The arrival of the fall season comes with cooler temperatures, pumpkin patch season and the leaves and trees beginning to change its colors.
According to the Travel Wisconsin Fall Report, the week for peak fall colors in Appleton will be the week of Oct. 13-19. The Post-Crescent asked the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Outagamie County Parks Department for some recommendations on where to go for the peak colors.
Here’s what they recommended and other places to check out the changing colors of the fall in the Fox Cities.
Bubolz Nature Preserve
This park, at 4815 N. Lynndale Drive in Grand Chute, has over eight miles of trails through over 725 acres of hardwood forest, wetlands, prairies and stands of white cedar. The preserve also has two observation towers.
Fox Cities Trestle Bridge
If you want to see autumn colors reflected in water, the Fox Cities Trestle Bridge is a good stop. Located in Fritse Park at 899 N. Lake St. in Fox Crossing, the bridge stretches 1600 feet through Little Lake Butte des Morts. It’s also part of Loop the Little Lake, a route that features trestle bridge crossings at three other locations over three miles.
High Cliff State Park
For your fall panorama photos, this state park at N7630 State Park Road in Sherwood boasts scenic overlooks of Lake Winnebago and the surrounding woods — both from the cliff and a 40-foot observation tower. If heights aren’t your thing, High Cliff also has hiking trails for every skill level.
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve at 1305 Plank Road in Menasha allows you to experience fall in four different habitats: its forested wetland, Lopas Pond and the cattail marsh, prairie meadows and upland forests. Four trail loops take you through the biodiversity in this park.
1000 Islands Environmental Center and Konkapot Creek Trail
Kaukauna’s 1000 Islands conservancy area at 1000 Beaulieu Court includes over seven miles of trails in the woods and along the Fox River, including a scenic boardwalk with views of the water. About a quarter mile away is the north end of the Konkapot Creek Trail, which runs through the forest along a small Fox River tributary and connects to the CE trail about a mile south.
Mosquito Hill Nature Center
Mosquito Hill, N3880 Rogers Road in New London, is about 440 acres near the Wolf River with about 4.5 miles of trails. The hill, which is just under a thousand feet high, is one of the highest points in the area and allows for a wider view of the surrounding forests.
On the nature center’s Facebook page, a fall color report is posted frequently throughout the season for people to check out the changing colors.
Plamann Park
Even though petting zoo and swimming season is over, the park at 1375 E. Broadway Drive in Appleton also boasts loops of hiking trails through woods, meadows and hills.
Did we miss any? Let us know at ralexander@gannett.com or 920-431-8214.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Here is when fall colors will peak in the Fox Cities and some of the best places to see them
Reporting by Rashad Alexander and Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
