Sherburne Refugefall foliage

Fall colors are at their peak in October: maples, sumac, oaks and aspen, per the Fish and Wildlife Service: October. That's the usual peak in the source's own words, not a forecast.

Not yet: its usual fall foliage timing is October, usually.

Hike to the Blue Hill Overlook: a steep, strenuous climb that rewards you with a view over the surrounding area from Blue Hill, the highest point in Sherburne County.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sherburne NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

As of September 2026, several service roads east of County Highway 5 are being re-graveled in early October. You can still walk or bike them, but dump trucks and equipment will be working on the roads.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sherburne NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Stop at the Oak Savanna Learning Center and walk 0.15 miles to the floating dock on School House Pool, or enjoy the river overlook right outside refuge headquarters.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sherburne NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Yes, for your own use only: mushrooms, berries and nuts can be gathered within 100 feet of trails or public rights-of-way. Cutting, digging or removing plants isn't allowed.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sherburne NWR: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Prairie’s Edge Wildlife Drive: seven miles through oak savanna, prairie and wetland to bike or drive; open to cars April 1 to November 30 as weather allows, except during the November firearm deer season; Blue Hill Trail: about five miles in three loops through prairie, oak savanna and conifers; a steep, strenuous climb leads to the Blue Hill Overlook, the highest point in Sherburne County. Trailhead off County Road 9, 1.2 miles west of refuge headquarters (no bikes).

Wildlife sanctuary: only the Wildlife Drive, trails, canoe route and fishing access points open (Mar–Aug); Wildlife Drive closed to cars (still open to hiking, biking, snowshoeing and skiing), December 1 to March 31 (Dec–Mar).

Wild lupine at peak bloom, early to mid-June, on the Prairie Trail (Jun), Black-eyed Susan, coneflower and prairie clover in the prairie openings; water lilies in the wetlands (Jul), First blazing star and goldenrod (Aug), Asters along the Wildlife Drive and the Blue Hill Trail (Sep), Wildlife sanctuary: only the Wildlife Drive, trails, canoe route and fishing access points open (Mar–Aug), Wildlife Drive open to cars (not during the November firearm deer season) (Apr–Nov), Best month for spring migratory birds (May), Biting insects: bug spray and long sleeves, June through mid-August (Jun–Aug), Staging sandhill cranes, usually best in the last two weeks of October (Oct), Fall colors at their peak: maples, sumac, oaks and aspen (Oct), Grasses and leaves start drying as the fall color change subtly begins (Aug), Red-winged blackbirds back in the wetlands; returning sandhill cranes bugle (Mar), Loons and wood ducks arrive as the ice leaves; returning songbirds in full song (Apr), Eagle's Nest Nature Store open Thursdays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. (closed January to March) (Apr–Dec), First Canada goose goslings hatch (May), Loon chicks ride their parents' backs, fawns hide in the woods, and turtles lay eggs on the Wildlife Drive's sandy edges (Jun), Monarch caterpillars feed on common milkweed (Jul), Migrant monarchs sip nectar at flowers on their way to Mexico (Sep), Flocks of migrating white pelicans spiral overhead (Sep), Bald eagles and hawks migrating south (Oct), Woodpeckers drumming (January); great horned owls and bald eagles courting (February) (Jan–Feb), Wildlife Drive closed to cars (still open to hiking, biking, snowshoeing and skiing), December 1 to March 31 (Dec–Mar) and Service roads and off-trail hiking open, September 1 to February 28 (Sep–Feb).