10/13/2026
The Minnesota fall colors map shows a state split into three clear stages, with color moving from north to south. The north is at its best, the middle is climbing, and the south is just getting started.
Most of northern Minnesota is shaded red, which means peak color. That covers a huge stretch of the state, from the Canadian border down through the Boundary Waters region and across the Arrowhead. Forests there are mostly in full display right now, with maples, aspens, and birches at their brightest. A thin brown strip along the far northeast tip near Lake Superior is marked past peak, so that corner has already moved beyond its best.
Just south of the red zone, a band of darker orange shows high color. It runs across the north central and northwest parts of the state. Those areas are close behind the peak and should look great over the next several days. Below that, a wider band of lighter orange marks moderate color across central Minnesota, including the lake country west and north of the Twin Cities.
Saint Paul sits right at the line between moderate and low color. That suggests the metro area is turning, but the trees have not reached their full glow. Parks, river bluffs, and neighborhood streets should keep gaining color through the middle of the month, which fits the usual pattern for the Twin Cities.
Southern Minnesota is yellow, or low color, from the southwest corner across to the southeast. Trees there typically turn last, with many areas peaking in the second half of October. Anyone planning a drive can follow the color south, starting with the North Shore and the Iron Range, then working toward the metro, and finishing with the river valleys near the Mississippi later this month. The map is a snapshot, so a quick check again in a few days will show how fast each band is moving.
