When do the leaves change in Iowa?

Iowa typically peaks Oct 6 – Oct 14, centered on Oct 10. Northeast bluffs peak in mid-October; southern Iowa about a week later. These are typical dates from a latitude and elevation model; current conditions may differ.

Where are the best places to see fall color in Iowa?

The guide includes 3 researched locations in Iowa, including Fire Point, Pikes Peak State Park Overlook, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Fire Point turns first, around Oct 9, and Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge is last, around Oct 13. Each includes coordinates, elevation and sunrise light times.

What trees turn color in Iowa?

Mainly sugar maple, oak, hickory, cottonwood. Yellows and oranges come from carotenoids that are already in the leaf, so they show up every year. Reds are made fresh each autumn and need warm sunny days with cool, frost-free nights, which is why a dry summer or a warm September produces a duller year.

Iowa Fall Foliage 2026

Bare <20% Typical peak was 22 days ago

Typical peak window

Oct 6 – Oct 14

Centered on Oct 10 at reference elevation.

low confidence in typical timing.

Northeast bluffs peak in mid-October; southern Iowa about a week later.

Seasonal model estimate. Timing remains uncertain; check recent reports before traveling. Source: seasonal timing model. Calculated Nov 1, 2026.

Seasonal timing

Iowa’s typical peak is around October 10, within an October 6–14 window; high ground near 1,100 feet typically peaks around October 9, and valleys near 600 feet around October 11. Northeast bluffs, including the Driftless Area, typically peak in mid-October, while southern Iowa is about a week later.

What turns here

sugar maple
oak
hickory
cottonwood

Yellows show up every year. Reds need sunny days and cool, frost-free nights. A bad year takes those first.

Color progression

Typical peak Oct 10

typical peak Nov 1, 2026

Iowa is typically at bare on Nov 1, 2026.

Iowa by county

10 days from Osceola County to Van Buren County.

Tap a location marker for coordinates and light times. Where peak usually lands. Boundaries: US Census, 2023. Elevation: USGS 3DEP + SRTM. Method

Every county, as text

County	Typical peak	Stage on Nov 1, 2026	Median elev.	Spread
Adair County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	1,278 ft	1 days
Adams County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	1,232 ft	0 days
Allamakee County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,044 ft	1 days
Appanoose County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	977 ft	0 days
Audubon County	Oct 7 – Oct 15	Bare	1,351 ft	0 days
Benton County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	871 ft	0 days
Black Hawk County	Oct 7 – Oct 15	Bare	908 ft	0 days
Boone County	Oct 7 – Oct 15	Bare	1,032 ft	1 days
Bremer County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	1,014 ft	1 days
Buchanan County	Oct 7 – Oct 15	Bare	949 ft	1 days
Buena Vista County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,326 ft	1 days
Butler County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	981 ft	0 days
Calhoun County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	1,187 ft	0 days
Carroll County	Oct 7 – Oct 15	Bare	1,292 ft	1 days
Cass County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	1,252 ft	1 days
Cedar County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	737 ft	0 days
Cerro Gordo County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,176 ft	1 days
Cherokee County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,376 ft	1 days
Chickasaw County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,132 ft	1 days
Clarke County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	1,115 ft	0 days
Clay County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,389 ft	1 days
Clayton County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,063 ft	1 days
Clinton County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	715 ft	0 days
Crawford County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	1,392 ft	1 days
Dallas County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	1,024 ft	1 days
Davis County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	831 ft	1 days
Decatur County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	1,083 ft	1 days
Delaware County	Oct 7 – Oct 15	Bare	968 ft	1 days
Des Moines County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	690 ft	1 days
Dickinson County	Oct 3 – Oct 11	Bare	1,450 ft	1 days
Dubuque County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	980 ft	1 days
Emmet County	Oct 3 – Oct 11	Bare	1,276 ft	0 days
Fayette County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,139 ft	0 days
Floyd County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,052 ft	0 days
Franklin County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,170 ft	1 days
Fremont County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	956 ft	1 days
Greene County	Oct 7 – Oct 15	Bare	1,074 ft	0 days
Grundy County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	1,033 ft	1 days
Guthrie County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	1,208 ft	1 days
Hamilton County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	1,105 ft	0 days
Hancock County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,212 ft	0 days
Hardin County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	1,096 ft	1 days
Harrison County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	1,168 ft	1 days
Henry County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	681 ft	0 days
Howard County	Oct 3 – Oct 11	Bare	1,235 ft	1 days
Humboldt County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,137 ft	0 days
Ida County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,364 ft	1 days
Iowa County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	809 ft	0 days
Jackson County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	745 ft	0 days
Jasper County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	867 ft	0 days
Jefferson County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	745 ft	0 days
Johnson County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	762 ft	1 days
Jones County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	857 ft	0 days
Keokuk County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	779 ft	0 days
Kossuth County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,158 ft	0 days
Lee County	Oct 12 – Oct 20	Bare	667 ft	0 days
Linn County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	833 ft	0 days
Louisa County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	658 ft	1 days
Lucas County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	1,008 ft	0 days
Lyon County	Oct 3 – Oct 11	Bare	1,411 ft	1 days
Madison County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	1,117 ft	0 days
Mahaska County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	795 ft	0 days
Marion County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	849 ft	0 days
Marshall County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	978 ft	1 days
Mills County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	1,082 ft	1 days
Mitchell County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,187 ft	1 days
Monona County	Oct 7 – Oct 15	Bare	1,077 ft	1 days
Monroe County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	898 ft	1 days
Montgomery County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	1,158 ft	1 days
Muscatine County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	676 ft	0 days
O'Brien County	Oct 3 – Oct 11	Bare	1,453 ft	1 days
Osceola County	Oct 2 – Oct 10	Bare	1,534 ft	1 days
Page County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	1,066 ft	1 days
Palo Alto County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,214 ft	0 days
Plymouth County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,350 ft	1 days
Pocahontas County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,233 ft	0 days
Polk County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	900 ft	0 days
Pottawattamie County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	1,144 ft	1 days
Poweshiek County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	884 ft	1 days
Ringgold County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	1,133 ft	1 days
Sac County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,296 ft	1 days
Scott County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	722 ft	1 days
Shelby County	Oct 7 – Oct 15	Bare	1,298 ft	0 days
Sioux County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,367 ft	1 days
Story County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	989 ft	1 days
Tama County	Oct 8 – Oct 16	Bare	920 ft	1 days
Taylor County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	1,175 ft	1 days
Union County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	1,210 ft	0 days
Van Buren County	Oct 12 – Oct 20	Bare	705 ft	0 days
Wapello County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	782 ft	0 days
Warren County	Oct 9 – Oct 17	Bare	953 ft	1 days
Washington County	Oct 10 – Oct 18	Bare	727 ft	0 days
Wayne County	Oct 11 – Oct 19	Bare	1,068 ft	1 days
Webster County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	1,121 ft	0 days
Winnebago County	Oct 3 – Oct 11	Bare	1,237 ft	0 days
Winneshiek County	Oct 4 – Oct 12	Bare	1,133 ft	0 days
Woodbury County	Oct 6 – Oct 14	Bare	1,272 ft	1 days
Worth County	Oct 3 – Oct 11	Bare	1,204 ft	1 days
Wright County	Oct 5 – Oct 13	Bare	1,154 ft	0 days

