Foliage map › Destinations › Minnesota › Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Duluth area peaks around September 28, with the best viewing from roughly September 27 to October 5.
- Typical peak
- September 28
- Best viewing
- Sep 27 – Oct 5
- Color starts
- Around Sep 16
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 11
- Elevation
- 900 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around September 28. 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 Duluth on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Duluth
Duluth climbs a steep hillside above Lake Superior. Skyline Parkway follows the ridge above the city with overlooks over the lake and the harbor, and Enger Tower looks out from the hill. Hawk Ridge, on the east side, is one of the best places to watch the fall hawk migration. South of the city, Jay Cooke State Park has a swinging bridge over the St. Louis River.
Scenic drive
Highway 61 follows the North Shore of Lake Superior northeast from Duluth, past Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, and Tettegouche State Park, toward Grand Marais.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head farther north
Ely, MN (78 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 10 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head farther south
Minneapolis, MN (137 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 5 days later.
Scenic drive guide
Nearby destinations
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Duluth?
In a typical year, fall color in the Duluth area peaks around September 28, with the best viewing from roughly September 27 to October 5. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Duluth?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around September 16, and most leaves are down by about October 11.
Is Duluth early or late compared with the rest of Minnesota?
Duluth 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 Duluth?
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.