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Minnesota Fall Color Update: Week 3 - featuring the North Shore

Sep 30, 2022 08:57AM ● By Content Editor
Image: MN DNR 

From the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - September 30, 2022



 Alternative color map

Sweater (and plaid) weather

It's been warmer than usual this fall, which means fall colors are a little behind. We did a happy dance over here when we felt cooler temperatures this week. Why? "Weather is really the biggest factor in determining fall color," says MN DNR official fall color predictor Val Cervenka. "Fall colors are best when days are sunny and nights chilly. A cold snap will help speed up color change in leaves."

This week's itinerary offers a new take on an old favorite, the famous North Shore. 


Rolling through fall colors by Gitchi Gami

Meaning "great sea" gitchi gami is the Ojibwe name for Lake Superior.

Waterfalls under a starry sky framed by evergreens

Shorter days make fall a great season for stargazing. You too can enjoy starry nights and waterfalls. PHOTO: Todd Bender, taken 9/19/22 at Gooseberry Falls State Park.


Sure, you can go by car or even on foot, but why not bring your bike and pedal along the North Shore? The paved, ADA-compliant Gitchi-Gami State Trail offers cyclists, wheelchair users and hikers the chance to see the North Shore from a new perspective. The southernmost segment runs from Gooseberry Falls State Park north to Silver Bay, passing Split Rock Lighthouse State Park along the way. Further north, two other segments will take you through Temperance River State Park and to the scenic Ray Berglund Wayside. This wayside overlooks the mouth of the Onion River and offers a half-mile trail with lovely views of Lake Superior.  

New in 2022 is the northernmost segment, which starts at the Cut Face Creek Wayside just south of Cascade River State Park, connecting the park with Grand Marais, Minn.

Many of the trees in the area are still green, offering a nice contrast to the reds and oranges of the maple trees and the yellow of the birch leaves. Honeysuckle, hazel and mountain ash are starting to show their fall colors, too. Look for pink salmon running in the shallows of North Shore rivers!

Star trails over waterfalls framed by trees
Boreal Ship Spotter - larger view here