With the leaves outside starting to change for the season, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has created a way to track the best fall colors around the state. Called the Fall Color Finder, it tracks scenic looks within state parks and beyond. The site works through State Park and Forest teamwork.

Northern Minnesota gets a special view of fall colors because they start to change more quickly the further north you go. The reason for the earlier change has less to do with temperature and more to do with the length of days changing along with the seasons.

This year, Explore Minnesota is trying to recommend places and things that many Minnesotans might not know about in order to promote social distancing, as many of the more well-known spots may already have a lot of visitors.

Those who want to track the colors as they change to know the best time for a visit can sign up for weekly email updates. The Fall Color Finder can be found on the DNR website at mndnr.gov/fallcolor.

By — Betsy Melin