The Finale - Fall Color Finder Map 🍂🍄🥾

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Fall Color Finder Map 🍂🍄🥾

Map of Minnesota shows most of the state is past fall color peak. A few small areas in southern MN are at peak.

The Fall Color Finder Map uses observations from state parks and trails staff to estimate fall color across Minnesota. Staff report their location's color percentage weekly. Data entered at park locations is used to project estimated color nearby. Remember, the map is an estimate, and color percentages are open to personal interpretation. Happy trails!

Minneopa State Park

Try driving the bison range this fall.

A mother bison and her calf cross the gravel road in front of two cars on a fall day.

📷: Jane Moore, 10/23/26

There’s a different kind of experience waiting for nature lovers in late autumn at Minneopa State Park.

Park visitors can drive slowly down a gravel road, cutting through prairie and oaks on both sides and keeping an eye out for something special: bison. The group of 20 or so bison at Minneopa is part of the larger Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd, focused on protecting wild bison and preserving their genetic diversity across the state.

A group of bison stand together in a tallgrass prairie with bright fall trees in the background.

When open (Tuesday-Thursday weekly, except under special circumstances), visitors can drive through the enclosure at Minneopa for a chance at an unforgettable, up-close experience with these majestic animals from the comfort and safety of their vehicle. Or, walkers and hikers can take the path that wraps around the range.

By the end of September, you’ll see the prairie at peak color, as red and purple hues mix with the gold and green grasses. As the calendar turns to October, the oaks dominating the outer landscape begin to turn, and by late October, a vibrant red canopy provides a beautiful backdrop to the prairie setting.

Visitors to the range can also head up to the historic Seppmann Mill site, where you can view the remnants of this wind-powered grist mill, built in traditional German style from locally sourced stone and lumber. The mill sits at the top of a hill, overlooking the bison range and all its colorful splendor.

Know before you go. Check park websites for deer hunting closures this fall.

Shooting Star State Trail

Take a stroll through the state's last fall colors.

A paved path winds through a tallgrass prairie with a stand of trees in the distance.

📷: Linden Anderson, 10/15/10

The Shooting Star State Trail in southeastern Minnesota in autumn stretches across prairie grasses, woodlands, and open countryside.

The paved trail runs about 29 miles between LeRoy and Austin, passing through Lake Louise State Park and the communities of Taopi, Adams, and Rose Creek along the way. Hiking, biking, and in-line skating are all permitted, making the trail an easy place to build a fall outing around, however far you want to go.

A paved path surrounded by fall foliage extends under an iron bridge in the distance.

Start near LeRoy for a ride north toward Lake Louise State Park, where the trail leaves the roadside corridor and winds through one of its most wooded stretches. Inside the park, the route passes through woodlands, meadows, and restored prairie, offering a mix of scenery within a relatively short distance.

Lake Louise also makes a good place to turn a trail ride into a full fall day. Park near the picnic area, head out for a walk or bike ride on the Shooting Star, then trade pavement for one of the park’s hiking trails. The 1.2-mile Wildwood Loop travels through hardwood forest and along Lake Louise and the Little Iowa River, while the 2.4-mile Woodcock Loop passes through prairie, oak savanna and views of the river.

Spend fall in motion: pedal through the prairie, stretch your legs beneath the trees at Lake Louise, or simply pick a stretch of trail and see where an autumn afternoon takes you.

Check current trail conditions and closures on the DNR Shooting Star State Trail webpage before heading out. Several portions of the trail are temporarily closed this fall for repairs and repaving.

Bison

North America's largest land mammals.

American bison once freely roamed Minnesota’s prairies, but by the late 1800s they had disappeared from the state’s landscape. Today, bison once again graze native prairie as part of the Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd at Minneopa State Park and Blue Mounds State Park, where management helps preserve the species.

Bison are the largest land mammals in North America. Bulls can weigh more than 2,000 pounds and stand up to six feet tall. But their size isn’t their only big impact. As bison graze, trample vegetation, and roll in shallow depressions called wallows, they help maintain prairie habitat used by other plants and wildlife.

Fall is a great time to watch bison moving through Minnesota’s tallgrass prairie, where their dark coats stand out among the golds, reds, and browns of the changing grasses. Prairie and Bison Tours have concluded for the season at Blue Mounds State Park, but the Bison Drive remains open at Minneopa State Park year-round.

Statewide Snapshots 📸

Share your state park and trail fall photos.

Colors are popping across the state—here’s a glimpse of what our staff and visitors have seen this week. Submit your photos through our uploader for a chance to be featured in the Fall Color newsletter or on our social media.