Fall Foliage Map 2018: When Autumn Leaves Will Peak In Missouri

ST. LOUIS, MO — Fall is here and the leaves are beginning to change colors: blazing reds, vibrant oranges and sunny yellows. When will fall colors peak in Missouri? We can’t know precisely, but there’s a tool to help you plan excursions around the dates when fall foliage should be at its most fabulous.

The Fall Foliage Prediction Map, found on the Smoky Mountain National Park website, includes predictions not just for the Smokies, which rise above the Tennessee-North Carolina border, but for all 50 states. In the Show Me State, fall colors are expected to peak around the week of November 5.

Our state offers some stunning vistas, including several in state parks:

Ha Ha Tonka State Park: Recently named the most beautiful place in Missouri by Conde Nast, this park encompasses more than 3,700 acres on the Lake of the Ozarks. Located centrally in the state, it's just a few hours from St. Louis and most other parts of the state — perfect for a fall weekend trip.

Castlewood State Park: A popular hiking destination just about half an hour from St. Louis, this park's trails overlook the Meramec river and a lush valley sure to be ablaze with fall foliage in a couple months.

Powder Valley: More than 100 acres of oak and hickory forest tucked away in suburban St. Louis County, Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center is the perfect place to spend a fall afternoon. The site was once used to manufacture and store gunpowder during the Civil War; now it's an idyllic nature preserve with easy hiking trails and bird watching tours.

Elephant Rocks State Park: Named for its giant boulders, this state park is about an hour and a half south of St. Louis. It's the perfect place for a picnic or or to let the kids play on some giant rocks while you settle down on a blanket with a good book. The park also features the Braille Trail, which is specifically designed for people with visual or physical disabilities.

Missouri Botanical Garden: Trees are kind of their thing, and fall colors can be spectacular at the botanical garden. "In a display that ranges from bright golden yellow to muted copper to deep scarlet, our trees and their fantastic fall foliage take center stage every October," the garden says on their web page. Tree Week is October 29 to November 4, with daily public tours and other special activities.

Forest Park: And there's always Forest Park, the 1,317-acre park at the heart of St. Louis. Home to the Saint Louis Science Center, Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Art Museum and more, there's always something to do on a fall afternoon, rain or shine. Forest Park is beautiful in the fall. Make sure to check out the trees lining Art Hill; they'll be blazing red by the end of October.

If you’re planning a trip somewhere else, the Fall Foliage Prediction Map can help you pinpoint the best dates for a visit.

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You probably remember from science class that the color change all starts with photosynthesis. Leaves constantly churn out chlorophyll — a key component in a plant’s ability to turn sunlight into the glucose it needs to stay healthy — from spring through early fall. Those cells saturate the leaves, making them appear green to the human eye.

But leaves aren’t green at all. Autumn is the time for leaves’ big reveal: their true color, unveiled as chlorophyll production grinds to a haltl. The colors in fall’s breathtaking tapestry are influenced by other compounds, according to the national park’s website.

For example, beta-carotenes reflect the yellow and red light from the sun and give leaves an orange hue. The production of anthocyanin, which gives leaves their vivid red color, ramps up in the fall, protecting and prolonging the leaf’s life on a tree throughout autumn.

And those yellows that make you feel as if you’re walking in a ray of sunshine?

They’re produced by flavonol, which is part of the flavonoid protein family. It’s always present in leaves, but doesn’t show itself until chlorophyll production begins to slow.

Photo by Scott Anderson/Patch