It's a short window of opportunity to experience the beauty of autumn in the Upper Peninsula, with only about four weeks of fall colors rippling across the wooded landscapes.
That doesn't stop thousands of day-trippers, motorcoach passengers, and even local residents from making annual pilgrimages to their favorite spots in the U.P. to take in the changing reds, golds, oranges and browns.
The U.P. Travel and Recreation Association provides extensive information on the U.P.'s fall colors
online, including suggested driving tours covering all parts of the U.P., varying from 90 to 220 miles, and reports on the changes in each area.
Tom Nemacheck is the association's director, and says the colors are already starting to show in the inland western U.P.
"It's really only about a 45-day window," he says. "It'll run solid through the middle of October."
It's one of the busiest times of the year for the U.P. to host motorcoach or bus tours, as well as individuals driving to the area, from Illinois, Wisconsin, downstate Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio.
"It's very significant to much of the U.P.," Nemacheck says. "Fall represents about 10 to 15 percent of the year's tourism."
As for why the U.P. draws visitors from the whole upper Midwest, when there are fall colors changing all over the country?
"It's the setting that makes the whole difference," he says. "Fall leaves are everywhere, but you don't always get to see them along with our waterfalls, the shorelines of Lake Superior or Lake Michigan, or any of our inland lakes. It makes the fall colors that much more special."
Writer: Sam EgglestonSource: Tom Nemacheck, U.P. Travel and Recreation Association.
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