QUICK TRAIL FACTS
- Preserve Size: Part of a 12,286-acre conservation easement
- Trail Mileage: ~5.75 mile round trip
- Pets: yes
- Difficulty: moderate
- Sights: views, beautiful Mill Brook
When I first walked this trail, the snow pack was still deep, so I didn’t see much of the stream that the trail follows for much of the way up. But I hear Mill Brook is beautiful in the summer, with cascades and pools. (Update: Verified! In the summer of 2022.)
The hike (which is worth visiting year-round) offers a mostly gentle uphill—with intermittent steeper sections—and brings you to two fantastic vistas of the hills and peaks of Western Maine and New Hampshire, from the mountain’s North Ledge and South Ledge. (The trail bypasses the summit.) The loop is approximately 5.55 miles: A 0.9-mile trail brings you from the trailhead to a 3.75-mile loop. (From the parking lot, it’s 1.9 miles to the North Ledge, and 2.2 miles to South Ledge.)
The well-made and well-marked trail is part of a 12,268-acre conservation easement on privately owned land; please be respectful and leave no trace. Campfires, camping, and hunting are all prohibited.
After leaving the parking area, you’ll pass a wet section of the forest. A great series of bog bridges keep your feet dry. You’ll soon arrive at the stream, which you’ll follow for much of the ascent, especially toward South Ledge. At 0.9 miles you’ll reach the loop — head in either direction, although I thought the views from South Ledge were a touch more spectacular than from North Ledge, so you might want to leave them for the finale.
Both ledges are slightly off the main trail — look for signs directing you to these overlooks. There are also other views along the ridge — one just north of North Ledge, and a few along the ridge north of the final great South Ledge viewpoint.
At the base of the mountain, there is a mountain bike trail on Bacon Hill. Dogs and hikers should stick to the Long Mountain trail for safety reasons.
Directions: From Bethel Village, go south on Vernon Street for six miles. After passing Sumner Bean Road on the left, you’ll see a lefthand turn for the trailhead and parking area, marked with a trail sign. At the first trailhead marker, head left.
