What a difference a week makes: Where to catch the changing fall colors in Minnesota

October barreled in with brisk mornings and sunny days as most of the state experiences drought conditions.

The latest fall colors map from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources suggests you will have plenty of opportunity to see the autumn hues across the state’s arrowhead region, central Minnesota and in the northeast, with the Twin Cities metro area remaining fairly green.

Here are a few state park suggestions from the DNR to enjoy this weekend:

Iron Range and North Shore

Cascade River State Park

This park is known for it’s vast wildlife and hilly terrain. Come for the waterfalls framed by the picturesque autumn leaves, and stay for the hiking, moose sightings and moss-covered volcanic rock. The park is named for the river running through it, the Cascade, which is one of the largest of the North Shore rivers. It deepens its gorge as it cuts down through the ancient basalt lava flows.

Jay Cooke State Park

This 8,125 acres-large park has bedrock that was deposited by Glacial Lake Duluth, or the ancestor of modern day Lake Superior. This red clay and silt paints a rustic North Shore picture with the changing fall leaves. At this park you can walk on a swinging suspension bridge high above the St. Louis River, Lake Superior’s largest U. S. tributary. Some 173 species of birds nest and feed in the park including the pileated woodpecker, marsh hawk and the great blue heron.

Bear Head Lake State Park

Bear Head Lake State Park is located just south of the Boundary Water Canoe Area. It is secluded behind white and red pine trees mixed with birch, aspen and fir trees. The hiking trails and roads are shared by white-tailed deer, black bear, moose, wolves, red squirrels, chipmunks and snowshoe hares. The occasional red-breasted nuthatches, pine grosbeaks, red crossbills, boreal chickadees and bald eagles can be spotted in park ground as well.

Northwestern Minnesota

Big Bog State Recreation Area

At 500 square miles, it’s the largest peat bog in the lower 48 states. Visitors can take in this rare resource rich in plant and animal life on a mile-long boardwalk. Plant communities that exist include open sphagnum bog, fen, boreal conifers, boreal hardwoods, conifer swamp forest and hardwood swamp forest.

Hayes Lake State Park

Hayes Lake is fed by the Roseau River and supports crappie, sunfish, large mouth bass and northern. Birdwatchers have spotted more than 200 species among the park lands. Wildlife also includes deer, fox, raccoon, porcupine, beaver, mink and skunk. Loons, herons and grebes also pay the occasional visit.

Central Minnesota

Glendalough State Park

At this park the leaves are 50-75 percent into their color change. Grasses are 75-100 percent and flowers are past their peak in fall bloom. See these beautiful sights along the side of the shore as you canoe or kayak. Or spot a white-tailed deer, raccoon or red fox along with the smaller mammals that scour these grounds.

Mille Lacs Kathio State Park

This park has 9,000 years of human history, which has made it archaeologically significant and a National Historic Landmark. This park is primarily a second-growth forest, meaning it was regrown after being disturbed by human activity or natural events. It is aspen, birch, maple, oak and other northern hardwoods. There are some isolated remnants providing what the diversity to the landscape looked like a century ago. This park also has a 100-foot fire tower you can climb to out look across the majesty of Mille Lacs Lake as it reflects hues of the changing leaves.

• Rising overnight temperatures with warm south wind
• Winter solstice arrives with chilly temperatures
• Winter wonderland: Widespread snow cover now, Christmas week thaw
• Frosty winter solstice ahead