The Turning Report

The lakeshore turns late. The hills south of town turn first.

Lake Erie keeps the shore warmer into fall, so leaves along the lake often peak a week or more after the higher ground to the south. The Turning Report is a short email each Thursday from early October into November that says where color is near peak around Cleveland that weekend, so you can pick where to walk.

Every area gets one of five stages

  1. Still green
  2. A tinge
  3. Turning
  4. Near peak
  5. Past peak

A typical issue lists about eight areas, from the lakefront and the river valleys on the east and west sides to the ridges further south, each with its stage and one easy walk to take there. The stages come from public foliage reports and, where we can, from walking the trails ourselves that week.

Get the first issue

Joining gets you the Thursday email for this fall only, free, about six issues in all. If we don't start sending it, you'll get one note saying so and nothing else.

We only use your email to tell you about this.