Peak by elevation

2 days between the ridges and the valleys below them. The county map above averages that away.

Elevation band	Approx. elevation	Typical peak	Today
High ridges & passes	1,100 ft	Oct 9	Bare
Mid elevation	1,000 ft	Oct 10	Bare
Valleys & lowlands	600 ft	Oct 11	Bare

Foliage stages

No change 0–10%
First color 10–25%
Approaching peak 25–60%
Peak 60–90%
Past peak 40–70%, dropping
Bare <20%

Plan the light

Iowa on October 10, 2026, the center of its typical peak window.

Solar event times for Iowa on October 10, 2026
Event	Time
First light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon	6:44 AM
Sunrise Rises E · 98°	7:12 AM
Morning golden hour ends 38 min of low, warm light	7:51 AM
Solar noon Highest sun, flattest light	12:52 PM
Evening golden hour starts 38 min before sunset	5:54 PM
Sunset Sets W · 262°	6:32 PM
Last light (blue hour) Sun 6° below horizon	7:00 PM

Times in America/Chicago · day length 11h 19m · computed from NOAA solar equations.

Local terrain can hide the sun; allow extra time to reach your viewpoint.

Which way to point the camera

Sun rises E, sets W.

Aim within 45° of the sun for translucent leaves. Turn your back to it for flat, accurate color.

Where to shoot in Iowa

3 researched locations, earliest peak first. Filter these locations

Recent reports from Iowa

Report what you saw

Common questions

When do the leaves change in Iowa?: Iowa typically peaks Oct 6 – Oct 14, centered on Oct 10. Northeast bluffs peak in mid-October; southern Iowa about a week later. These are typical dates from a latitude and elevation model; current conditions may differ.
Where are the best places to see fall color in Iowa?: The guide includes 3 researched locations in Iowa, including Fire Point, Pikes Peak State Park Overlook, Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Fire Point turns first, around Oct 9, and Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge is last, around Oct 13. Each includes coordinates, elevation and sunrise light times.
What trees turn color in Iowa?: Mainly sugar maple, oak, hickory, cottonwood. Yellows and oranges come from carotenoids that are already in the leaf, so they show up every year. Reds are made fresh each autumn and need warm sunny days with cool, frost-free nights, which is why a dry summer or a warm September produces a duller year.