News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Leaves have begun to change from green to red on a tree at Evergreen Cemetery on Wednesday.

ALPENA — The color change of the leaves in northern Michigan has been slowly taking place for several weeks, but is expected to amp up before the end of the month.

The photosynthesis process, which changes the leaves from green to red, orange, and yellow, began early this year and now, leaves in northern Michigan are expected to reach their colorful peak between Sept. 29 and Oct. 6.

That leaves a short window of opportunity for people to plan to get out for a drive or walk to enjoy their beauty.

The website smokymountains.com tracks the fall foliage nationwide and establishes timelines on when people can expect to see the leaves begin to change, when they are at their peak, and when they are past their peak and falling off the trees.

Leaves typically begin to change color when they reduce the production of chlorophyll due to shorter days and cooler nights. In late August and in September, temperatures have dropped as low as the low 40s on occasion, which likely activated the leaves’ color changes a touch earlier than in years past.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Nicole Sprinkles said the color of the trees in the Gaylord area is beginning to amp up and it is due to cool temperatures and possibly a lack of rain.

“We are seeing some vibrant reds and some oranges, and things are definitely beginning to change quickly,” Sprinkles said. “We’re still not at our peak quite yet, but the leaves are definitely trying to get there. The lack of rain has likely stressed the leaves and prompted them to begin to change too, but there is still some time for people to get out and enjoy them.”

As the leaves change, people often take road trips to look at the fall colors and drive miles north from areas downstate to take in the beauty of autumn. Some of the prime areas to see the leaves are on M-65 near Posen, on M-32 between Hillman and Atlanta, and on U.S.-23 between Alpena and Rogers City. Rides down most any sideroad in the forest will also produce colorful views during the peak season.

The weather in the Alpena area is not expected to slow the color change of the leaves. It is expected to remain in the mid 60s through next week, with little rain in the forecast. Sprinkle said there are still some warmer days expected in Northeast Michigan and she believes there will be some days where Alpena will climb into the mid 70s or higher.

“We still have some nice weather on the horizon,” she said, noting that any early fall warmups will come and go quickly. “Fall is definitely in the air.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.