GRAFTON, Ill. — Fall colors are starting to pop up along one of the St. Louis area’s most scenic drives.
On a beautiful Wednesday afternoon, 5 On Your Side flew its drone near Grafton along the Great River Road, which follows the Mississippi River on the Illinois side.
The eagle-eye view of the limestone bluffs showed some trees are starting to turn brilliant shades of red and orange. Overall, the trees are still mostly green.
The Grafton area—along with most of the Great River Road—is about to start seeing ‘partial fall colors,’ according to the people behind SmokyMountains.com. Every year the website compiles millions of data points to help ‘leaf peepers’ know when every county in the country will see peak fall colors.
Here is the timeline of when areas in the bi-state will see fall colors:
Local areas north of I-70:
- No change through the week of Oct. 5
- Minimal fall colors the week of Oct. 12
- Patchy fall colors the week of Oct. 19
- Partial fall colors the week of Oct. 26
- Near peak fall colors the week of Nov. 2
- Peak fall colors the week of Nov. 9
- Past peak beginning the week of Nov. 16
St. Louis and Missouri and Illinois south of I-70:
- No change through the week of Oct. 12
- Minimal fall colors the week of Oct. 19
- Patchy fall colors the week of Oct. 26
- Partial fall colors the week of Nov. 2
- Near fall peak colors the week of Nov. 9
- Peak fall colors the week of Nov. 16
- Past peak beginning the week of Nov. 23
You can explore an interactive version of the map by sliding the bar below or by going to SmokyMountains.com.