You don't need the North Shore: Minnesota fall color day trips you can do before dinner
You don't need a full tank of gas or a full weekend to see Minnesota's fall colors.
Some of the state's best color trips can be done in a day, with time to hike, explore and still get home for dinner. Sara Berhow of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says the North Shore gets most of the attention every fall, but the color is worth seeing all over the state.
Early in the season, Berhow steers people toward the prairie parks on the western side of Minnesota. Glacial Lakes State Park, outside Starbuck, has wildflowers, trails and fewer crowds. Sibley State Park is another option.
To the south, Frontenac State Park offers hiking and overlooks of the Mississippi River Valley. Berhow said fall is bird migration season and the Mississippi is a flyway, making the park a "really good spot to see bird migration."
From Frontenac, the DNR suggests driving south and stringing parks together — John A. Latsch State Park and Great River Bluffs State Park, then west toward Rochester and Whitewater State Park.
"That could be a really great day trip, and you can hit three or four parks in one beautiful drive," Berhow said.
If you want a quieter trip, go midweek. Berhow said Afton State Park, southeast of the Twin Cities, gets very busy on fall weekends but stays quiet on weekdays, and early morning or late evening thins the crowds anywhere.
The DNR kicked off its 2026 fall color season this month with its Fall Color Finder, which tracks change at more than 70 state parks and recreation areas and updates weekly through the end of October, according to prior CBS News reporting. Color in Minnesota typically peaks from late September through mid-October, starting in the far northwest and north-central parts of the state and working southeast, and it usually lasts about a week in any one area. Summer heat and drought could affect how brilliant the colors get, and fall has become a bigger piece of the state's tourism business.
One more thing to keep in mind when planning: don't get hung up on hitting the exact peak.
"After peak just means it's not at the very best, but there's still gonna be leaves on the trees," Berhow said. "There are still great things to see and do."
