Foliage map › Destinations › Kentucky › Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Louisville area peaks around October 30, with the best viewing from roughly October 29 to November 6.
- Typical peak
- October 30
- Best viewing
- Oct 29 – Nov 6
- Color starts
- Around Oct 18
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Nov 12
- Elevation
- 460 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 30. 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 Louisville on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Louisville
Louisville has a system of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Cherokee Park winds through wooded hills and along Beargrass Creek, and Iroquois Park has an overlook from its hilltop across the city. On the southwest edge of the county, Jefferson Memorial Forest has trails through the knobs. About 25 miles south, Bernheim Forest covers thousands of acres of woods, lakes, and knobs.
Scenic drive
I-65 heads south from Louisville into the Knobs, a region of steep, cone-shaped hills, to Bernheim Forest near Clermont. From there, Kentucky 245 continues east through the countryside to Bardstown.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Nothing nearby turns earlier
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Louisville typically peaks much earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Nothing nearby turns later
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Louisville typically peaks much later.
Nearby destinations
- Lexington, KYTypical peak Oct 28, 2 days earlier. 70 miles away.
- Nashville (Brown County), INTypical peak Oct 28, 2 days earlier. 71 miles away.
- Cincinnati, OHTypical peak Oct 29, about the same time. 89 miles away.
- Indianapolis, INTypical peak Oct 27, 3 days earlier. 107 miles away.
- Red River Gorge, KYTypical peak Oct 28, 2 days earlier. 117 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Louisville?
In a typical year, fall color in the Louisville area peaks around October 30, with the best viewing from roughly October 29 to November 6. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Louisville?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 18, and most leaves are down by about November 12.
Is Louisville early or late compared with the rest of Kentucky?
Louisville peaks close to the middle of the Kentucky season, about Oct 29 on average across the 3 Kentucky destinations we track.
What trees color up around Louisville?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, tulip tree, shagbark hickory, and sassafras. 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.