Summer & Fall · Fall Colors
Fall Colors
Peak color runs from Iron County clear into Michigan’s Western UP, and you’re parked in the middle of it.
Color Season
The whole range goes loud with color
For a few weeks every fall, the whole region goes off. Ridgelines of red and gold roll from the Penokees across the state line into the Western UP, with Lake Superior glinting behind them. It doesn’t last long, and from here you’re right in the thick of it.
How to take it in
Ways to explore the colors
Hiking
Your best hiking of the year
Cool air, dry trails, and a canopy doing its best work. Northern Wisconsin and the Western UP are never better than in October, when the bugs are gone and the hardwoods are lit. Easy ambles or all-day climbs, your call.
Waterfalls
Falls framed in red and gold
This country is stacked with waterfalls, and fall is when they show off. Color crowds the banks from the Penokee falls to the Black River’s run of them across in the UP. Bring a camera you don’t mind getting wet.
On the Water
Color on every shoreline
Still water doubles the show. Paddle Weber Lake or the Gile Flowage with the whole shoreline turned over in red and gold, or watch it from Lake Superior’s edge. The color looks even better with a reflection under it.
Worth the Stop
Color with a side of history
Some color you drive past. Some you climb for. Ride the lift and elevator to the top of Copper Peak and the view runs deep into three states.
Closer to home, the Plumer Mine Headframe still stands over Iron County, the last iron-mining headframe left on the old Penokee-Gogebic Range, framed in red and gold. Work a couple of these into the weekend.
Catch it before it drops
The color peaks for a couple of weeks, then the snow takes the stage. Book a fall weekend and be here for the best of it.