Foliage map › Destinations › Wisconsin › Sturgeon Bay
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin fall foliage
In a typical year, fall color in the Sturgeon Bay (Door County) area peaks around October 9, with the best viewing from roughly October 8 to October 16.
- Typical peak
- October 9
- Best viewing
- Oct 8 – Oct 16
- Color starts
- Around Sep 27
- Leaves mostly down
- Around Oct 22
- Elevation
- 590 ft
2026 foliage season
Typical season
Peak around October 9. 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 Sturgeon Bay on the foliage mapWhere to see the color around Sturgeon Bay
Sturgeon Bay sits where a ship canal cuts across the Door Peninsula, linking the waters of Green Bay to Lake Michigan. Just west of the city, Potawatomi State Park follows limestone bluffs along the bay and marks the eastern end of the Ice Age Trail. On the Lake Michigan side, Cave Point County Park has wave-carved limestone ledges at the water’s edge, next to the dunes and woods of Whitefish Dunes State Park. About 25 miles north, Peninsula State Park has high bluffs over Green Bay and the rebuilt Eagle Tower.
Scenic drive
The Door County Coastal Byway loops the northern peninsula. Route 42 runs north along the Green Bay shore through Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Ephraim, and Sister Bay toward Gills Rock, past bluffs, orchards, and harbors, and Route 57 comes back down the Lake Michigan side through Baileys Harbor, with woods, wetlands, and quieter shoreline.
If you arrive too early or too late
Too early? Still mostly green
Head higher or farther north
Marquette, MI (118 miles away, farther north) typically peaks about 8 days earlier, and Minocqua, WI (134 miles away, higher up) typically peaks about 13 days earlier.
Too late? Already past peak
Head farther south
Milwaukee, WI (127 miles away, farther south) typically peaks about 8 days later.
Nearby destinations
- Traverse City, MITypical peak Oct 8, about the same time. 86 miles away.
- Marquette, MITypical peak Oct 1, 8 days earlier. 118 miles away.
- Milwaukee, WITypical peak Oct 17, 8 days later. 127 miles away.
- Minocqua, WITypical peak Sep 27, 13 days earlier. 134 miles away.
- Mackinac Island, MITypical peak Oct 4, 5 days earlier. 151 miles away.
Trees you’ll see turning
Common questions
When is peak fall foliage in Sturgeon Bay?
In a typical year, fall color in the Sturgeon Bay area peaks around October 9, with the best viewing from roughly October 8 to October 16. Weather can shift the timing by about a week either way.
How long does peak color last in Sturgeon Bay?
Near-peak color usually holds for about 9 days. Color starts to show around September 27, and most leaves are down by about October 22.
Is Sturgeon Bay early or late compared with the rest of Wisconsin?
Sturgeon Bay peaks close to the middle of the Wisconsin season, about Oct 9 on average across the 4 Wisconsin destinations we track.
What trees color up around Sturgeon Bay?
The main fall color in this area comes from sugar maple, paper birch, American beech, and northern red oak. 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.