With the start of autumn, here's when Green Bay could see peak fall colors in 2023

Rebecca Loroff, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Updated ·3 min read

These days, hints of autumn are everywhere: the first days of school, cooling temperatures, pumpkin and apple spice everything, the swarms of Packers fans coming into town for home games.

But one of the first signs that fall is in full swing is when the trees start losing their green.

The leaves change as a response to fewer hours of daylight. During the summer, chlorophyll — the chemical that allows trees to turn sunlight into energy — keeps the leaves a shimmering green. But as sunlight decreases, so does the chlorophyll, revealing carotenoids in the leaves and turning the trees' colors yellow, orange and brown.

In addition, some trees, like sugar maples, red oaks and sumac, also produce anthocyanins. Under the right conditions, like warm days and cool nights, this chemical turns their leaves brilliant red.

Drought can accelerate the leaves' aging process and weather can tweak the final color of the leaves, said Brad Hutnik, a forest ecologist and silviculturist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. But the appearance of trees' color is "on track this year," he said, and it can be subjective from person to person.

"Brilliance is in the eye of the beholder," Hutnik added.

While some trees in the Green Bay area are starting to change color, we're still a couple of weeks away from seeing the area's full autumn glory. Both Travel Wisconsin's Fall Color Report and Smoky Mountains' Fall Foliage Prediction Map estimate Brown County's foliage will peak around Oct. 16.

Here are some of the area's best destinations for planning your next leaf-peeping day trip — plus some spectacular views in Door County worth the drive.

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary

Bright fall colors seen on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary waterfall in Green Bay, Wis.
Bright fall colors seen on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2020, at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary waterfall in Green Bay, Wis.

This park at 1660 East Shore Drive in Green Bay offers five miles of hiking trails and plenty of places to check out the wildlife, both indoors at the animal sanctuary and outdoors in the wild. You can also enjoy fall colors in the midst of the park's lakes and waterfalls.

Brown County Dog Park

Bring your four-legged friends along to explore the trails along Duck Creek at 1000 Pleasant Lane in Hobart. The park has designated areas for small dogs and all dogs to enjoy nature with their owners off-leash.

Heritage Hill State Historical Park

View at Heritage Hill State Historical Park in Allouez.
View at Heritage Hill State Historical Park in Allouez.

This "living history" state park at 2640 S. Webster Ave. in Allouez serves as a home to 26 historical buildings that illustrate Green Bay's cultural heritage over the past four centuries. These old churches, homes and forts are nestled in wooded walkways near the Fox River.

Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve

This park, located at 2024 Lakeview Drive in Suamico, has nearly a thousand acres of marshes and forests to explore. The park also has a designated wheelchair-friendly area called the Sensory Woods that is meant to help people of all ages and abilities enjoy nature.

Worth the drive: Door County

The foliage in Peninsula State Park shows off its fall colors. A recent article on a national travel website named Door County as one of the 20 best places in the U.S. to view fall colors.
The foliage in Peninsula State Park shows off its fall colors. A recent article on a national travel website named Door County as one of the 20 best places in the U.S. to view fall colors.

The Door Peninsula often makes the list of top places in the country to visit for fall foliage, receiving kudos in Trips to Discover, a USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice poll and the AARP Travel Center.

In order to take in the brilliant colors for yourself, AARP recommended driving along the Door County Coastal Byway (the State 42-57 loop from north of Sturgeon Bay to Northport and back) and driving or hiking through Peninsula State Park.

Destination Door County also recommends visiting the Grand View overlook at the top of the Ellison Bay hill and the Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor.

Did we miss your favorite spot for fall colors? Contact Rebecca Loroff at rloroff@gannett.com.

Contributing: Christopher Clough.

Rebecca Loroff is a breaking and trending news reporter for northeastern Wisconsin. Contact her with story tips and feedback at rloroff@gannett.com.

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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: When and where to enjoy Green Bay's peak fall colors in 2023