Where to see fall colors this weekend

Where to see fall colors this week
Where to see fall colors this week.
Courtesy of Department of Natural Resources

Minnesota's majestic fall color show has begun.

Portions of northwestern Minnesota are already 25 to 50 percent turned.

"They had some of those frosty or cool nights and then the warm days, and that's exactly what it takes for the color to start to turn," said the Department of Natural Resources' Pat Arndt. "We haven't had that quite so much further south in Minnesota, so we're not seeing the color start to turn."

You can track the progression of red, gold and orange across the state with the DNR's interactive color finder map.

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Fall colors generally peak between mid-September and early October in the northern third of Minnesota.

In central Minnesota, it's between late September and early October. The southern third of Minnesota can expect peak fall colors between late September and mid-October.

Peak fall color typically lasts about two weeks, but that can vary widely, depending on location, elevation and weather.

Once the first locations begin to approach peak color, the DNR will begin highlighting three "top picks" each week that are at or near their peak and worth a drive to see.

Enjoy it while you can.

"This is that short, splendid prelude to winter that we get," Arndt said.