduous trees, where they stop producing chlorophyll, the green pigment in leaves that is essential for photosynthesis. With the reduction of chlorophyll, the colors of yellow, orange, and red are then unmasked.

While daylight hours play a significant role in the process, other stressors, such as temperatures or drought, can contribute to the timing or vibrancy of leaf colors.

The late spring and early summer months across northern Minnesota experienced relatively dry conditions, the latter part of the summer and into the fall experienced decent precipitation. This means that trees retained their leaves, rather than losing them early to drought stress.

“So that’s a really good thing for fall colors,” said Brian Schwingle, a forest health program consultant with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, in an early September webinar.

The second factor, Schwingle said, is that northern Minnesota experiences some cool temperatures in early September, which is beneficial because, “when you get those cool temperatures that don’t quite get down to freezing, you get more of those red pigments produced in the leaves.”

Sugar maple leaves on September 23 | photo by Kalli Hawkins

In early September, Cook County and other areas in the northern regions experienced frost. Schwingle said, with the early frost and short stretch of cooler temperatures at the beginning of the month, the “peak fall colors” will occur earlier in the year.

According to the Minnesota DNR Fall Color Finder, as of Sept. 24, northeastern Minnesota is at 25 to 50% of peak fall colors. The peak color timeline is similar, yet slightly ahead of previous years.

In 2024, the peak fall colors for Cook County and the North Shore arrived between Oct. 6 and 8, according to the DNR Fall Color Finder.

Traveling backroads throughout Cook County, a wide range of fall color viewing remains. Some maple trees have already turned deep red and begun dropping their leaves, while in other areas, some maple trees are still displaying oranges and reds. Many of the aspens and birch trees remain predominantly green or yellow in color.

County Road 60 on September 23 | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

Various fall colors on September 23 | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

Aerial View of Mineral Road on September 22 | Photo by Alan Nyiri

Audio of Brian Schwingle, a forest health program consultant with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, speaking about Minnesota’s fall colors in a Sept. 9 webinar is below.

Kalli Hawkins September 24, 2025