Connecticut Fall Foliage Report

State foresters say this year's Connecticut's foliage season is filled with vibrant colors. Better yet, Connecticut’s foliage season typically runs longer compared to northern New England states, offering travelers even more opportunities to see and experience the autumn beauty.

According to Christopher Martin, Director/State Forester, Division of Forestry, Bureau of Natural Resources, DEEP, “Connecticut’s fall foliage is always great and there was little defoliation in NW Connecticut this year.  As the experts don’t always agree, I am downplaying the excessive wet weather this summer and predicting colors will be more dependent on seasonally cool nights late September and early October. If this week is a fore tail for September temperatures, the colors will be a little later than normal but should be just as vibrant."

The leaves will change in the northern parts of the state first, around Columbus Day, and then move down into the valleys and down toward the shore. Here are estimated peak foliage timeframes for each section:

• Connecticut Northwest/Northeast Corners: October 3 – 8
• Connecticut Eastern and Western Mid-State Counties: October 16 - 23
• Shoreline and lower Connecticut River Valley: October 24 - 30
• Southwest Corner: November 7 - 14

A little known fact is that the Connecticut River, starting at the mouth of Long Island Sound (between Old Saybrook and Old Lyme) and going up toward East Haddam, will hold the foliage the longest – into the first week or so of November. If you're leaf-peeping later in the season, the southern parts of the state such as Fairfield county are the place to look.

The diverse range of destinations and attractions across the state provides hundreds of interesting and unique vantages from which to view the gorgeous foliage. From Mystic Seaport Museum’s harbor to a farm in the quiet countryside, from the top of Gillette Castle to the middle of a classic Connecticut corn maze, fall in Connecticut is not to be missed.

For those planning visits to Connecticut for the foliage season, a good additional resource is DEEP’s Connecticut’s Fall Foliage pages:

• Where to view the fall foliage
• Which trees turn which fall leaf colors
• Why leaves change color