The wait is almost over: Fall colors are merely days away from peaking in the Chicago area.
Already, foliage has been blushing with warm-toned pockets of color — and it looks like the leaves still have more to give.
The Smoky Mountains' 2022 Fall Foliage Map indicates that Chicago's foliage will enter its peak Monday.
But the colors won't pipe with gold for long. The autumnal hues will start to fade in just a week, waning out by the time Halloween rolls around.
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So, leaf-peepers, keep your eyes peeled and savor the sights before the leaves crinkle and drop.
As for the rest of the state, the colors are expected to change a bit later. According to the map, much of Illinois isn't predicted to see colors near their peak until the vibrant hues are on their way out of the Chicago area.
By Halloween, the leaves will have already changed in the northern park of the state, while the southern will still look golden.
Though the science of predicting fall leaf color changes is inexact, there are several factors that could lead to a later-than-usual fall peak in the state. That includes a drier-than-normal stretch of weather, as well as a warmer-than-normal start to fall, which was predicted by the National Weather Service.
According to the Enjoy Illinois, some of the best locations in the state to see the fall foliage include Starved Rock State Park, Forest Preserves of Winnebago County and Millennium Park in Chicago.
Farmer's Almanac named Pere Marquette State Park in west central Illinois as the eighth best place in the U.S. to check out fall foliage.
As a self-described "nature-lover's paradise," the park will offer sights of the turning leaves against a backdrop of wooded ravines and roadways alongside the Illinois River. Explorers also can take advantage of the land's towering bluffs, which will provide a panoramic view of the lush scenery that engulfs the park's 12-mile trail.
