Fall in the Brainerd Lakes Area has a personality all its own.
Summer doesn’t exactly disappear overnight. Instead, it slowly gives way to cooler mornings, quieter lakes, changing leaves, and that unmistakable feeling that northern Minnesota is getting ready for the next season.
From Nisswa and Lake Shore to Pequot Lakes, Breezy Point, and Crosslake, fall is one of the best times of the year to live in the Lakes Area.
Fall Starts to Show Itself in Nisswa
By September, the drive into Nisswa begins looking different. Maples start showing flashes of red and orange, birch and aspen turn gold, and the summer green gradually gives way to fall color.
Downtown is still busy, but the rhythm changes as the peak summer vacation season winds down. Locals get a little more breathing room, while visitors who come specifically for fall discover a completely different side of the area.
Nisswa celebrates the season in its own way, too. The annual Nisswa Fall Festival brings people downtown for a day of activities and another excuse to enjoy one of the nicest times of year in northern Minnesota.
Lake Shore Is Home for Us
Head west from Nisswa and you’re in Lake Shore, where TurfCare is based.
For us, the Brainerd Lakes Area isn’t simply a collection of cities listed on a service map. The Bermel family lives and works here, and TurfCare has been caring for lawns throughout the area since 1987.
That means we’ve watched a lot of Minnesota summers turn into fall.
We’ve seen properties around Gull Lake change from busy summer gathering places to quieter fall retreats. We’ve watched docks come out, boats disappear from lifts, leaves pile up, and homeowners begin the annual process of getting everything ready for winter.
It’s part of living here.
Pequot Lakes and Breezy Point Settle Into Fall
Continue north toward Pequot Lakes and Breezy Point and you’ll find more of the same transformation.
The trees change, summer traffic slows, and cool evenings begin replacing the long warm days of July. Lawns grow more slowly, leaves begin covering yards, and homeowners start tackling the outdoor projects they want finished before the first real cold arrives.
It’s also an important time for lawns. Minnesota’s cool-season grasses respond well to the cooler conditions of late summer and early fall, making this a valuable part of the growing season.
But fall around here is about much more than lawn care.
It’s bonfires, football, hunting season approaching, sweatshirts coming back out of the closet, and squeezing in a few more days outside before winter changes the landscape completely.
Then There’s Crosslake
Keep heading through the Lakes Area and eventually you reach Crosslake, another community that seems made for fall.
Crosslake embraces the season with Crosslake Days, its annual September fall festival featuring local businesses, food, arts and crafts, music, and community events surrounded by fall colors.
It’s a good example of what makes these towns special. Summer may bring thousands of visitors to the lakes, but fall has its own traditions and its own character.
And once the leaves really begin changing, simply driving the roads around Crosslake and the Whitefish Chain can be reason enough to head out for the afternoon.
Fall Is Also Getting-Ready Season
Of course, anyone who lives here year-round knows what all those beautiful fall colors are quietly announcing.
Winter is coming.
Across Nisswa, Lake Shore, Pequot Lakes, Breezy Point, Crosslake, Brainerd, Baxter, and the surrounding communities, fall becomes preparation season.
Docks and boat lifts come out of the water. Cabins are winterized. Patio furniture gets stored. Leaves need to be dealt with. Snowblowers replace lawn mowers in the garage.
Lawns are preparing too.
Grass growth slows as temperatures fall, but the plants continue preparing themselves for dormancy. Proper fall fertilization, mowing, leaf removal, aeration, and overseeding when needed can help a lawn enter winter in better condition and return stronger the following spring.
There’s No Need to Rush Through It
Fall can sometimes feel like one enormous countdown to winter in Minnesota.
There are plenty of things that need to get done before the ground freezes and the snow arrives, but that doesn’t mean we should spend the entire season preparing for what’s next.
Take the long way home through Nisswa. Spend an afternoon in Crosslake. Head through Pequot Lakes and Breezy Point. Walk outside on one of those crisp October mornings when the sky is impossibly blue and the leaves are at their peak.
We get four very different seasons in the Brainerd Lakes Area.
This might be the best one.
Proud to Take Care of Our Corner of Minnesota
At TurfCare, we’re fortunate that our work takes us throughout the communities we call home.
We’ve been serving lawns in Lake Shore, Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Breezy Point, Crosslake, Brainerd, Baxter, and communities throughout Cass County and Crow Wing County for more than three decades.
You can see all of the communities we serve on our Brainerd Lakes Area service area page.
Fall doesn’t last very long around here.
That’s probably part of what makes it so good.
