Northland’s fall colors reaching their peak (with video)

• Fall colors are here

Trees near the peak of fall color cover the hills around Oberg Lake near Tofte on Thursday. (Andrew Krueger / akrueger@duluthnews.com)

Talk about it

More...

• Photo gallery: Fall colors on the North Shore, Sept. 2012
• Superior National Forest fall color information
• Wisconsin fall color information
• Minnesota DNR fall color reports

For fans of fall foliage in the Northland, it’s time to get out there and enjoy the annual, fleeting riot of reds, oranges and yellows in the region’s forests.

Fall colors are reported at or near their peak along the North Shore, across the Boundary Waters and west toward Grand Rapids.

“We’re there or very close to peak,” said Kris Reichenbach, public affairs officer with the Superior National Forest north and northeast of Duluth. “Beautiful, beautiful reds and golds … all the way up the Shore.”

That includes perennial favorite Oberg Mountain near Tofte. From overlooks on Oberg and neighboring Leveaux Mountain this week, the bright reds and oranges along the nearby hillsides and ridges contrasted with evergreens in the lowlands.

Outdoors photographer Paul Sundberg of Grand Marais was at Oberg earlier this week and said the colors on the maples were great — though perhaps a little subdued compared to past years because of this year’s dry conditions.

Sundberg said the leaves weren’t completely turned — in many cases the tops of trees were at peak color, and the bottom branches not quite there. Because of that, he said, barring strong winds, the show may last well into next week as lower leaves turn colors, and as the forest floor becomes coated with the colorful fallen leaves.

If Oberg is too crowded for your taste, Sundberg offered another suggestion for fall color viewing: White Sky Rock and Lake Agnes, on the Superior Hiking Trail off the Caribou Trail.

Or, if hiking isn’t an option, you can catch some colors by driving up Minnesota Highway 1 toward Finland, and looping back toward Silver Bay on Lax Lake Road. The Forest Service has several suggested fall color tours on its website.

“Right now, about anyplace in the forest, you’re going to see the colors,” Reichenbach said.

Tags: north shore, news, outdoors, weather, minnesota, travel