The kaleidoscopic colors of fall always remind me of a box of crayons, the really big box that comes in 120 colors with names like burnt sienna, brick red, purple heart and bittersweet. Maybe that’s why kids love fall leaves so much. Yet here I am, all grown up, and still awestruck each year by the beauty of our fall foliage. Even a familiar turn in the road can become something new and spectacular. From the purple of sumacs and dogwoods to the fiery oranges and radiant reds of maples to the golden glow of locust and birch, this annual extravaganza is my favorite time of year.

The sight of that first bright red leaf always comes as a shock. It’s like seeing that very first “Back to School” commercial on TV. Sumacs, Virginia creeper, poison ivy and sassafras trees are the first to change color. The ash trees are next to turn, with their leaves turning a subtle mix of deep purples, yellow and brown. The maple trees follow suit. These are generally the most spectacular, with sugar maples turning yellow and orange and red maples turning a bright scarlet. Oaks, hickory trees and Norway maples are the last to turn with subtler, deeper colors. (I find the Norway maple on the south side of our house to be quite maddening, actually. It waits until well into November to drop its leaves. By then, of course, we’ve completed the fall cleanup and carefully stored away the rakes, tarps, and leaf-blowers for the winter. Then, and only then, does it shed its leaves forcing us to drag everything out of storage to clean up all over again. Yet, this inconvenience is hardly enough to dampen my enthusiasm for the blazing red, yellow, orange and gold foliage of autumn.) What a spectacular grand finale Mother Nature stages for us before the trees begin their long winter naps.

the best vantage points
With its rich palette of colors on a crisp fall day, New England has become a mecca for tourists seeking to drink in the amazing beauty of Nature’s most splendid offering—the annual changing of leaf colors. Most leaf peepers will invariably head to Vermont for their fall foliage fix. Its inns and hotels are booked up months in advance, and the Vermont countryside swells with an influx of out-of-state visitors on key weekends of the season. How amusing to those of us residing in Connecticut! I suppose we can hardly be blamed for failing to let them in on the best-kept secret: You can’t beat the Nutmeg state for fall foliage.

While Litchfield County has a well-deserved reputation for offering the most dramatic and unspoiled scenery in Connecticut, there’s plenty to see right here at home. For a view of a bit of the best fall foliage in Fairfield, take a drive through the Greenfield Hill Historic District, which offers some of the prettiest scenery in town. The blazing colors of the centuries-old trees are set off nicely against the handsome homes, stone walls and weathered barns that dot the landscape. Drive slowly along the shady lanes and admire the versatility of the region’s famous dogwood trees. In the spring, visitors come from miles away to admire their beautiful blooms, yet in the fall they’re just as spectacular when their leaves change to the color of a fine burgundy wine.

Not far away, where the towns of Easton, Weston and Fairfield intersect, the Trout Brook Valley offers a breathtaking setting from which to view the foliage. More than 20 miles of trails traverse the 758 acres comprising Trout Brook Valley, which was originally preserved as a watershed for the nearby Saugatuck Reservoir. Leading the charge for its preservation was a group of local citizens and the actor Paul Newman who personally spoke with the Governor and state legislators to persuade them to implement important land preservation legislation. According to Steve Pfann who owns Colonial Gardens in Fairfield, and who is also an avid hiker, “Once you get up into the apple orchard in there, you can look down at the surrounding foliage. It’s pretty spectacular.”

Directions to Trout Brook Valley: Take Black Rock Turnpike to Route 136. Go south (left) on Route 136. Take the second right onto Old Redding Road. Follow Old Redding Road until it dead-ends into the Weston Animal Hospital. Turn right onto Bradley Lane. Follow Bradley Lane to the trailhead. All trails are extremely well marked. Maps are available at the trailhead.