5 Leaf-Peeping Road Trips In Illinois: When Foliage Peaks

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, which was released last month 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.

As with 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.

In Illinois, data used to create the interactive map shows that most parts of the region will become more vibrant this week, especially in the Northern Illinois region where leaves will be at "near-peak levels" around Oct. 16. By Oct. 23, data shows that most of Illinois will be filled with colorful trees boasting orange, red, and yellow leaves as the region reaches "peak conditions". A week later, the model shows that many of the leaves will have already gotten past their peak as far as coloring goes.

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.

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, the Morton Arboretum, the Shawnee National Forest , and Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton.