Fall Foliage Peak 2023: When To Time Leaf-Peeping Tours In Illinois

ILLINOIS — A new interactive map that helps leaf-peepers time their fall foliage tours suggests leaves in Illinois will be their most brilliant the week of October 23.

The 2023 Fall Foliage Prediction Map, released Thursday from the travel group SmokyMountains.com, uses a refined data model that takes into consideration factors, including historical and forecast temperatures and precipitation, the types of trees prominent in specific geographic areas, and real-time user reports.

The map is easy to use. The slider at the bottom resets weekly to include the latest data. To see when leaves are expected to peak, move the slider to the right. Leaves haven’t started changing yet in green areas, and the brown color means foliage has passed its peak.

Like any meteorological forecast dependent upon weather variables, leaf predictions aren’t always 100 percent accurate, but the map does give Illinois leaf-peepers a pretty good shot at seeing autumn leaves when they turn their most blazing reds, vibrant orange, and sunny yellows, map creator David Angotti said in a news release.

Angotti, an expert in statistics and a former airline transport pilot, used his understanding of weather patterns and meteorological tools to create the predictive map in 2013 as a tool for visitors to the Smoky Mountains who wanted to time their trips to the fall foliage peak.

As data collected in subsequent years has been added to the model, it has become a go-to tool for “tens of millions of people use our map each year to plan vacations, weddings, and photography trips,” Angotti said.

“What started as a fun side project quickly became the most respected nationwide fall leaf map and one of the best fall resources in the country,” Angotti said.

New this year is the ability of map users to submit photos reflecting the actual progression of fall. That information will be added to the formula used to develop the map, which should make predictions next year more accurate, Angotti said.

Most map users are interested in learning when the leaves will peak close to where they live.

In Illinois, data used to create the interactive map shows that leaves will begin to pop with color in the northern part of the state around Sept. 25. However, colors through more parts of the region will become more vibrant into the early part of October and into the middle part of the month. By Oct. 23, data shows that most of Illinois will be filled with colorful trees boasting orange, red, and yellow leaves which will remain in place for much of the month.

For people planning to travel, the site curated a list of the best places to see fall foliage in every state.

Some of the recommended places in Illinois to see fall leaves are Cap Sauers Holding Nature Preserve near Palos Park, Matthiessen State Park in Ogelsby, and Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton.