Peak Autumn Foliage in Southern New England

Where, When to Find Fall Color in Massachusetts, Connecticut

Sep 1, 2009 Karen Berger

Southern New England offers autumn foliage get-aways within a two- or three-hour drive of New York and Boston. Highlights are Berkshire and Litchfield Counties.

When it comes to famed autumn color, southern New England may not have quite the international cachet of its northern neighbors in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, but it’s no slouch in the scenery department. The towns and villages of rural Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have loads of scenery. And both Berkshire County in Massachusetts and Litchfield County in Connecticut are within a quick and easy drive of the most populated Northeast cities. Within two hours, a New Yorker can be out of the metropolis and into a gold-and-orange sun-dappled woodland.

Massachusetts Peak Foliage Highlights

No doubt about it, Berkshire County occupies Massachusetts’s pride of place for rural beauty, although Cape Cod and the Islands are also beautiful in the autumn.

In North Berkshire County, foliage turns the first week of October and peaks just after Columbus Day. Mt. Greylock’s newly renovated auto road offers fantastic views from the Massachusetts highpoint, and the mountain is laced with hiking trails.

In South Berkshire County, foliage turns a bit later, starting around Columbus Day, and peaking the second or third week of October. There is plenty of color right through October. A drive up the Mt. Washington Road (near the towns of Egremont and Sheffield) is spectacular, although be warned, the road turns to dirt on top of the ridge just past the tiny hamlet of Mt. Washington. A side trip to Bash Bish Falls on the New York-Massachusetts border, is a magical, easy creekside hike to a 100-foot tall waterfall. Another rewarding day-hike with great views is Monument Mountain. Look for the trailhead pull-out on Route 7 just north of Great Barrington.

Cape Cod and the Islands (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket) don't boast the foliage of the mountains inland and to the north, but an autumn trip here is a great escape for East Coast urbanites. The weather is decidedly warmer than it is inland, due to the tempering effect of the ocean currents, so foliage turns a bit later. Along the coast, the brilliant combination of fall foliage with deep blue ocean water is a highlight, and the dunes along the Cape Cod National Seashore are festooned with bright orange and red shrubbery and golden dune grasses. Crowds are gone, the beaches are all but deserted, and the villages glow with autumn color. Peak comes in mid to late October.

Connecticut and Rhode Island Foliage Highlights

Connecticut's higher elevations have peak foliage in mid-October; by the coast, the colors run through late October.

Litchfield County, Connecticut offers some of the best place foliage in northern Connecticut, right along the Housatonic River. The Appalachian Tail runs parallel to the river, climbing a ridge above the valley. There are also plenty of places to walk right along the river itself, which is occasionally crossed by picturesque old-fashioned covered bridges. Kent Falls, in Kent, Connecticut, is an excellent day-trip destination. The Appalachian Trail Ridge just north of Salisbury is another place that rewards the efforts of a stiff climb with sweeping views. Look for trailhead parking on Route 41 just north of Salisbury.

New England's "Low Country" includes Rhode Island and southern Connecticut,. They don’t boast the mountains that frame the foliage farther inland and to the north. Instead, there is the backdrop of the waters of the Long Island Sound. Campgrounds, state parks, and beaches are all but deserted after Labor Day, although the water is still warm enough for intrepid swimmers well into September. The Long Island Sound coast is s a quick weekend getaway for urbanites and suburbanites from New York and Connecticut. Expect peak foliage in mid to late October; colors will last into November.

Visitors to rural southern New England will find not only colorful foliage, but attractive villages, plenty of B&Bs, historic inns, and good restaurants, as well as outdoor activities and peace and quiet. And all this is within a two hour drive of the bustling cities of the New York metropolitan area

For more on peak autumn colors in the eastern U.S., see East Coast Foliage. A list of articles about finding folaige nationwide can be found at Fall Foliage Resources.

The copyright of the article Peak Autumn Foliage in Southern New England in Volunteer & Eco Adventures is owned by Karen Berger. Permission to republish Peak Autumn Foliage in Southern New England in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Autumn in the Massachusetts Berkshires