As autumn settles into Devil's Lake State Park and the surrounding Sauk County area, we're…
There are patches of color around Devil’s Lake State Park, but there’s more color to the west of Baraboo right now. There are also hints that this year’s “peak color” won’t quite be what it’s been in the past, but let’s not jump ahead. Here’s where we’re at for the upcoming weekend and a bit beyond…
As you can see by the photos above, there’s just not a lot of color out there. In fact, if you look closely, you’ll see that what color is there is mostly, turning brown already. It looks like much of the color we had started with is already burning out. This doesn’t bode well for “peak color” because the trees that go early, won’t be contributing to the peak. But…
That is not to say that there isn’t some color out there. For photographers, choosing the right framing and lighting, there are still beautiful pictures to be had. Right now look for the areas most exposed to sunlight around roads, parking lots, and urban areas.
Best All-Around Color?
Right now the best all-around color seems to be to the north and west of Baraboo. We’d recommend taking a drive out around Natural Bridge State Park on a couple of Wisconsin’s designated Rustic Roads. (Click here for details.). There’s quite a bit of color popping out on Orchard & Schara Drives. (Rustic Road 21). This might be a nice weekend to ride the 400 State Trail as well. We also have a nice selection of Scenic Drives you can check out this weekend as well. Our scenic drives not only show off our area’s beautiful landscapes, but these are the areas we find consistently most colorful each season. [Go To Scenic Drives.]
When Will The Colors Peak In Our Area?
Beginning this weekend temperatures in our area are finally going to start dropping with overnight lows falling into the low 40s to high 30s. This will help, but it’s not the hard frost we hope for. My impression is that we’re in a slow rolling season where instead of one big “peak” we’ll see 2-3 weeks of O.K. color depending on where you’re looking. If I were planning a fall color trip to Devil’s Lake, I’d wait at least one more week and maybe (Depending on the weather.) even two before the wooded trails get really colorful. I also imagine that a lot of trees are just going to drop their leaves this year without much joy… But the way things are going, don’t hold me to that. 😉
For nearly 2 decades the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.
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It is a beautiful drive in October to see the colors. A nice stop at the Apple place on Ski High is great too.