Foliage map › Destinations › Minnesota › Ely
Ely, Minnesota fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Ely area peaks around September 18, with the best viewing from roughly September 17 to September 25.
- Typical peak
- September 18
- Best viewing
- Sep 17 – Sep 25
- Color starts
- Around Sep 6
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 1
- Elevation
- 1,420 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around September 18. 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 Ely on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Ely
Ely sits on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in the Superior National Forest, a land of lakes, rocky shores, and forests of birch, aspen, and pine. Just east of town, a short trail leads to Kawishiwi Falls, where the river drops through the woods. South of town, Bear Head Lake State Park has trails around lakes in the forest.
Scenic drive
The Echo Trail runs northwest from Ely through the Superior National Forest, winding past lakes, rock, and birch and aspen forest at the edge of the Boundary Waters. Part of the road is gravel. To the southeast, Highway 1 winds through the forest toward Lake Superior.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Look for higher ground
None of the destinations we track within 150 miles of Ely typically peaks much earlier. Look for higher ground nearby: in this part of the country, color tends to arrive about 4 to 5 days earlier for every 1,000 feet you climb.
Too late? Already past peak
Head lower or farther south
Grand Marais, MN (72 miles away, lower down) typically peaks about 7 days later, and Duluth, MN (78 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 10 days later.
Scenic drive guide
Nearby destinations
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Ely?
In a typical year, fall color in the Ely area peaks around September 18, with the best viewing from roughly September 17 to September 25. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Ely?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around September 6, and most leaves are down by about October 1.
Is Ely early or late compared with the rest of Minnesota?
Ely typically peaks about 8 days earlier than the Minnesota average of Sep 27. It ranks 1 of 4 Minnesota destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Ely?
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.