Foliage map › Destinations › Minnesota › Grand Marais
Grand Marais, Minnesota fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Grand Marais area peaks around September 26, with the best viewing from roughly September 24 to October 2.
- Typical peak
- September 26
- Best viewing
- Sep 24 – Oct 2
- Color starts
- Around Sep 14
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 9
- Elevation
- 700 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around September 26. Turn on JavaScript to see today’s estimated status and the five-week outlook.
The season at a glance
Bar height shows how good the viewing typically is on each day, from September 1 through November 30. Colors show the stage, from green through peak red to bare.
Open Grand Marais on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Grand Marais
Grand Marais is a harbor town on Lake Superior’s North Shore. At Artist’s Point, a rocky peninsula, the lake stretches to the horizon, and just above town, Pincushion Mountain looks out over the harbor and the lake. Nearby, Cascade River State Park has trails along a river that drops through a series of waterfalls, and to the southwest, the Oberg Mountain loop looks down over the hills of maple and birch above the lake.
Scenic drive
Highway 61 follows the North Shore of Lake Superior, past rocky points and river mouths. From Grand Marais, the Gunflint Trail climbs inland about 57 miles through the Superior National Forest, past lakes and the edge of the Boundary Waters.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher
Ely, MN (72 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 7 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Nothing nearby turns later
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Grand Marais typically peaks much later.
Scenic drive guide
Nearby destinations
- Ely, MNTypical peak Sep 18, 7 days earlier. 72 miles away.
- Duluth, MNTypical peak Sep 28, 3 days later. 106 miles away.
- Copper Harbor, MITypical peak Sep 26, about the same time. 115 miles away.
- Minocqua, WITypical peak Sep 27, about the same time. 133 miles away.
- Marquette, MITypical peak Oct 1, 6 days later. 161 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Grand Marais?
In a typical year, fall color in the Grand Marais area peaks around September 26, with the best viewing from roughly September 24 to October 2. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Grand Marais?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around September 14, and most leaves are down by about October 9.
Is Grand Marais early or late compared with the rest of Minnesota?
Grand Marais peaks close to the middle of the Minnesota season, about Sep 27 on average across the 4 Minnesota destinations we track.
What trees color up around Grand Marais?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, paper birch, quaking aspen, red maple, and tamarack and larch. See the leaf guide to identify them.
Estimates come from the Leaves.com model of typical years, based on latitude, elevation, and distance from large bodies of water. They are not live observations. How it works.