Fall Colors Update
Fall 2026 is beginning to show off the transformation of nature and seasons as of October 23, 2026!
Warmer days and cooler nights in September is a good combination to create vibrant fall colors with warming yellows, fiery orange, and reds that pop typically in mid to late October. A wet summer season, then sunny warm days with cool (but not freezing) nights through September traps sugars in the leaves and builds anthocyanins (red and crimson colors).
Utilize the State of Ohio Fall Foliage Viewer to see what phase an area is currently in.
Pigment Types
Chlorophyll gives tree leaves their dominant green color and is necessary for photosynthesis (the process through which trees convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into sugar). Chlorophyll is present in leaves year-round. As the amount of daylight decreases in the fall, the production of chlorophyll decreases. This loss unmasks the carotenoid and anthocyanin pigments, allowing them to briefly dominate before the leaf dies.
Carotenoids pigments produce yellow, orange, and brown colors in leaves. As with chlorophyll, carotenoids are present in leaves year-round.
Anthocyanins pigments produce red and purple colors in leaves. Unlike the other pigments, most anthocyanins are produced in the fall in response to warm sunny days, cool nights, and extra sugars found in the leaves.
Fall Colors in Stark Parks--Fall 2026
Eastern Stark County (as of Oct. 20, 2026):
Deer Creek and Walborn Reservoirs offer both views from parking areas of the trees along the shoreline or a chance to hike down the trail for different vantage points. Traveling down Price St. between Rt. 183 and Rt. 225 offers a nice stretch of views, especially where the tree canopy creates a tunnel over the road just east of the Deer Creek Reservoir main entrance.
Central Stark County (as of Oct. 22, 2026):
Sippo Lake Park has lost a lot of leaf coverage already with a lot of green still on trees around the northern shoreline of the lake. We'll try to get a trails report to find some pockets hidden inside the forest more.
Petros Lake Park is similar to Sippo Lake Park lacking tree coverage leaves hanging on at Petros Lake Park. A fun fall hike...yes. Exceptional leaf viewing experience....not for this year! Expect a few trees to stick out around the park, but not in rows or dazzling treetops in alignment.
Tam O'Shanter Park has some fall colors spread across the park, but since many trees have been planted or grown naturally in the last ten years it might offer more of a "fall feel" walk rather than a fall color destination. There is something cool about walking through the fields of maple trees that have sprouted since becoming a park on the east side of the park near the fishing pond. It is hard to know how many of these will survive as they all compete for resources to continue growing.
Fry Family Park and Pike Ridge Park in southern Stark County seem to be about 3 to 5 days away from peak viewing. Observations are forecasting that the weekend of Oct. 24-25 into mid-week might be the best viewing for the 2026 season.
Western Stark County (as of Oct. 22, 2026):
Towpath Trail spots including John Glenn Grove south to Wooster St. and Craig Pittman Trailhead south toward Riverland offer a little thicker tree line with leaves canopying above as well. Some sections north of Crystal Springs Trailhead toward Canal Fulton and north of Lake Lucerne also offer a chance to crunch the leaves under you with occasional splashes of yellow and auburn next to and above you.
The Sippo Valley Trail has a mix of open fields and areas with some shaded sections. Observations show leaves still hanging on and nearing peak color between Alabama Ave. and Ben Fulton. The surrounding rural views provide a nice fall background in the distance as fields are being prepared to harvest and winter.