Where to see fall foliage and colors outside of Chicago

Driving time from Chicago: One hour

Indiana Dunes National Park, the closest national park to Chicago, is best enjoyed in the summer, when the weather is warm and visitors can spend all day at the beach. That doesn’t mean it should be passed up in the fall, though. It might be a little too chilly to frolic in the waves at the park, which is an hour away from Chicago, so walk along the shore and take in the foliage surrounding the dunes, or embark on one of the park’s many hiking trails.

Driving time from Chicago: Two hours and 45 minutes

On the opposite side of the state from Chicago is Galena, a small town known for its charming walkability, historic buildings and its beauty, especially during the fall. Galena is full of fun things to do during autumn—you can go on a spooky ghost tour, stop by the town’s annual Halloween festival or enjoy nature and look for fall colors. Check out Galena’s splendor by exploring the outdoors on a rented bike along the Galena River Trail, an eight-mile trail used by hikers, bikers and cross country skiers, or spot the foliage aboard a Mississippi River boat tour.

Driving time from Chicago: Four hours and 30 minutes

Between visits to the beach and an abundance of farmers markets, Door County, the long peninsula north of Green Bay, WI that juts out into Lake Michigan, is one of the best summer destinations in Wisconsin. But it’s also pretty great to visit in autumn. The region is home to several state parks, including Whitefish Dunes State Park in Sturgeon Bay, that are great for foliage spotting, or you can take a walk along the shores of Lake Michigan at one of the county’s numerous beaches to admire the trees that line the coast.

Driving time from Chicago: Two hours and 30 minutes

Holy Hill Basilica isn’t too far outside of Milwaukee, but the Catholic shrine feels like it’s in an entirely different world. The basilica located in Erin, WI is a religious pilgrimage site set in 400 acres of woods, and receives approximately 500,000 visitors each year. Many visitors climb up to the top of the basilica’s observation tower, which is more than 1,350 feet above sea level, for a view of Milwaukee’s skyline as well as the surrounding red, orange and yellow leaves of the surrounding sugar maple trees during fall.

Driving time from Chicago: Seven hours

It takes a long time to get to Tahquamenon Falls State Park from Chicago—about seven hours to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, to be precise. But the beauty of the park’s upper and lower waterfalls, as well as the outstanding foliage on display during the fall make it well worth the drive. If you don’t want to travel seven hours just to look at colorful leaves, then make a weekend out of the trip and learn why the Upper Peninsula is worth exploring. Stop by the Tahquamenon Falls Brewery and Pub for seasonal brews, spend some time exploring a different Great Lake (Lake Superior) and don’t forget to pick up a few pasties for the long, beautiful lakeside drive home.

Driving time from Chicago: Three hours

The Midwest’s landscape isn’t all flat prairie land, and Turkey Run State Park, in Parke County, IN proves that. The park contains 14 miles of hiking trails that run along its sandstone cliffs and through its winding canyons, and is a great place to view waterfalls. It’s also an ideal location for leaf peeping, especially from the suspension bridge that connects the shores of Sugar Creek.

Driving time from Chicago: Six hours

Six hours is a long time to sit in a car, but Michigan’s Tunnel of Trees is well worth the lengthy drive. As its name suggests, the 20-mile stretch along M-119 has an abundance of flora, including hardwood and everwood trees that create a ceiling of sorts over the road. Don’t miss the tiny town, Good Hart—it’s so small that there are only three stores. One of them is the Good Hart General Store, where community members have been shopping for nearly a century.

Driving time from Chicago: Three hours and 50 minutes

The first couple of hours on the journey through northern Indiana to Brown County State Park won’t be too exciting, but as you get further into the state you’ll start to understand why the park is one of the best places to see fall foliage in the Midwest. Indiana’s largest state park has more than 18 miles of hiking trails, which are surrounded by hickory trees and oak trees whose leaves transform into a burning orange color. If you’re tired of walking, leaf peep on horseback and explore the park’s 70 miles of horse trails.

Driving time from Chicago: One hour and 45 minutes

One of the most popular tourist destinations in southern Wisconsin, Lake Geneva is packed with visitors all summer long. Visits in the fall have a couple of perks—there’s less people and there’s also a stunning spread of fall foliage. Walk along the 21-mile, tree-lined Geneva Lake Shore Path, or for the most unique view of the foliage, book a one-hour ride on a hot air balloon that soars over the resort town and its namesake lake with Lake Geneva Balloon Company.

Driving time from Chicago: One hour and 45 minutes

With 13 miles of trails that wind through sandstone canyons and past waterfalls, Starved Rock State Park is one of the best trips to take, no matter what season it is. But the park is especially beautiful in fall, when its foliage is on full display. The park’s forested bluffs are covered in a wide abundance of trees, including white pine, whose needles turn a golden yellow in the fall, as well as red oak, whose leaves—unsurprisingly based on the tree’s name—turn a bright shade of crimson.

Distance from Chicago: Two hours

The Seven Bridges Trail is located in the city of South Milwaukee, but you’d never be able to tell. The tranquil trail runs for two miles through the city’s Grant Park and offers walkers the opportunity to explore the outdoors while crossing over seven different bridges, as the name suggests. It passes creeks and brooks, before leading to Lake Michigan, and is surrounded by beech trees, whose leaves turn orange and yellow for a glorious glimpse of some fall foliage.