EMPIRE, MI -- Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is ringing the bell, calling all leaf peepers: peak color is here.
Park rangers posted to social media on Friday, Oct. 18 letting color chasers know the time is now.
Gorgeous hues of yellow and orange are spreading across the national park, just in time for a warm fall weekend.
The weather looks fantastic for fall color tours around northern Michigan this weekend, said MLive Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa.
Sunshine helps the colors pop, and that‘s exactly that this weekend’s forecast call for.
RELATED: Peak fall color racing across Michigan; See where colors pop the most now
Make sure to see the colors now, the photo-worthy Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive closes soon for winter.
There’s 12 stopping points, including the iconic Lake Michigan outlook, along the the 7.4-mile Scenic Drive.
The park closes the drive to vehicles for the seasonal winter closure in late October or early November, weather depending.

Stories by Lindsay Moore
- Here are the 29 state park projects that will be completed by the end of 2024
- Northern Michigan meadery takes gold and silver medals in national competition
- Rustic campgrounds along Lake Superior are covered in “golden carpet” as first leaves fall
- Get paid to hike Pictured Rocks: Park interpreter post open to the first 750 applicants
- Dune overlook trail follows a colorful canopy leading to Lake Michigan