It's that time of year again: the time when days begin to get noticeably shorter, temperatures noticeably cooler, and an overall vibe of calm and tranquility settles in as we begin to transition into winter. Plenty of folks get ultra-excited about sweater weather, "pumpkin everything" and, of course, fall color - and can you blame them? It's only the best! Luckily for those in the Hoosier State, Indiana is treated to an incredible spectrum of color year after year and the splendid SmokyMountains.com has released their forecast detailing when and where the best times for color will be.

Here is the portion of the map including Indiana and parts of the Midwest, as well as the east-central and southern United States.

This is the color forecast for September 20th, 2021, and as the legend at the bottom right indicates, Hoosiers can expect just a little bit of change beginning to stir. It'll be a few more weeks until the best of it.

As if Indiana isn't magical enough as it is, autumn brings with it a specific charm that reminds us of the wonderful, simple things in life like pumpkin patches and sunflower weather.

There's nothing quite like a crisp autumn evening filled with leaf-peeping and pumpkin carving to relax the soul. Here are a great handful of the best places to seek out vibrant fall color in Indiana.

By October 4th, Smoky Mountains forecasts that the real color changing will finally be underway.

Colors around this time are speculated to be patchy to partial, with northern Indiana being first in on the action, and the rest of the state gradually following from north to south.

Summer is wonderful and all, but we feel like autumn is the ultimate time for hiking.

It's such a fleeting, blink-and-you'll-miss-it season, and there's just something about golden forests and chilly-but-not-cold-yet air that tames even the most restless of souls.

Fast forward to October 18th, and it's just about prime time.

Colors throughout Indiana are predicted to be just about in full swing at this time, with more than half of the state at near-peak color, and parts of the northern segment at peak color.

This is the best time for photographers and nature lovers, as it's such a short window of perfection that it can be easy to miss if one is not careful.

This is a really good time to embark on an epic fall foliage in Indiana road trip!

Beyond that date into November, the colors begin to wane.

As of October 25th, colors are either at their peak or are just past it, and it'll only fade more from there. Like we said - it's brief, though something about that really just kind of adds to the magic, don't you think?

Of course, there's no perfect way to forecast things like fall color, but it's a lot of fun to try.

Besides, this resource is immensely helpful for those of us trying to plan the perfect autumn hike, camping trip, or a simple walk through the park.

Where are your favorite spots to see brilliant fall colors in Indiana? Tell us about these places and you might just see yours featured in an upcoming article this autumn! Make sure to share your photos with us, too - we love hearing from you! If you'd like to see Smoky Mountains' fascinating fall color forecast tool for yourself, as well as read more about it, take a look at the official website.