QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: 68 acres?
- Trail Mileage: ~2.5 miles one way
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: strenuous
- Sights: open rocky summit (~3,600 ft.), alpine zone plant community
This is a fairly well-known hike because in the winter, alpine skiers ski its glades. During the rest of the year, it makes for a not-too-strenuous hike (for this area, at least…it’s still quite steep and hard!) along a beautiful mountain stream (with two stream crossings) and up to a splendid, treeless summit with great views of Sugarloaf and environs. The mountain burned in the early 1900s, and the incredibly strong winds here make the rocky alpine summit inhospitable to plant life. Pack a windbreaker! My little dog was almost blown away. Round trip is about 5 miles, and the elevation gain is 1,670 feet.
Directions: According to all the directions I read, you probably should park at the Sugarloaf Mountain Base Lodge. Then you walk past the Base Lodge and along Adams Mountain Road. Continue past the condos until you reach Mountainside Rd. Cross the street onto Bigelow Mountain Rd., almost directly across from Adams Mountain Rd. The trailhead for Burnt Mountain is at the end of Bigelow Mountain Rd. Continue straight, across the bridge, and you’ll see the trail to Burnt Mountain on your right. It’s marked with a small blue sign. (Note: you’ll pass a mountain bike trail on your right before you cross the bridge. This is just a 0.3-mile trail that connects to Widowmaker.)
