Fall color guide: 8 ways to experience Minnesota’s autumn in action

When autumn finally rolls around, and the green of chlorophyll begins to break down into reds, browns and yellows, we Minnesotans spring — er, fall — into action. Not content to merely sit back and watch the leaves gradually transform into compost, we demand to get out there and do something.

For your Midwest fall colors expedition this year, make plans to perform one or more of your favorite actions — boating, biking, hiking, riding and more — on your way to discovering nature’s many-hued bounty.

Check our fall foliage forecast maps for the most likely peak color in your target region, and head out.

Sail into Duluth’s crisp fall air while you watch the sun come up with the Vista Fleet’s new Coffee and Colors Sunrise Tour. The yacht-style Vista Queen or Vista Star leaves its dock in the Duluth Harbor before sunrise at 6:55 a.m. Enjoy coffee and pastries during a 90-minute narrated cruise along the St. Louis River while enjoying the colors carpeting the hillsides.

Meanwhile, the Vista Fleet’s two-hour Lunch & Leaves tour, with soup and sandwiches, focuses on the historic bridges, science and ecology of the river — with a backdrop of fall color. The fleet’s classic waterfront and grand sightseeing tours include a jaunt beneath the Aerial Lift Bridge and onto Lake Superior, weather permitting. Tours run Wednesday through Monday until Oct. 20 (vistafleet.com).

Rise above the Sawtooth Mountains to savor an aerial view of autumn’s flame-red colors at Lutsen Mountains ski resort. The Summit Express Gondola, used by downhill skiers through the winter, welcomes leaf-peepers with an enclosed ride that glides above the Poplar River valley and rises 1,000 feet above Lake Superior to the top of Moose Mountain. Riders can linger at the Summit Chalet with patio views of the lake, hike along the ridgeline or even opt to take the Superior Hiking Trail back to the base.

Another popular option at the ski resort is to take a chairlift up Eagle Mountain and zip down the half-mile alpine slide. But it’s hard to top the gondola’s 100-mile views. Open daily through Oct. 13, plus Oct. 17-20. (lutsen.com).

Prefer your fall color with a side of adrenaline? The Split Rock Wilds mountain-bike trail system will bring you and your fat tires up close and personal with North Shore hues between Beaver Bay and the iconic Split Rock Lighthouse. You’ll find more than 20 miles of easy-to-very-difficult trails that rise up to 500 feet over Lake Superior and Hwy. 61, culminating in stony clifftops overlooking pines, aspens and the Great Lake. Does that sound like too much climbing? Then just let the colors fly by on the all-downhill mountain bike trails at nearby Giants Ridge or Spirit Mountain, where chairlifts do the harder part for you.

Stare into the underwater depths while paddling a clear kayak across Pennington Mine Lake — just don’t miss the bright red sumac and golden aspens rising along the steep shore. Available through Cuyuna Outfitters (cuyunaoutfitters.com) in Crosby, the custom see-through kayaks offer a different perspective while exploring Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. Put fall colors on fast-forward by renting or bringing a mountain bike for 50 miles of rugged trails — or cruise the paved 8-mile Cuyuna Lakes State Trail (cuyuna.com).

Join the steady flow of folks along the half-mile trail to the Aiton Heights fire tower in Itasca State Park. The 100-foot climb to the top of the tower reveals an above-the-treetops view of more than 32,000 acres of forest south of Bemidji. You may need to wait in line for the first tower, one of five in Minnesota state parks, but the flutter of golden leaves and the adventurous vibe make up for it. Not a fan of heights? Look for fall colors in Minnesota’s oldest state park while biking, paddling or picnicking along Lake Itasca, and take the rolling, twisty 10-mile Wilderness Drive (dnr.state.mn.us).

Anyone who craves the sight of fall colors reflected on a mirror-like surface of calm water can find it in more than 20 quarries dotted across Quarry Park and Nature Preserve in Waite Park, next to St. Cloud. In addition to the crisp aquatic reflections, there’s prairie lined with golden aspens and red oak, intriguing industrial remnants including a towering derrick and an overlook atop a towering hill of discarded granite (stearnscountymn.gov).

Few fall-color hikes in Minnesota are as iconic as Oberg Mountain on the North Shore. It’s a 3-mile out-and-back loop off the Superior Hiking Trail (find the parking area on Onion River Road near Tofte). The rugged trail climbs 230 feet through rocky thickets of gold, orange and red. Its nine overlooks include 360-degree views of kaleidoscopic highlands plus Lake Superior, some 900 feet below. Of course, you’ll also get a perfect glimpse of Oberg Lake, the Instagram-famous, azure teardrop among the trees.

North Shore Scenic Railroad is running its all-day First Class Fall Colors Train Tour from Duluth to Two Harbors and back, featuring panoramic views from an exclusive dome car ($95-$110, Sept. 20-Oct. 13, duluthtrains.com) — but sadly, it’s completely sold out. Maybe next year, or get on the waitlist for the dome car here.

A better bet for autumn might be Amtrak’s new Borealis train service, which charges down the Mississippi River valley, past lake Pepin and into the puffy-treed bluff country of the Driftless Area on its eventual way to Chicago. Departing St. Paul’s Union Depot on the Borealis at 11:50 a.m. daily, you have enough time for a 2-hour journey through Red Wing and Winona, Minn., to La Crosse, Wis., before returning home the same day on Amtrak (amtrak.com/borealis-train).