Autumn colors are moving fast across Wisconsin, but you don’t have to drive all the way to the border with the UP to catch a great display this weekend. According to the latest updates from Travel Wisconsin, while far northern towns like Cable, Mercer, Rhinelander, and Land O’ Lakes are already at or just past full peak, a massive stretch of brilliant foliage is filling in the middle of the state.
If you want peak-level views without the long haul north, target the Highway 29 corridor cutting east to west across central Wisconsin. The hardwood forests stretching through Menomonie, Medford, and Clark County are sitting right around 75 to 85 percent, making the drive from Dunn County over to Shawano one of the best routes in the state right now. Central Marinette County is also holding strong at 85 percent color for anyone taking the highway up toward the bay.
Further south along US-10 and through the Wisconsin River valley, the canopy is turning fast. Drivers heading up I-94 will run into a great stretch of color around Black River Falls and Chippewa County, where trees are currently at 60 percent. That same mid-stage color extends east to the shores of Lake Winnebago near Oshkosh, with the rolling farm country around Iola and Scandinavia sitting around 45 percent.
If you are staying close to the southern border, you will be catching the very start of the show. Madison, Delafield, and the bluffs around Devil’s Lake in Baraboo are all hovering between 30 and 35 percent color. Door County is sitting right at that same 30 percent mark, while the coulees of the Driftless Region around La Crosse and the Kickapoo Valley Reserve remain mostly green at 10 to 20 percent.
Autumn weather can strip trees quickly once the leaves turn, so it is best to double-check the live map and local spotter notes at travelwisconsin.com/fall-color-report before you head out.
Previously at Dairyland Sentinel
