Leaf-peeping season is just weeks away and is there anywhere better to view autumn's bountiful leaf display than in Connecticut and the rest of New England?
Throughout late September and October denizens of this region can travel throughout New England to see the breathtaking kaleidoscope of changing colors.
The website newenglandinnsandresorts.com offers an excellent description of where to go throughout the fall to see the foliage.
“New Englanders celebrate their harvest and come together in preparation for winter. Fall is perhaps the most festive time to visit New England and join in the celebration while marveling at the vibrant grand finale on display by Mother Nature," the site says. "Fall foliage in New England doesn’t develop in every corner of the region at once, however, so it’s important to know what areas make for the best leaf peeping at a given time."
Start your tour in northern Maine where starting around the third week of September the hillsides are awash in color. Leaf peep at locations like Aroostook State Park on Route 11, Eagle Lake Public Land, Mount Kineo and Rockwood.
Around the same time tree colors start popping in northern Vermont and New Hampshire. In popular Burlington, Vt. you can watch sunsets and the foliage over Lake Champlain or take a hike up Mount Mansfield or Camel’s Hump.
"Beginning in late September and culminating in mid-October, the fall foliage season in Vermont is second to none. The state’s lush mountains and rolling hills filled with magnificent maple trees provide an array of colors at every turn," says the site newenglandinns.com.
New Hampshire also offers great fall foliage hikes in the White Mountains. Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mount Washington offers views over several nearby mountain peaks, or take your car all the way up to the summit of Mount Washington for a breathtaking multi-state view of the colors.
In Massachusetts, the foliage display starts around mid-October and visitors can take in the scenic sights from the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, to the myriad of villages south of that mountain region and to the seaside towns on Cape Cod.
Massachusetts's Central and Berkshire Mountains regions have lofty peaks and gorgeous river valleys that are ideal for seeing the leaves change color during fall foliage season," according to the website visit.massachusetts.com. "Great views of fall color – starring the sugar maple -- also are found in the North of Boston Cape Ann region, and around Plymouth, where cranberry bog harvests brighten the landscape."
In Rhode Island, the western and northern parts of the state are heavily wooded and a lovely region to view the fall foliage, especially in the Blackstone Valley, where riverboat excursions run into mid-October.
"In South County, a great scenic drive is Route 1 and 1A from Westerly to Wickford,” the state’s tourism website, visitri.com, states.
Finally, in our little corner of New England, peak foliage starts in the northeast and northwest parts of Connecticut around Columbus Day and extends to the lower Connecticut River Valley and shoreline through early November. Take a scenic ride along Route 169 from Lisbon to Pomfret, where the road winds through villages and includes wide vistas of the hillsides of northeastern Connecticut.
In the Connecticut River Valley you can climb aboard The Lady Katherine tour boat in Essex or the RiverQuest in Haddam for a cruise to see the splendor of the season from the water. From Old Saybrook to Middletown, forecasters say the foliage hangs on into the second week of November in the river valley.
Or, take a drive along the state’s shoreline on Route 1 through seaside villages where pumpkin picking, hayrides and corn mazes round out the fall tourism season.
The state's tourism website, visitct.com, has suggestions for seven driving "loop tours" for viewing fall foliage in the state. It also has a handy fall foliage forecast and a guide showing peak foliage areas week-by-week across the state.