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Milwaukee, Wisconsin fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Milwaukee area peaks around October 17, with the best viewing from roughly October 16 to October 24.
- Typical peak
- October 17
- Best viewing
- Oct 16 – Oct 24
- Color starts
- Around Oct 5
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 30
- Elevation
- 620 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 17. 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 Milwaukee on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Milwaukee
Milwaukee sits on the bluffs above Lake Michigan, and its lakefront parks are the easiest place in the city to see the color. Lake Park, designed by the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted, follows the top of the bluff with wooded ravines and the North Point Lighthouse. Northwest of the city, the Kettle Moraine country is a landscape of wooded ridges and kettle lakes left by the glaciers, where Holy Hill rises above the forest.
Scenic drive
The Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive winds for more than 100 miles through the Kettle Moraine State Forest’s northern and southern units, following back roads over the ridges and past kettle lakes, marshes, and hardwood forest. Holy Hill, northwest of the city, makes a good stop along the way.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head farther north
Madison, WI (76 miles away) typically peaks about 5 days earlier, and Sturgeon Bay (Door County), WI (127 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 8 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head farther south
Chicago, IL (81 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 5 days later.
Nearby destinations
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Milwaukee?
In a typical year, fall color in the Milwaukee area peaks around October 17, with the best viewing from roughly October 16 to October 24. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Milwaukee?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around October 5, and most leaves are down by about October 30.
Is Milwaukee early or late compared with the rest of Wisconsin?
Milwaukee typically peaks about 8 days later than the Wisconsin average of Oct 9. It ranks 4 of 4 Wisconsin destinations from earliest to latest.
What trees color up around Milwaukee?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, northern red oak, bur oak, and shagbark hickory. 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.