CT Visit, Connecticut’s Tourism Office, published its annual Fall Foliage Report and Foliage Tracker, forecasting when the state’s leaves will change color
Foliage is forecast to begin changing in Connecticut’s northern corners around Sept. 21 and gradually spread south through October, peaking in the southern half of the state around Halloween
Leaf tourism brings millions of dollars to Connecticut businesses each year, according to the state
As the start of autumn nears, with pumpkin spice and Halloween candy already filling coffee shops and store aisles, an annual tradition is almost here. Over the next few months, Connecticut’s leaves will begin to turn vivid colors across the state.
CT Visit, the website for Connecticut’s Tourism Office, contains a yearly Fall Foliage Report and Foliage Tracker. This year’s above-average rain and sun could make for especially vivid foliage, according to the report. Leaf tourism brings millions of dollars to state businesses each year, according to CT Visit, adding a meaningful boost to the state’s economy on top of the seasonal scenery.
For 2026, the report forecasts changing colors will hit Connecticut forests as soon as the seasons change. Around Sept. 21, the state’s northern corners, both east and west, will begin to see trees change colors, with Windham and Litchfield counties experiencing the earliest effects.
By the end of September, that leaf coverage will spread, with the corners of the state turning brilliant colors and changing leaves slowly but surely creeping farther south and filling in the northern border of the state. Kent, Simsbury and the Quiet Corner are all recommended areas of the state to visit around this time, as they are primed to show off the best colors as they change.
In early October, colorful autumn leaves will reach Hartford, blanketing much of the northern half of the state and creeping as far south as Danbury and Waterbury. At this point in time, leaves will largely change north of I-84 and Route 2, with the rest of the state only seeing slight changes.
By mid-October, leaves will peak in many areas, with vivid colors reaching as far south as New Haven and Bridgeport. Only Greenwich and Stamford will have yet to see changing leaves by then.
The second half of October will bring peak, and past-peak, color to much of the northern half of the state, while the southern half will just be reaching its brightest colors around then. Halloween is expected to be colorful across much of southern Connecticut.
Colors will begin to fade the week of Veterans Day in early and mid-November, giving leaf peepers roughly six to eight weeks of prime viewing around the state.
