Where and when to see fall color in Kansas and surrounding states

The first official day of fall is here, ushering in planning when and where to see the autumn leaves reach their peak colors.

With groves of golden aspens in the Colorado high country and foothills filled with the rich reds, oranges and yellows of the mighty oaks in the Ozarks, Kansans are surrounded by fall foliage destinations within a reasonable driving distance.

Winterset, Iowa, about 370 miles northeast of Wichita just off I-35 is one option.

Some years it’s snowed, some years it’s been 80 degrees. And, it’s safe to say the Madison County Covered Bridge Festival held every October for the past half-century in this south central Iowa town has seen nearly every shade of leaf color.

Organizers hope the festival aligns with the peak color of the changing leaves, but they say that regardless October is an ideal time to see iconic America: century farms, the birthplace of John Wayne, tributes to innovators George Washington Carver and George Stout, and a small town square worthy of a Hollywood close-up.

Winterset is best known as the setting for the 1992 Robert James Waller novel “The Bridges of Madison County.” The love story became a film in 1995 starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. Perhaps because the novel was named after actual bridges and then the movie was filmed in Madison County, many fans are surprised to find out it is fiction.

“Our covered bridges are part of our history but you can’t overlook the cultural and romantic aspect because of the novel, movie and musical that have elevated them,” said Teddi Yeager, who coordinates tourism and marketing for the Madison County Chamber of Commerce. “When you walk into our bridges, you see thousands of stories etched on the sides. People have written a little about their love story, they’ve carved their initials. They make an emotional connection with the bridges.”

Over the years, the bridges have hosted thousands of engagements, weddings and ash scattering ceremonies. Five of the original 19 covered bridges of Madison County have been preserved. That number was six until the bridge featured on the book cover was nearly destroyed by arson in 2017. The community plans to rebuild it.

The bridges not only get their own festival, the state recently designated an 82-mile path through the county as the Covered Bridges Scenic Byway.

“People can expect to drive rolling hills, see wonderful examples of prairie along with oak and walnut groves, and, of course, the red, covered bridges dotting the landscape,” Yeager said. “It’s a great, scenic drive with wonderful stops along the way for people to explore.”

Maps for self-guided tours are available at the welcome center on the town square. For $10 per person, tours on school buses are available during the 49th annual Madison County Covered Bridge Festival, Oct. 13-14. Admission to the festival is $2 per person, ages 11 and under are free.

With 20,000 attendees, the festival is the county’s biggest annual event and celebrates the entire community, not just the bridges. Most of the activities are near the town square but also take place at the Winterset City Park, the Madison County Historical Complex and other venues. There is a car show, parade, quilt show, live music, arts and crafts vendors, artists, old-fashioned demonstrators, kids activities and Civil War reenactments. For a full schedule, visit madisoncounty.com.

The festival’s theme this year celebrates the life and legacy of Carver, who lived in Winterset for several years after moving from Kansas and before going to college and launching a career as a botanist.

Businesses and attractions around the square – including the Iowa Quilt Museum and the historic Iowa Theater – will have special events. Just a block off the square is the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum. It opened in 2015 as the only museum dedicated to the legendary actor.

And, of course, many will visit the bridges. The most popular is Roseman, about 10 miles southwest of Winterset. Built in 1883, it was featured in the movie and is the only bridge with a gift shop. It’s near Pammel Park, where you can see what Yeager said is Iowa’s oldest living oak tree, dating back to the 1600s.

Another way to see the bridges and the fall color of the area is in a canoe, kayak or tube on the Middle River. Depending on water levels, Matt Hupton said he hopes to be on the water in October with Middle River Rentals, which he operates with his wife. He calls the 8.7-mile route from Roseman Bridge into Pammel Park the best example of the farmland and timber of Madison County.

“The rolling hills of Madison County are gorgeous year round, but the fall colors really stand out here,” he said. “Maples, oaks, walnut, birch, elm, ash all make for great colors in the fall.”

When to go

There are tools available if you’re wondering when the leaves will start changing and when they will reach their peak colors. This week, the U.S. Forest Service is scheduled to update its fall colors resource page of its website at fs.fed.us/fallcolors.

The tourism website smokymountains.com has already released an online fall foliage prediction map that, despite the organization’s name, shows every county in the continental U.S. The interactive map at smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map allows you to see the progression of the leaves – from patchy to partial to peak and then past peak – by week through the start of winter. The map’s predictions are based on historic temperatures and precipitation, forecast temperatures and precipitation and historical leaf trends and observation trends.

Here’s what the prediction map shows for surrounding states, along with a suggested site for classic autumn views.

Dates: Partial fall colors the weeks of Oct. 8-29; near peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 15-Nov. 5; peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 22-Nov. 12

Visit: Bartlett Arboretum, Belle Plaine, Kan., bartlettarboretum.com

Dates: Partial fall colors the weeks of Sept. 24-Oct. 8; near peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 1-15; peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 8-22

Visit: Free gondola ride, Telluride, Colo., telluride.com

Dates: Partial fall colors the weeks of Oct. 8-29; near peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 8-Nov. 5; peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 15-Nov. 12

Visit: Turner Falls Park, Davis, Okla., turnerfallspark.com

Dates: Partial fall colors the weeks of Oct. 8-22; near peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 15-29; peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 22-Nov. 5

Visit: Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, Valentine, Neb., fws.gov/fortniobrara

Dates: Partial fall colors the weeks of Oct. 8-22; near peak fall colors the weeks of

Oct. 15-29; peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 22-Nov. 5

Visit: Madison County, Iowa, madisoncounty.com

Dates: Partial fall colors the weeks of Oct. 22-29; near peak fall colors the weeks of Oct. 29-Nov. 5; peak fall colors the weeks of Nov. 5-Nov. 12

Visit: Top of the Rock, Ridgedale, Mo., topoftherock.com

Dates: Partial fall colors the week of Oct. 29; near peak fall colors the week of Nov. 5; peak fall colors the week of Nov. 12

Visit: Great River Road National Scenic Byway, eastern Arkansas, experiencemississippiriver.com

This story was originally published September 22, 2018 at 8:00 AM.