Falling in Love with Leelanau: Eight Fall Color Hot Spots

Where to find the most swoonworthy autumn views all around the peninsula

What’s brilliant red, ochre yellow, and cerulean blue all over? The horizon of our very own Leelanau Peninsula in autumn, of course! While folks from far away are hitting the highways to glimpse NoMi’s fleeting color in the coming weeks, all us locals have to do is trek around M-22.

Before those leaves get crunchy, here’s your guide to where and how to catch the best views around the county (plus how to make a day of it).

The Marina Docks in Suttons Bay

Meandering M-22 is gorgeous, for sure, says Emily Worden, who grew up in Suttons Bay (and is now VP of the Chamber of Commerce there), but like a lot of locals, she’s partial to the less-busy views that can be found just traipsing through the village. One of her favorites is over at Suttons Bay Marina.

“You can walk down to the beach parking lot and continue straight out from there,” says Worden. “Or you can go out on the dock that forms the other side of the marina to the right of that strip of land.” And while it might seem counterintuitive, Worden suggests turning away from the bay and taking a reflective look back “at that little village we love so much.”

Make a day of it: If October gives us a warm-up, head to another of Worden’s sort-of-secret scenic spots where Stony Point Road and Vic Steimel Park (Sutton Bay Township Park) converge. “Hop in the water there and round the point via paddle board or kayak till you’re facing the view,” she says, adding that it’s a triple-whammy of the bay, the village, and tons of rolling color. Just be sure to wear water shoes because, as the name suggests, it’s a little stony over there.

Pierce Stocking in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

With nearly seven and a half miles of views, it doesn’t get better than Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive inside Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Open through late October, a $25 vehicle pass gets everyone in your vehicle through for the slow, 12-stop excursion where stop #3—the Dune Overlook—will score you a picturesque view of Glen Lake and D.H. Day Farm, standing in pristine contrast to the fall foliage this time of year. It’s an easy, accessible walk from your vehicle to the lookout.

Heads up: The entire park is cashless, so bring cards or go to Recreation.gov to buy a pass online.

Make a day of it: Start at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center, where you can top off your water bottles at the refill station and explore interactive park exhibits. Then, stop into the Shipwreck Cafe for an S.S. Noronic (that’s a BLT with a smattering of avocado) and a chocolate cherry cookie or two to enjoy at Picnic Mountain which adjoins the Dunes Overlook stop.

The Crystal River in Glen Arbor

Over 15,000 people make their way down the Crystal River annually. With most of them gone for the season, it’s your turn to take in NoMi’s wild beauty as it takes its final bow before winter.

“Floating down the river in the fall is a completely different experience,” says Molly Connolly of Glen Lake’s Chamber of Commerce, adding there’s even a chance of spotting the salmon rush upriver through early October. Set off at the Crystal River Trailhead in Maple City or rent a kayak over at Crystal River Outfitters (open daily, hours vary) in Glen Arbor and paddle on!

Make a day of it: If you’re not completely tuckered out, lace up your hiking boots and check out Palmer Woods Forest Reserve. With over 1,000 acres of hiking and biking trails that edge along Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore, there’s lots of color to be spotted. Then, warm up with a steamy cup of loose leaf tea on the deck of The Mill while gazing at the changing leaves.

If you’re looking to splurge, Connolly suggests dinner at Blu, where the moody autumn waves rolling up on Sleeping Bear Bay are quite the spectacle come autumn.

Leo Creek Preserve in Suttons Bay

“Fall colors are blazing at Leo Creek,” says Jess Piskor, Grounds and Maintenance Supervisor for Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA). Gifted to ISEA early in 2025, Leo Creek Preserve is home to a 1.5-mile boardwalk/trail system that winds through seven acres of towering hardwoods which are quickly going from green to gold.

For those who hold out until the last week of October to visit, there will be a special self-guided ephemeral sculpture walk featuring wooden hand carvings of the spooky variety—just in time for Halloween. Park in the Leelanau Trail parking lot off 4th Street, then walk or ride the paved bike path (part of the greater TART system) straight to the preserve from there.

It’s a “pleasant, two-minute stroll,” explains Piskor, adding that despite what the maps say, Leo Creek is still open for fall color seekers and fully accessible from that route while construction of the Leo Creek Bridge is underway.

Make a day of it: Just north of the preserve, catch one of ISEA’s Fall Sails (and peak color) the weekend of Oct. 10 and 11 (tickets start at $30 on schoolship.org). These excursions last right around two hours and invite folks of all ages to take in fall scenery right from the water while sailing along Suttons Bay. Dry land more your thing? Set up at Sutton Park and watch the reflection of turning leaves dance across the bay from the swingset instead.

More to Explore

Truly, we’d need an entire year’s worth of pages to list every gorgeous autumn view and outing within Leelanau’s 350 square miles. Still, here’s a few more to consider before the month is over.

DeYoung Natural Area: Just a stone’s throw from the base of the peninsula, this nearly 200-acre nature preserve gets a massive littering of fallen leaves in every shade of autumn. And with 2 miles of pet-friendly trails, it’s a great place for anyone looking to take in the season with their four-legged companions.

Grand Traverse Lighthouse: Climb to the top of the 158 year old lighthouse for a live panorama of Grand Traverse and Cathead Bays and the Manitou Passage across Lake Michigan. Tickets are free for 5 and under, $3–$8 for everyone else.

Clay Cliffs Natural Area: Hike uphill through old growth forests to the lookout over Lake Michigan. “On the return, your view is a large open meadow with rolling hills and Lake Leelanau in the background,” says Megan Ernst with the Leland Chamber of Commerce. “The double-view…makes this such a cool hike.”

Kehl Lake at Kehl Lake Natural Area: A brisk, 10-minute walk through towering hemlocks leads to the serene (and colorful) lake, originally called Medahas–ah–eegan (or Leg Lake) by the Ottawa and Chippewa tribes who lived around it.

Pictured: Suttons Bay Marina Docks; Photo by Lisa Baird

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