Discover When Leaves Change Color in Connecticut (Plus 18 Towns with Beautiful Foliage)

Can you feel it? Just a little nip in the air. It’s mostly warm during the day, but at night, when the sun hides, you can sense the subtle change. It’s September, after all, and autumn is almost here. Football has started, and in Connecticut, as well as the rest of New England, the leaves are busting a gut to change color.

In a very short time, vibrant reds, golds, and oranges will awash the landscape, painting the state in a brilliant blanket of hues. Yet, discovering when the leaves change in Connecticut is not an exact science, although you can make educated guesses. And when you do, you can visit 18 towns with beautiful foliage that will certainly give you an eyeful.

Leaf Business

Before you do that, it’s important to put fall into context, especially for those living in areas that never see a leaf of a different color. Autumn is not taken lightly in Connecticut or elsewhere in the eastern United States. Leaf peeping is big business, pumping $30 billion into the local economies of 24 eastern states, according to Appalachian State University. That’s a conservative estimate.

Leaves change color in slow motion. In Northern New England, leaves shed their summer wardrobe sooner than in Southern New England. The elevation is much higher, meaning leaves will change sooner in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine than in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Although one of the smallest states, Connecticut is 60 percent covered in dense forest. In 2015, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection undertook a study trying to decipher just how much the state’s forests contribute to the economy. They concluded that “forest-based recreational activities” bring in $1.2 billion in sales each year. That includes spending on gas, food, beverages, and lodging. Twenty-five percent of the total is directly attributed to looking at leaves.

What You Will See

Typically, a leaf-peeping family coming to Connecticut will stay an average of 3.4 nights and spend about $543. What do they see when they get here? The answer is a bit amorphous and has a lot to do with the vagaries of elevation, wildlife, weather, and climate. Droughts, for example, tend to deaden the colors of fall. Instead of bright reds and blazing oranges, you’re more likely to see an abundance of brown. Conversely, colors pop when evenings are cool and days are warm.  

In addition, no two foliage seasons are the same, whether in Connecticut or the rest of New England. In the summer of 2022, a drought-ravaged a good portion of the region, which meant colors were not as vibrant as they should have been. A lack of snow in many places during the winter left many plants damaged as they sat naked against the cold and wind. Moreover, insects, such as the spongy moth caterpillar, also known as gypsy moth, can harm trees. Fungi can also damage leaves. 

Colorful Experience

Heavy rainfall also impacts color. Soil acts like a sponge, and if there is too much moisture, it will keep a plant’s roots from absorbing the nutrients it needs. If a tree is not getting enough to eat, it will be stressed. If a tree is stressed, leaves can change color earlier than they should. Too much water also impacts color by diluting sugar in the leaves, which means there won’t be as many reds.

Now that you know a bit about fall, foilage, and New England, where in Connecticut are the best places to watch the leaves change? It depends. Generally, the northern part of the state, which includes Litchfield, Hartford, Tolland, and Windham counties, is the first to experience the vibrancy of autumn. 

Kent, West Cornwall, Canaan, North Canaan, Norfolk, Banton, Morris, Litchfield

Located in the northwest corner of the state, these eight towns, and pretty much everything in between, are busy places during late September and October. A picturesque drive up Route 7, which parallels Connecticut’s border with New York, will bring you first to Kent.

Second home to many celebrities, Kent is nestled between verdant mountains, like Macedonia, and the Housatonic River. The leaves pop the farther north you drive. One of the places you should stop for a picture is West Cornwall. The town is a fly fisherman’s paradise, complete with a covered bridge, the town landmark.

If you continue up Route 7, you will eventually arrive in Canaan and later North Canaan, both of which are a short drive east to Norfolk. Each town straddles the Massachusetts border and sits at the base of the Berkshire Mountains. If you drove farther east and a bit south, you will eventually come to Bantam, Morris, and Litchfield.

All three communities are mesmerizing in the fall, but there’s something about Litchfield that is so Norman Rockwell. It has a large and bucolic town green, churches with white spires and an annual fall road race that draws hundreds of runners each fall.

Hiking is perhaps the best way to truly embrace the fall spirit in the Litchfield Hills. The area has dozens of great trials, including those of the White Memorial Foundation, Kent Falls State Park, Macedonia State Park, and others. You can even hike the Appalachian Trial. This website will help you plan your trip.

New Hartford, Barkhamsted, Torrington, Simsbury

Leaf peeping in the eastern Litchfield Hills is just as jaw-dropping as the western hills. Still located in northern Connecticut, the area is home to dozens of meandering roads that offer some of the best colors. Your best bet getting there (depending on where you’re coming from) is to follow Route 8, then snake your way across Route 202 or Route 44 in either direction.

Obviously, you have to eat on your sojourn and, perhaps, quaff a few adult libations. The Litchfield Hills is replete with local wineries and brew pubs. And, of course, there are myriad trails on which to hike, bike, or just chill, including People’s State Forest in Barkhamsted. The area is also rich in antique shops. It’s New England, after all.

If you travel farther east, you’ll come to Hartford County. If you hike to the top of Talcott Mountain in Simsbury, you’ll be treated to an amazing view of the Farmington River Valley, which brims with color during the last full week of September or thereabouts. When the sky is clear, and the sun is out, you can see all the way to New Hampshire.

Woodstock, Brooklyn, Putnam

By the time October arrives, the northern part of Connecticut is in moderate to peak leaf-spying mode, while in the southern portion of the state, the leaves are just beginning to change. This is the time when you should meander to the state’s Quite Corner, which, among other communities, includes Woodstock, Brooklyn, Putnam, and Pomfret. Located near the Rhode Island and Massachusetts border, this particular stretch of Connecticut lives up to its moniker. Not much happens.

Route 169 is one of the most scenic drives in the state, and Woodstock is quintessential Connecticut, replete with shopping, walking, and dining. If old homes intrigue you, then Brooklyn has a lot to offer. Many of the buildings in its Historic District date from the mid-1700s. A few of the homes are much earlier. The district is the oldest settled area in eastern Connecticut.

New Haven, Mystic, New London

By early- to mid-October, the northern part of Connecticut is peaking, but in the southern half, the color is just getting started. The Connecticut River Valley south of Hartford is beginning to catch fire, while the leaves along the shore are mostly green. That all changes by the middle of the month, when towns like New Haven, Mystic, and New London begin to colorize.

Of course, you can walk, hike, or bike on your tour. The trails in this area of the state are fairly flat. But if you want to try something a bit different, take a cruise down the Connecticut River or view the fall colors from the beach. Mystic is one of the top destination spots at any time of the year. It is loaded with shops and eateries, not to mention Mystic Seaport and the Mystic Aquarium.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Shanshan0312/Shutterstock.com