It is a welcome sight for many, the turning of the leaves to splashes of red, orange and yellow. Because of its location, the Alexandria Lakes Area produces a nice variety of fall color. It is situated in a transition zone between the hardwoods to the south and east and the coniferous trees to the north. Sugar Maples are perhaps a “fan favorite” because it produces great reds and oranges. The combination of American Basswoods, Red Oak, Birch, Aspen, Black Walnut, White Cedar and Tamarack add to the color pallette. Eastern White Pine and Norway (Red) Pine also provide the yearround shades of green.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources usually puts out their annual FALL COLOR FINDER. They highlight Lake Carlos State Park in their report, but Douglas County has more than 2400 acres in park land when you add in the County and City Parks.
For more information on places to check out the fall colors and things to do in the area, follow this link.
If you’d like to make lodging plans and turn your fall visit into a wonderful vacation in the Alexandria Lakes Area, check out all of these wonderful Hotel, Resort, B & B and Private Vacation Home options.
A full-proof fall plan to come see the turning of the leaves is not fool-proof, because we are dealing with Mother Nature. Historically Alexandria’s peak color come in the late part of September into early October. All of the photos you see above were taken the first week of October. Rainfall amounts in the summer and early fall can play a big part in how long the color change lasts, and how vibrant it will be. More moisture in the soil in August and September typically add a little more time to the color change; however a really windy late September day can blow much of that color into the air to the forrest floor. One common element to each fall leaves trip is that you will experience some of the best outdoor walking temperatures of the year, and the greatest opportunity for seeing some of the most vibrant colors the woods can display all year. It’s worth the trip regardless, but we hope you get to see what the parks and trails are capable of each time the calendar heads into Autumn.
