Leaf peeping

Fall colors in Connecticut

Typical peak runs Oct 19 – 25. Pick the week, then the place.

Photo: Caleb's Peak Trail

Fall color in Connecticut typically peaks between Oct 19 and Oct 25, with the middle of the season around Oct 22. Color starts in the high country (Great Falls around Oct 9) and finishes lower (Groton X-Town Trail around Oct 21). We track 1,207 places here: 938 hikes, 140 campgrounds, 87 summits, 32 mountain biking trails, and 8 waterfalls. Above 1,000 ft, color typically peaks around Oct 20; under 1,000 ft, around Oct 22.

When to go

Week by week

How many places are in their typical peak window each week, with the top pick. Today’s week is highlighted.

  1. Oct 6 – 12

    This week

    197 places
    Bear MountainTop pick · summit

  2. Oct 13 – 19

    1,175 places
    Caleb's Peak TrailTop pick · hike

  3. Oct 20 – 26

    Busiest

    1,207 places
    White TrailTop pick · hike

  4. Oct 27 – Nov 2

    1,010 places
    Mount CarmelTop pick · summit

  5. Nov 3 – 9

    32 places
    Blue TrailTop pick · hike

Elevation

Color walks downhill

In Connecticut, the higher the ground, the earlier the turn. Each row is a 1,000-foot band.

  1. 1,000+ ftOct 20
  2. 0–1,000 ftOct 22

Dot = median typical peak for places in that band. Bands with fewer than 10 places are left out.

This week

In typical peak now in Connecticut

Places whose usual window includes today.

Plan ahead

Coming up next

Typical peak starts within the next three weeks.

Where

By park and forest

Typical timing for the public lands with the most places, and the best-known spots in each.

Hikes

Best fall hikes

Trails ranked by how much hardwood forest surrounds them and how consistent the timing is across years.

Drives

Scenic drives

The easiest way to cover a lot of color, and a good fit for a wide window.

Camp

Campgrounds in the color

Wake up in it. Check availability and any seasonal closures before you go.

Views

Summits and waterfalls

Overlooks for the big picture, falls for the doubled-up reflection.

Ride

Mountain biking through the color

Singletrack with a canopy overhead.

Everything

Map and full list

Every place we track in Connecticut, grouped by where it is in its typical window.

  • In typical peak now (74)
  • Coming up (26)

In typical peak now

Today falls inside the usual peak window for these places.

Coming up

Typical peak starts within the next three weeks.

Questions

Fall colors in Connecticut: FAQ

When is peak fall color in Connecticut?

Across the 1,207 places we track in Connecticut, typical peak runs from Oct 19 to Oct 25, with the middle of the season around Oct 22. Where you are in the state matters: higher elevations come earlier and valleys later.

Where do leaves change first in Connecticut?

Among the places we track in Connecticut, Great Falls has the earliest typical peak, around Oct 9. The latest is Groton X-Town Trail, around Oct 21. Above 1,000 ft, color typically peaks around Oct 20; under 1,000 ft, around Oct 22.

What are the best fall hikes in Connecticut?

Hikes with strong typical color in Connecticut include Caleb's Peak Trail, Pootatuck Forest Trail, Cooks Lane Trail, Gay City Trail, and Coginchaug Cave Trail. They are ranked by how much of the surrounding forest is hardwood and how consistent the timing has been across years.

Is this a forecast?

No. These dates are typical timing: when leaves have usually reached peak in past years, from NASA satellite vegetation data from 2017 to 2024 and USGS forest cover. A warm, dry or very wet year can shift them by a week or more, so treat them as a planning window, not a prediction for this year.

Keep going

Nearby states

Typical timing from NASA MODIS vegetation data (2017–2024) and USGS NLCD 2021 forest cover. Not a forecast. Timing is typical, not a forecast. How we time it.