Michigan’s 19 million acres of woods transform into vibrant crimsons, oranges and golds, bursting in their annual blaze of color. A classic weekend trip to see Michigan’s breathtaking fall foliage is a wonderful way to celebrate the season.

We can omit this, but it’s a nice statement. à The new season offers new experiences ― driving, hiking or biking through brilliant tree tunnels, strolling still warm beaches and watching a quintessential Indian summer sunset.

When can you see our landscape in its wonderful fall glory? The current forecast for Michigan’s peak fall colors is about a week to ten days later than usual.

Right now, colder air doesn’t seem to be anywhere in sight. But we really need some colder nights to start Michigan’s fall color show. Colder air will shut down the replacement of the green part of a leaf, called chlorophyll. When the green goes away from a leaf, the underlying colors come out. We need nighttime temperatures to drop into the 30s and 40s to stop the production of chlorophyll.