Peak color lands around Oct 19 in most of Connecticut, but it moves 5 days across the state. Here’s where, and when, and how sure we are.
Connecticut fall foliage map for the week of Nov 9
When is peak fall foliage in Connecticut in 2026?
Most of Connecticut peaks between Oct 16 and Oct 19. The first county to peak is Windham County, around Oct 15, and the last is Hartford County, around Oct 20.
The whole state turns within about a week, so the dates below differ more by the trees in each county than by where it sits.
| Week | Where it peaks | Most of the state |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 12 to Oct 18 | Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge and 4 counties | Peak color |
| Oct 19 to Oct 25 | Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and 4 counties | Peak color |
Each date is the middle of the four days we’d aim a trip at, and each place page names them. We score the model against 27 long-running forest monitoring sites in this part of the country and publish what it got wrong.
2 of 8 counties here are corrected by people who have actually looked at the trees this season. 121 reports from official state sources have moved those dates off the model and narrowed their windows. Counties with neither keep the model forecast and say so. Which is which is marked in the table below.
Mid-October in the northwest hills, late October to early November along the coast is how Connecticut is usually described.
Connecticut’s season place by place
Every place we forecast in Connecticut, each set on the calendar at its peak and painted by how far along it is today, Nov 10.
First: Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge, Oct 18. Last: Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, Oct 21.
The dashed rule is today; the solid one is the median of the places on this chart, Oct 19. The date at the top of the page is the median county, which includes the low ground between them.
Where to go in Connecticut
The destinations we cover in Connecticut, in the order their color arrives. Each carries its own forecast and its own band, because a state isn’t one place.
- Great Thicket National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 18 best Oct 17 to 20
- Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 19 best Oct 18 to 21
- Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife RefugePast peakPeak Oct 21 best Oct 20 to 23
Questions people ask about Connecticut fall foliage
- When is peak fall foliage in Connecticut?
Most of Connecticut peaks between Oct 16 and Oct 19. The first county to peak is Windham County, around Oct 15, and the last is Hartford County, around Oct 20.
- Where is the best fall foliage in Connecticut right now?
Peak has passed in the places we cover in Connecticut as of Nov 10. Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and two more was the last, around Oct 21. The live map still shows where russet and late gold are holding.
- How long does peak last in Connecticut?
In any one place, about four days at the top, with a week or so either side that's still worth the drive. Across Connecticut as a whole, peak moves 5 days from Windham County to Hartford County, so there's peak color somewhere in the state for about 9 days.
- Is Connecticut past peak?
Yes. As of Nov 10, every one of Connecticut's 8 counties is past peak by our forecast. Hartford County was the last, around Oct 20.
- How far along is Connecticut's fall foliage today?
On Nov 10, no county in Connecticut is at peak yet: 8 of Connecticut's 8 counties (100 percent) are past peak. The county map above paints each one, and the live map lets you scrub the day.
- When do the leaves change in Connecticut?
The first color shows in Windham County around Sep 24 and peaks there around Oct 15. Hartford County is the last of Connecticut's 8 counties, peaking around Oct 20. Most of the state turns through the weeks around Oct 19.
- What's the best time to visit Connecticut for fall foliage?
The week of Oct 19 catches the most of the state at once, and the four days we'd aim at there are Oct 18 to 21. That's the leaf peeping window for Connecticut as a whole. For Windham County and the counties around it, aim for the week of Oct 15; for Hartford County and its neighbors, the week of Oct 20.
What actually turns
The hills of Litchfield County turn orange and scarlet with sugar maples while the lowlands glow with the deep burgundy of oaks and the purple-red of sweetgums.
- Sugar Maple
- Red Oak
- White Oak
- Hickory
- Sweetgum
Route 7 through Litchfield County, from Kent to Canaan, is Connecticut's finest fall drive, with the Housatonic River valley framed by hillsides of maple and oak.
Every county by peak week
Fairfield observed, Hartford observed, Litchfield regional, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland regional, Windham
Every date on this site is a forecast: a model corrected by ground reports, carrying a measured error, published in full. Check conditions with the land manager before you travel. Last reviewed September 2026. Open the live map
See it on the map
The live map covers every county in the country, with a timeline you can scrub through the season, the nearest forest monitoring camera, and the long-term record where we hold one. If you’re going this weekend, the weekend report names where color is at peak right now, region by region.
Before you drive, it’s worth checking fire and smoke conditions for the same forests. A perfect color week is no good under a smoke plume.