Compare · 141 straight-line miles apart
Pictured Rocks vs Harbor Island Refugefall color
Pictured Rocks or Harbor Island Refuge: which comes first?
Pictured Rocks usually comes first (Sep 24–Oct 10), Harbor Island Refuge about 6 days later (Oct 1–14), going by each place's own sources. Their usual windows overlap Oct 1–10.
They're 141 miles apart in a straight line.
Checked Sep 28. Sources (4)
Usual windows, side by side
Pictured Rocks · usually sep 24–oct 10
Harbor Island Refuge · usually oct 1–14
Shaded: Oct 1–Oct 10, in both usual windows.
Side by side
| Pictured Rocks | Harbor Island Refuge | |
|---|---|---|
| Usually | Sep 24–Oct 10 | Oct 1–14 |
| This season | No official report yet | No official report yet |
| Elevation | 607 ft | 590 ft |
| First fall frost | Oct 10 Munsing Lakeshore, 0.1 mi | Oct 20 Detour Village, 8.3 mi |
Elevation at the point we map (USGS). Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 normals, the average first 32 °F night at the nearest station.
Where to go at each
Pictured Rocks
- Miners CastleThe only cliff area you can drive to, with overlooks of Lake Superior
- Chapel-Mosquito loop10-mile hike along the cliffs, which rise 50 to 200 ft above the lake
- Grand Sable Dunes0.6-mile round trip to the top of open dunes
Harbor Island Refuge
- The harbor on Harbor Island (by boat)A marsh-lined harbor and sandy beaches; no official trails
- Standerson Island (by boat)A 25-acre island northwest of Harbor Island, part of the refuge; boats may pull up on the shoreline
Sources (11)
- National Park Service, Pictured Rocks FAQ ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Harbor Island NWR visit ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- National Park Service, Pictured Rocks scenic sites ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- National Park Service, Pictured Rocks FAQ ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- National Park Service, Pictured Rocks scenic sites ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- National Park Service, Pictured Rocks scenic sites ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Harbor Island NWR about ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Harbor Island NWR visit ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Harbor Island NWR about ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Harbor Island NWR rules ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
Which has fall color first, Pictured Rocks or Harbor Island Refuge?
Pictured Rocks, usually Sep 24–Oct 10; Harbor Island Refuge usually Oct 1–14. Each place's own sourced window, not a forecast.
Can I see both on one trip?
In a typical year, Oct 1–10 falls in both usual windows. They're 141 straight-line miles apart; roads are longer.
Which is higher?
Pictured Rocks: 607 ft at the point we map, against 590 ft (USGS). Higher places often turn earlier, but latitude matters as much.