About 20 to 35 inches on the coast, over seven feet in the northwestern highlands
Tires in Connecticut
A quiet all-terrain is the right answer for most of the state. The driving is mostly pavement with gravel spurs at the end, so tread that punishes you on a two-hour highway leg to a forest gate is a poor trade.
Winter is the real specification. Snow cover holds from late December to early March over most of Connecticut and the northwest highlands run far deeper, so a genuine severe-snow tire matters more than an aggressive mud pattern. Check load rating against a loaded rig, and check pressure often once the temperature drops.
Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.
Expect help with
01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
04A matching full-size spare
05Alignment, rotation and repairs
How to choose tires for overland travel
Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.
01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.
01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
02Lift height, if any
03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
05A budget range for five tires
Questions people ask
What does load range mean?
It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.
How big can I go?
Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.
Should I air down?
On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.
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.
