The 'Greenest Town In Connecticut' Is A Vibrant Getaway In The Idyllic Foothills Of The Berkshire Mountains

Close to 60% of the state of Connecticut is forested, a fact that earned it the top ranking as the best hiking spot in the United States. The coastal towns of the Nutmeg State rightly get a lot of attention for beaches and seafood, but head inland away from the Atlantic Ocean, and you'll find forests, mountains, lakes, and rivers. The location called "the greenest place in Connecticut" is in Litchfield County in the western part of the state near the borders of both Massachusetts and New York. Founded in 1740 and named for a region of England, Cornwall, Connecticut, is one of the state's smallest towns. With only 1,567 residents in a land mass of 46.3 miles as of the 2020 census, Cornwall is the definition of bucolic. While the average U.S. population density is 90 people per square mile, Cornwall has 34 people per square mile. 

Part of the 3,300-acre Mohawk Mountain State Forest is in Cornwall (the other part is in neighboring Goshen), and the town also has one of only a handful of covered bridges in the state, as well as a ski mountain. Cornwall is about an hour west of the state capital, Hartford, and an hour and 15 minutes northwest of New Haven. As it neighbors two other states, for perspective, Cornwall is under 30 miles south of the Berkshires town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts,  about 150 miles from Boston, and roughly 30 miles east of Millbrook, New York. 

Cornwall is in pastoral Litchfield County, an underrated area perfect for a fall road trip. Covered bridges are charming and rare; Cornwall's dates to 1864 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hike or drive into Mohawk State Forest for spectacular views of Massachusetts' Berkshire Mountains as well as New York's Catskill and Taconic ranges from atop 1,683-foot Mohawk Mountain. The forest is beautiful in all seasons. In winter, people bring their own cross-country skis or snowshoes, and there are trails dedicated to snowmobiling. Wintertime brings more people to the other side of Mohawk Mountain to enjoy the 300-acre Mohawk Mountain Ski Area. Opened in 1947 by the man who also founded Vermont's Mount Snow and was an early user of artificial snow, Mohawk Mountain Ski Area is still family-owned and also offers tubing. 

Two stories from Cornwall's history entice visitors. Cornwall's Foreign Mission School educated 100 students of color, many Hawaiian and Native American, in the early 1800s. It was inspired by Henry Obookiah, who went on to create the first formal writing system for the Hawaiian language. The last remaining building from the school is now a private residence that's a National Historic Landmark. The other Cornwall story is a ghost story about an area of town called Dudleytown. This former settlement in the spookily named Dark Entry Forest supposedly carried a curse, but is now private property, so no personal investigation is allowed.

With so many forested areas around Cornwall, there are countless options for hiking and outdoor recreation. The 451-acre Housatonic Meadows State Park allows catch-and-release fly fishing for trout and bass, and Kent Falls State Park is known for its easily accessible waterfall and covered pedestrian bridge. The Appalachian Trail crosses Connecticut in Sharon. The portion that used to be in Cornwall is now a blue-blazed hiking path maintained by the Mohawk Trail. You can also get gorgeous leafy views in the nearby Berkshires region of Massachusetts. With cultural offerings like the Tanglewood Music Festival and the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Berkshires has a vibrant art scene. If sampling locally produced beer, wine, and spirits where they are produced is of interest, visit places like Kent Falls Brewing Co., Hopkins Vineyard, and the Litchfield Distillery. Car racing enthusiasts will want to see what's happening in Litchfield's Lime Rock Park, which has a schedule full of high-performance events as well as opportunities for nonprofessional drivers to get on the track. 

The place to stay in Cornwall is the Cornwall Inn, which has 13 guest rooms across three properties, as well as an outdoor pool in season. A hearty continental breakfast is included in the room rates. In walking distance to the great antiques shopping in downtown Kent, the Fife 'n Drum has 10 guest rooms and a popular restaurant.