Posted Oct. 29, 2026
Peak fall color has begun, but it won’t last too long! Peak color is a range that begins when most trees have turned and ends when stragglers change color and early color starts fading. This creates a great two- to three-week stretch of fluctuating fall color, so get out and enjoy it while it lasts! Enjoy it with a cup of coffee on your porch, a rugged walk through the woods, or even a simple Sunday drive down a forested road. As we enter peak time, our lagging trees are the oak species, which are generally mostly green but changing around the edges. Depending on site conditions, some trees may be much further along or behind others of the same species.
As we enter peak color, here is a list of common trees, both native and cultivated for landscapes, and their respective colors:
- Reds/oranges: White oak, scarlet oak, black oak, northern red oak, post oak, chinkapin oak, sassafras, black gum, sumac, flowering dogwood, red maple, sugar maple, and black cherry. Even poison ivy is a brilliant red.
- Yellows: Black hickory, mockernut hickory, shagbark hickory, pignut hickory, eastern redbud, serviceberry, black walnut, tulip tree (yellow poplar), silver maple, Ozark chinquapin, and American sycamore.
- Greens: Yes, we still love green in fall — it adds such a nice contrast! Shortleaf pine (Missouri’s only native pine), red cedar, eastern white pine, and Norway spruce. You may even have a neighborhood southern magnolia tree that keeps its broad leaves green year-round!
Fall Color Hot Spots
With color beginning to peak, this is a great time to get out and enjoy some of the Ozarks public land tracts. Of course, always check hunting seasons; rifle season starts Nov. 14. The largest tracts of public land include Angeline Conservation Area, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Sunklands Conservation Area, Current River Conservation Area, and Peck Ranch Conservation Area.
Smaller tracts of public land are scattered throughout the Ozarks and marked with signage. These areas offer the contiguous forested land cover that many animal species thrive in. Even an easy windshield cruise through these areas is a peaceful, pleasant experience. Except for the Ozark Trail, these public tracts rarely have maintained trails, so you’ll do most of your exploring off-trail. Use caution when traveling into unmarked woods so you don’t get lost. Always pack water and a compass and know where you parked and which direction you started traveling. These areas offer something that was once, by far, the majority experience in this country: the untamed wilderness.