Enjoy nature’s fall foliage display on hiking trails, driving tours or even a vintage train ride adventure in the Midwest and beyond.
In Missouri, find the best locations for catching the brilliant colors of fall maples, oaks, hickory and ash trees in the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Fall Colors: Latest Reports & Best Places. Conservationists are monitoring and updating tree color by region, listing fall color hot spots and the best roadside displays through November.
Peak fall foliage typically begins in mid-October in Missouri. Rainfall amounts and temperature can affect the timing and vibrancy of the colors.
Fall Foliage Hotspots near Kansas City
For scenic fall color drives in our region, MDC suggests driving highways MO 45 and 224 along the Missouri River.
For hiking and photography, try Big Buffalo Creek, Burr Oak Woods, and White Alloe Creek conservation areas; Maple Woods Natural Area; Knob Noster State Park; Forest Hill and Mount Washington cemeteries; and the Swope Memorial in Swope Park.
VisitKC has a guide for more places to view fall color in the city.
Plan a Weekend Getaway
For a unique, fall train tour in a 1920’s vintage Pullman coach, 1940’s restored cupola caboose or 1950’s vintage parlor car, check out the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad passenger train service through the Arkansas River Valley and the Boston and Ozark Mountains.
Additionally, Visit Missouri highlights the top 10 state parks to visit during the fall. Besides colorful foliage, visitors will find camping, hiking, bicycling trails and fishing at many of these sites at Weston Bend, Big Lake, Castlewood, Graham Cave, Onondaga Cave, Lake Wappapello, Elephant Rocks, Taum Sauk Mountain, Prairie and Ha Ha Tonka state parks.
Experience Kansas estimates fall color will gear up around late October in Kansas. It lists these top 10 picks for a fall foliage, tallgrass prairies and sightings of mule deer, coyotes and black-tailed prairie dogs: Glacial Hills, Chautauqua Hills, Gypsum Hills, Badlands, Flint Hills, Native Stone Scenic Byway, Prairie Trail, Arikaree Breaks, Cimarron Grasslands and Frontier Military Historic Byway.