Leaves of Connecticut with Kids: A Nature Explorer Guide (+ Free Map)

Connecticut's trees are one of the state's most spectacular and most overlooked natural treasures.  For Connecticut families who learn to look up — and look carefully at what they find — the trees tell stories that connect the landscape to geological time, Indigenous history, and the remarkable ecology of one of America's most densely populated but surprisingly wild states.

Engage your kids in outdoor exploration with Nature Explorer Club's Leaves of Connecticut Activity Book to track every leaf your family discovers.

Best Spots for Leaf Spotting in Connecticut

We mapped the best leaf spotting locations in Connecticut so you can plan your adventure before you go.

1. Devil's Den Preserve, Weston — A beautiful 1,756-acre Nature Conservancy preserve in Fairfield County with outstanding mature hardwood forest and exceptional fall foliage. The preserve's large size and long protection from development has allowed the forest to mature into genuine old-growth character in some areas — with large Sugar Maples, Beeches, and Yellow Poplars turning brilliant colors in October. The preserve's rocky terrain and stream valleys add visual drama to the fall foliage experience.

2. Wadsworth Falls State Park, Middlefield — A beautiful state park with two waterfalls on the Coginchaug River and excellent fall foliage in its mature riverside forest. Yellow Poplars turn clear yellow along the river corridor. Sugar Maples on the upland slopes turn brilliant red and orange. The combination of waterfalls and fall foliage makes this one of the most scenic leaf spotting destinations in central Connecticut.

3. Natchaug State Forest, Eastford — A large state forest in northeastern Connecticut with outstanding fall foliage across its mixed hardwood and pine forest. The forest's size and relative wildness — unusual in Connecticut — creates conditions for large, mature trees with exceptional fall color. The Still River corridor through the forest adds a beautiful water dimension to the foliage viewing.

4. Penwood State Park, Bloomfield — A beautiful ridge-top state park in the Talcott Mountain range with outstanding fall foliage from its elevated ridgeline trails. The mature hardwood forest on the ridge turns brilliant red, orange, and gold in October — with views across the Farmington River valley below that reveal the full scale of Connecticut's fall foliage display. One of the finest accessible fall foliage viewpoints in central Connecticut.

5. Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden — A beloved Connecticut landmark with outstanding fall foliage on its extensive trail network through mature hardwood forest. The tower at the summit gives families 360-degree views of Connecticut's fall foliage landscape in October. The varied terrain — rocky ridges, stream valleys, and south-facing slopes — supports a diverse tree community that provides an extended fall foliage season as different species and aspects peak at different times.

6. Bigelow Hollow State Park, Union — A beautiful state park in northeastern Connecticut with outstanding fall foliage around Bigelow Pond and on its forested hillsides. The combination of water reflections and forest color makes Bigelow Hollow one of the most photogenic fall foliage destinations in Connecticut. The forest's mix of hardwoods and conifers creates an interesting texture of color — the brilliant reds and oranges of the maples and oaks set against the dark greens of the pines and hemlocks.

7. Shenipsit State Forest, Ellington — A large state forest in the Connecticut River valley with excellent fall foliage across its mixed hardwood and pine forest. The forest's size and wildness creates conditions for large, mature trees rarely found in Connecticut's more developed landscapes. The Shenipsit Trail through the forest is outstanding for immersive fall foliage walking.

8. Meshomasic State Forest, Glastonbury — Connecticut's oldest state forest — established in 1903 — with outstanding fall foliage in its mature mixed hardwood and pine forest. The forest's long protection has allowed large, mature trees to develop that are increasingly rare in Connecticut's younger second-growth forests. The Portland-Cobalt Road through the forest gives families a beautiful fall foliage driving experience alongside the walking trails.

9. Bluff Point State Park, Groton — A beautiful coastal reserve with outstanding fall foliage in its maritime forest and excellent winter viewing of the American Holly — one of the finest accessible Holly groves on the Connecticut coast. The combination of coastal scenery and forest creates a distinctive fall foliage experience quite different from the inland forests. The Holly trees with their glossy green leaves and brilliant red berries are particularly magnificent in November and December against the grey winter sky.

10. Macedonia Brook State Park, Kent — One of Connecticut's finest fall foliage destinations — a beautiful state park in the Litchfield Hills with a dramatic brook valley and outstanding hardwood forest. Macedonia Brook itself — flowing through a rocky gorge — creates a spectacular setting for Sugar Maple fall foliage. The ridge trails give families views across one of the finest fall foliage landscapes in Connecticut. Peak foliage typically occurs in the second and third weeks of October in this part of the Litchfield Hills.

Also Exploring Connecticut's Nature?

Read our family guides to Birds of Connecticut with Kids, Butterflies of Connecticut with Kids, Wildflowers of Connecticut with Kids, and Seashells in Connecticut with Kids.

Get all five Connecticut nature books together — the Connecticut Nature Explorer Series.