About 20 to 35 inches on the coast, over seven feet in the northwestern highlands
Roof tents and the height rule
This is the one category where Connecticut law reaches into your build. A closed roof tent on a rack raises overall height, and the state caps any vehicle with its load at thirteen feet six inches on a highway or bridge without a permit, with a fifteen hundred dollar fine. The parkways cut that to eight feet.
Measure the vehicle after the tent is mounted and write the number on the dash. Then plan around it, because the state has a great many low bridges and a well-known campaign asking drivers to check their height.
A roof tent gets you off the ground and sets up in minutes. It also puts weight on the highest point of the vehicle, and the rack underneath matters as much as the tent. A dealer who installs will check your roof's load ratings before anything else.
What they sell and install
01Hard-shell and soft-shell roof tents
02Awnings, annexes and insulation
03Racks and crossbars rated for the load
04Installation and removal
05Parts: covers, zippers, struts and poles
How to choose a roof tent
Open it, climb into it and close it before you buy it.
01Know your two roof numbers: the dynamic rating for driving and the static load for camping with people inside. They are different, and the rack has its own.
02Hard shells open fastest and cut through wind. Soft shells give more space for the weight and the money.
03Check the mattress, the ladder angle at your vehicle's height, and whether it closes with bedding inside.
04Ask about parts and repairs before you need them.
05Measure your garage door.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
The roof decides what is possible.
01Vehicle, and what is on the roof or bed now
02How many people sleep in it
03The weather you camp in
04Garage height, if it lives indoors
05A budget range for the tent and the rack together
Questions people ask
Will a roof tent fit my vehicle?
Almost any vehicle can carry one with the right rack, but check the roof's dynamic load rating in the owner's manual and the rack's rating. The lower number is your limit while driving.
Hard shell or soft shell?
Hard shells are quicker, quieter in wind and better in rain and snow. Soft shells sleep more people for less money and weight, and take longer to pack. If you move camp every day, speed matters more than you expect.
Does a roof tent hurt fuel economy?
Yes, some, and you will hear it on the highway. Lower-profile tents and a fairing help. It is a trade most people accept for the sleep.
How high is Connecticut?
From Chester at 12 feet to Mount Frissell, south slope at 2,380.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
NorfolkHaystack Mountain and Dennis Hill, two park roads you can drive in season1,163 ft
WinstedSupplies on the way to the Farmington River forests707 ft
SharonHousatonic State Forest and the Housatonic Meadows campground on Route 7706 ft
SalisburyMount Riga State Park, Bear Mountain and the state high point689 ft
TorringtonThe largest services in the northwest hills550 ft
EastfordThe Natchaug State Forest town, off Route 44508 ft
Stafford SpringsShenipsit State Forest, Soapstone Mountain and the CCC museum474 ft
Pleasant ValleyThe village beside American Legion State Forest and its campground404 ft
KentMacedonia Brook, and the Appalachian Trail on the ridge west of the river396 ft
ThomastonThe Corps of Engineers dam and the only trail bike area in the state390 ft
PutnamOn Route 169, inside the national heritage corridor282 ft
VoluntownThe main town of Pachaug State Forest and its campgrounds268 ft
DanielsonServices in the Quinebaug valley below the northeast forests195 ft
HaddamCockaponset State Forest, on the west bank of the Connecticut85 ft
NorwichFull services at the head of the Thames before the eastern forests24 ft
ChesterThe Connecticut River ferry landing for Hadlyme12 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount Frissell, south slopeThe state high point, which is not a summit. USGS records it as “Mount Frissel on south slope at State line” in the northwest corner2,380 ft
Bear MountainOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Mount Riga State Park above Salisbury. No agency figure was found for it2,322 ft
Mohawk MountainThe state’s figure for the summit above the Mohawk forest road. Our own reading at its map point gives 1,6801,683 ft
Haystack MountainOur own reading at its map point. The park road stops at a parking area below the stone tower1,679 ft
Dennis HillThe state’s figure for the summit pavilion you can drive to in season. Our own reading at its map point gives 1,6291,627 ft
Mount TomThe state’s figure. Reached by a one-mile tower trail rather than a road1,325 ft
Soapstone MountainOur own reading at its map point, above the Shenipsit snowmobile network in Stafford1,072 ft
Talcott MountainOur own reading at its map point, the traprock ridge above the Farmington valley940 ft
Mount MiseryThe state calls the overlook the highest point in the area of Pachaug State Forest. Our own reading at its map point gives 434441 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Division of Forestry.Natchaug State Forest Management Plan. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
