Wisconsin’s Dairy State is such a great place for leaf peeping that some people travel from other states just to experience the beauty. For locals, this special moment when the leaves begin to turn shades of gold, pink and amber is often highly anticipated, often leading to a day trip by car or an overnight adventure in search of more leaves.
According to Wisconsin Fall Colors Report, the second week of October is often a great time for fall foliage in Wisconsin. The colors may peak later or earlier, however, depending on where you go, with upstate forests usually peaking in tardy September. But you don’t have to travel far; many places near downtown Milwaukee virtually guarantee fall photos you’ll want to capture on your camera.
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Seven Bridges Trail, Grant Park, South Milwaukee
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Once you step inside this park – the second largest in Milwaukee County – you’ll quickly forget that you’re just a few miles south of the buildings that shape Milwaukee’s skyline. Along Lake Michigan, 381 wooded acres feature paved walking and biking trails, as well as overlooks of the sandy shoreline. Hop on the 3-mile Seven Bridges Trail for the ultimate leaf-peeping experience.
Grant Park is located just 10 miles from downtown Milwaukee, making it one of the city’s best options for viewing fall foliage without having to travel too far from the city. In fact, you don’t even need a car to visit this place. Take public transport from the city center and take bus number 15, which takes passengers directly to the park entrance.
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Holy Mountain, Hubertus
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Considered a pilgrimage not only for Catholics – because of the Holy Mass, sanctuary, basilica and other liturgical celebrations – the hike to the Holy Hill each fall is a right of passage for most locals who want to see the fall leaves. You’ll definitely want to climb to the top of the bell tower, which is one of the highest places in the region, to get a bird’s-eye view of the colorful trees. Open to the public from May 1 to October 1, the Stage Tower extends 50 meters above the hilltop, providing a perfect view of the changing colors below.
The church is located about 45 minutes from Milwaukee in the suburb of Hubertus.
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Lake Geneva
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It’s a favorite vacation spot for Chicagoans, named after the lake and filled to the brim with historic, stately estates, including Czarny Punkt housing estatewhich is the former summer home of beer tycoon Conrad Seipp, who lived there in the tardy 1800s. There are also charming shops and a local winery, Studio Winery, which offers live music on Saturday afternoons throughout the season in town. A straightforward walk along part of the 26-mile path around the lake will bring in plenty of fall color, or you can drive through the area and admire the leaves from your car.
Lake Geneva lies right on the border with Illinois and is about halfway between Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago. Enjoy the end of the toasty season by booking a campsite at Big Foot Beach State Park for a pleasant escape from everyday life before winter arrives.
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Sturgeon Bay and Door County
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Door County, one of Wisconsin’s favorite summer vacation spots, is even prettier in the fall, when the crowds start to die down and the leaves start to turn green. A favorite dinner tradition in Door County is the fish boil, an venerable Scandinavian tradition that locals still cherish. Several restaurants offer this menu, but try Restaurant in the venerable post office in Ephraim, where it is combined with theatrical stories every evening.
There are quite a few state parks from the county’s southernmost city (Sturgeon Bay) to the tip of the peninsula, including Newport State Park in Ellison Bay, Peninsula State Park in Fish Creek, and Potawatomi State Park and Whitefish Dunes State Park in Sturgeon Bay. The bay itself is actually Little Green Bay and is only a 45-minute drive from the city of Green Bay.
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Minocqua and the Eagle River
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The Eagle River, located in the northern part of the state near the border of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is home to many fishing and hunting lodges. Residents of this diminutive town enjoy everything from sailing in the summer to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter.
Fall is the perfect time to visit Minocqua, a town of just under 5,000 people located near the Eagle River. There are approximately 600 miles of hiking trails in this northern region, so there are plenty of places to catch fall foliage, although it’s best to go during the first week of October when the weather gets cooler and the leaves change colors more quickly.
One of the most popular places to hike in search of fall colors is Bearwhich runs through 20 miles of venerable railroad tracks that were once used to transport lumber from northern Wisconsin throughout the Midwest.
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Great River Road and Trempealeau
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The Great River Road in western Wisconsin, the state’s only National Scenic Byway, is one of the best road trips in the country, especially in the fall. The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads stretching across 10 U.S. states and running along the Mississippi River from Minnesota and Wisconsin to New Orleans, Louisiana.
It’s worth stopping along the way in the town of Trempealeau, located on a 250-mile route that passes through 33 diminutive river towns in the state. You can even spend the night there by booking a hotel room Hotel Trempealeau, an accommodation facility listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are several nearby parks perfect for hiking and viewing the changing leaves, such as Great River State Trail and Perrot State Park.
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