When Will Fall Foliage Peak In 2025 For Illinois And Iowa?

We've passed Labor Day, so it's officially fall.

You can fight it through August but past Labor Day weekend, it's the season of apple orchards, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, haunted houses, and beautiful leaves as the trees start to turn.

The colorful leaves that become red, orange, and yellow only last a small window of time and you have to pick it just right if you want to go for a drive.

There are a couple of sources that are forecasting the fall foliage timeline for Illinois and Iowa this year. We all know that trees in the Midwest peak later than trees in New England or more northern states.

The often-accurate Farmer's Almanac has released their forecast for when foliage in Illinois and Iowa will peak, as has Explore Fall. (Explore Fall's map has a bar to drag to specific dates to see when what area is expected to peak)

Illinois

Illinois is kind of split on the timing of peak fall foliage. The Almanac says northern Illinois fall foliage will peak October 5-21 and in southern Illinois, the leaves will peak from October 12-28.

Explore Fall has the peak a little later than that, having most of the state in peak color around Halloween and early November.

Iowa 

The Almanac has the same fall foliage peak forecast for Iowa as it does for Illinois: October 5-21.

Explore Fall says the peak will be October 19-26 in most of the state. So a pre-Halloween road trip through either state would probably get you the best chance to see some peak fall colors.