LANSING, Mich. — Fall colors are turning, but there's a lot of green out there still. If you are looking at memories on social media, last year at this time was much more colorful! Let's look at progress in 2023.
DISCLAIMER: All of these pictures and information are as of October 18th, 2023. Fall colors can change in a hurry.
We're going to start in the north and work our way down through our lovely state. Of course anyone venturing to the Upper Peninsula needs to plan a little more than others staying closer to home. Let's start all the way over in the Keweenaw Peninsula at Houghton / Hancock. More specifically the campus of Michigan Tech. Colors are vibrant in this area and many other areas along the lake shore. The warmer waters of the Great Lakes is known for keeping overnight lows warmer, thus, slower turning of the leaves. It might be surprising to some seeing the amount of green left in this picture!
As we work our way across the Upper Peninsula, we'll make our next stop in Marquette. This is a gorgeous camera shot courtesy of Northern Michigan University. Once again, you'll notice there is a lot of color, but it's still not at peak. Numerous large areas of green are still mixed into the vibrant oranges, yellows, and reds. Inland the colors are still past peak. If you do take a trip to the U.P. please remember the best colors are along the water.
As we continue our journey through northern Michigan, we'll stop at an area that "bridges" the two peninsulas. HA! Get it? We are heading to Mackinac! More specifically Mackinac Island. I used to live and work on the Island for a brief time and still have friend there that can send me some photos. Bart Theron of the Chippewa Hotel sent me these gorgeous pictures of color progressing on Mackinac Island. Peak color he told me. If you want to catch these sights you better hurry! Not only will the leaves drop soon, but the island will be closed before the end of October.
Next, lets head into the heart of the Lower Peninsula around Gaylord! I graduated high school in the Apline Village after spending most of my childhood in the area. Since my family is still there, I can get you pictures on demand as well! I'm also tossing in a few pics from MDOT around the Gaylord and Grayling areas as well. Colors are definitely nearing peak!
Nearby, we have the famous, nearly new Boyne Sky Bridge! Be careful planning a trip here in the wind and rain. However, the colors look like they are making great progress with more to go as there are still a lot of yellow and greens to be seen. This image below can be found on their website so you can check before you go.
Let's head down the western side of the state to an area a little closer and more accessible to many of us for fall color drives. I took this picture on Monday, October 16th at the Tustin Scenic Overlook just south of Cadillac on US-131. Colors are easily peak here! I was surprised how fast I went from mostly green to peak. If you don't see fall color to your liking just keep driving!
Remember, lake shore areas and locations further south are even further behind. Some in lower Michigan are barely seeing any color change at all yet. This is an image from MDOT near Muskegon. Virtually nothing happening here just yet.
All around Grand Rapids, Lansing, Jackson, Flint, Detroit, etc. there are some fall colors to be seen, but everything is very green still as of Wednesday October 18th, 2023. With cold temperatures coming in for the latter part of the weekend into next week, we could see the fall foliage change at a pretty rapid pace.
I'll be sure to post updates!
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