When And Where To Expect North Dakota’s Fall Foliage To Peak This Year
By Tori Jane|Published September 14, 2021
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Autumn is a particularly magical time of year when leaves begin to change, days get shorter, and nights get longer and chillier. It’s a time for sweater weather and pumpkin patches and, most especially, fall color. Fall color in North Dakota tends to be subtle, but if you know where to look (and about when) you can definitely still find it here. After all, it’s a northern state, and fall color tends to be pretty brilliant in northernmost places first and foremost. Luckily for us, the website SmokyMountains.com has released its annual fall color forecast, so let’s take a look at where to go and when to go there for the best fall color in North Dakota:
Fall color in North Dakota begins a little later than one might expect; as you can see from the map below, color will be just beginning to creep in from the north down toward the end of September.
The above graphic is the forecast for September 20th, 2021, and it's interesting that states in the west and southwest will already have color well underway before North Dakota does.
Fall is a lovely time perfect for hiking and getting scenic drives in before the chilly winter sets in.
By October 4th, leaf-changing is forecast to be well underway, with the northern part of the state seeing near-peak color as the southern half begins to catch up.
Mid-October is thought to be when colors will be at their best, peaking throughout the north and getting very close to peak around the rest of the state.
Notably, though, the eastern/northeasternmost parts of the state are forecasted to be past their peak at this point, so if you live in this area, expect to see the peak in the week or so before the 18th.
We definitely recommend a road trip with a camera at this time of year.
You never know what kind of amazing landscapes and scenes you'll find out there; in some places, color will be abundant, and in others, there will be only traces here and there. No matter where you end up, though, it's going to start getting colder - so bring a sweater!
By October 25th, the southwest/south-central part of the state's color will still be at its peak, but the rest of the state is forecast to be past peak at this time.
From this point, color will wane and winter will creep in, and some years it creeps in faster than others! Of course, there is no perfect way to predict exactly what the foliage is going to do and when, but it certainly is fun to try and think about.
If you’d like to see the full fall color forecast map, as well as read all about the methods and science behind it (and the mechanisms of fall color), make sure to check out the official Smoky Mountains website.
What is your favorite thing about autumn in North Dakota? Tell us in the comments – we love to hear from you!
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