Leech Lake Minnesota Fall Color Guide

Leech Lake Minnesota Fall Color Guide

September 9, 2016

Fall has arrived, that means shorter days, cooler temps, great cold water fishing, and changing colors. Leech Lake and the surrounding area offer an abundance of beautiful scenery, which positively brightens as shades of orange, yellow, and red take over the landscape. We want to ensure you don’t miss them, so in this post we will provide great resources for tracking the fall colors in Minnesota, as well as the best places to view them in the Leech Lake area, which is nestled in the leafy Chippewa National Forest. Fall colors arrive quickly, and they can disappear just as fast so make sure you are ready!

Tracking Fall Colors

One of the best fall color finders and trackers in Minnesota is operated and updated daily by the MNDNR. The Minnesota State Parks and Trails Fall Color Finder is one of the best sources for fall color information, and with its past map information you can use it to help you plan your trip. It also offers an email and text alert so you can ensure you don’t miss the turning of the leaves this year. Broken down, with daily reports from over 70 parks and trails scattered all over Minnesota be sure to keep this website handy if you are a fall color fanatic.

If you are looking for weekly updates sent right to your inbox be sure to sign up for the Minnesota Fall Color Update you will be alerted every Thursday to new color changes and forecasts on where the peak will arrive next. They also offer a great Fall Driving Guide that lists some of the best roads In Minnesota to travel during the peak of Autumn. With all the updates and ideas Explore Minnesota offers during the fall season, this makes it a great resource for any Autumn enthusiast.

For all the traditionalists out there nothing will ever beat the tried and true. The Farmer’s Almanac offers predictions for when fall colors will arrive on a state by state basis, and they are right more often than not! So if you need to plan your stay long before peak colors arrive this is your best option.

Finally get the latest information on the local status of the fall colors in the Leech Lake area from the experts in the field by following the Chippewa National Forest on Twitter  and Facebook. With daily photos and or videos, of the local area they are one of our favorite Autumn Resources.

 

Best Places to View the Autumn Colors In Leech Lake

Leech Lake offers a plethora of great options for exploring all the Fall Colors. Our favorite viewing spot is of course from the lake! Cruise along the shore and in and out of bays where the colors are abundant and can vary drastically in different parts of the lake. Don’t forget to bring your fishing equipment either, fall colors and fishing! That is the Leech Lake life. Spend the day trolling the shores while floating past a tapestry of oranges, yellows, and reds.

Another great option for families and bikes we discussed in a past post, is an autumn ride along the paved Heartland and Paul Bunyan bike trails. This is the perfect family activity where you can ride under the changing colors for miles. In many places the trees will form a canopy of color overhead. A fall bike ride in the Leech Lake area is not to be missed, and who doesn’t enjoy the sound of crunching leaves on the trail.

For hikers the Chippewa National Forest offers 160 miles of trails, with over 650,000 acres of forest to hike and explore. Including 1300 lakes and ponds, over 900 miles of river and a plethora of natural beauty. If a relaxing fall hike sounds great to you, you don’t want to miss out on a trip to the Chippewa National Forest.

This fall color season should be absolutely amazing due to the abundant rainfall this summer. So keep an eye out for changing colors and check out our resources often. We hope to see you on the lake or trails this autumn enjoying the colors as much as we do. Be sure to share your Fall photos with us on Facebook and Twitter. If you need lodging in the Leech Lake area don’t forget to check out our Fall Specials with rooms and cabins up to 50% off!