Leaves

11 photos · 2021–2024

11 photographs tagged Leaves, 2021–2024.

A gravel road winds through Superior National Forest in Minnesota during autumn, showcasing vibrant fall foliage. — A gravel road winds through the Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota during autumn. This forest, established in 1932, encompasses over 3 million acres and is the largest national forest east of the Mississippi River. It is renowned for its vast wilderness, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and serves as a critical habitat for diverse wildlife. The road provides access for visitors to explore the forest's natural beauty and recreational opportunities, particularly during the fall foliage season.

Deephaven wetland basin near Lake Minnetonka surrounded by autumn trees. — A wetland basin in Deephaven, Minnesota, lies amid tree-lined residential streets near Lake Minnetonka. The surrounding canopy is in peak autumn color.

Lake Minnetonka near Deephaven, Minnesota, bordered by wooded coves, docks, and sailboats in autumn. — Lake Minnetonka near Deephaven, Minnesota, is bordered by wooded peninsulas, sheltered bays, and private docks. The lake’s irregular shoreline has long supported boating and lakeside residential development. Peak fall color covers the surrounding neighborhoods and wooded shoreline.

Modern home with stone facade on forested shoreline of Gunflint Lake, Minnesota, during autumn. — Gunflint Lake forms part of the international border between Minnesota and Ontario, Canada, within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and its Canadian counterpart, Quetico Provincial Park. The lake runs roughly six miles long and sits at the far end of the Gunflint Trail, about 45 miles northwest of Grand Marais. It's a popular put-in point for canoe and fishing trips into the connected chain of border lakes, and cabins along its shoreline are among the few private inholdings permitted within the wilderness boundary.

Autumn-colored water lily pads float on a still pond in Cook County, Minnesota. — Cook County sits at the northeastern tip of Minnesota along Lake Superior's North Shore, bordering Ontario and encompassing much of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The county's terrain includes numerous bogs, beaver ponds, and small wetlands fed by the Sawtooth Mountains' runoff, where floating-leaved plants like water lilies and pond-lily species take hold in shallow, still water. By early October, water lily pads in the region typically turn shades of yellow, orange, and red as chlorophyll breaks down, a seasonal change tied to shortening daylight and dropping water temperatures. Much of the county's land is managed by the Superior National Forest, which oversees a large share of Minnesota's remaining undeveloped wetland habitat.

Dirt road through northern Minnesota forest displaying autumn foliage with yellow and red trees in distant fog. — The Arrowhead Trail is a roughly 20-mile gravel road, designated Cook County Road 16, running north from Hovland on Lake Superior's North Shore to the Ontario border at the Pigeon River. The route cuts through the Superior National Forest, passing stands of aspen, birch, and white and red pine mixed with maple that turn color each September and October. It's maintained as a low-traffic forest road rather than a state highway, popular with anglers heading to backcountry lakes and with fall-color drivers making the trip up from Highway 61.

Fog over Loft Lake in Northern Minnesota — Foggy morning over Loft Lake as seen from Shoe Lake Road in Northern Minnesota.

Temperance River flows through golden autumn foliage in Superior National Forest, Minnesota. — The Temperance River runs roughly 22 miles from its origin near the Laurentian Divide to Lake Superior, dropping through a series of potholes and gorges carved into volcanic rock along the way. It's one of the few rivers on Minnesota's North Shore with no sandbar at its mouth, which is how it got its name — early voyageurs who charted the region's rivers by their sandbars, or lack of a "bar," reportedly gave this one a teetotaling nickname. The river and its surrounding old-growth cedar and pine stands sit within the Superior National Forest, which spans nearly three million acres across northeastern Minnesota. Cook County's stretch of the river includes sections popular with anglers seeking steelhead and brook trout during their seasonal runs.

Old growth trees sign from the Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources — "Old growth white and red pine over 185 years old. Minnesota department of natural resources".

Moon rising over Superior National Forest — Burned trees inside the Greenwood fire zone a year after the wildfire.

Leaves in the Superior National Forest, Northern Minnesota — A rock with roots around it with fallen leaves near Ely, Minnesota.

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