Well, one option I've come across (to answer my own question) is a plugin created by vogdb.
This plugin contains methods getActiveBaseLayer() and getActiveOverlayLayers().
The following, from vogdb's github page, demonstrates how vogdb's activeLayers control can be used in place of the standard leaflet layers control making the 2 methods available.
var control = L.control.activeLayers(baseLayers, overlayLayers)
control.addTo(map)
console.log(control.getActiveBaseLayer().name)
var overlayLayers = control.getActiveOverlayLayers()
for (var overlayId in overlayLayers) {
console.log(overlayLayers[overlayId].name)
}
The plugin can be found on github:
https://github.com/vogdb/Leaflet.ActiveLayers
And for referencing purposes, I found the link to vogdb's plugin here:
http://leaflet.uservoice.com/forums/150880-ideas-and-suggestions-for-leaflet/suggestions/3777550-get-active-baselayer
baselayerchangeevent and keeps track of the layer for you, which is how you do it without the plugin – nothingisnecessary Jul 29 '16 at 02:02