Wheeler Brook Trail

By Sam Shirley

This lightly used trail in the White Mountain National Forest crosses the northwest shoulder of Peabody Mountain, connecting the Wild River and Androscoggin River Valleys. The trail is lightly maintained and marked, so care is required to follow it in places. From end to end, it’s about 3.5 miles.

From the north trailhead on Route 2, the trail follows an old woods road through the Bog Brook Training Site along Wheeler Brook. At 0.6 mile from the trailhead, there is a beautiful flume and series of waterfalls on Wheeler Brook, just west of the trail. There are a few greenly luminescent pools to wade or swim in. As the trail climbs, it crosses Wheeler Brook multiple times. These crossings have no bridges and can be somewhat tricky during times of high water. The trail eventually reaches a high point on the shoulder of Peabody Mountain.

The first part of the descent to the south is the section of trail that I’ve found to be most difficult to follow. The trail follows a branch of Little Lary Brook and eventually joins up with a few old woods roads. It crosses a bridge over the brook and ends at a parking area at the end of Little Lary Brook Road (Forest Road 8). There are multiple dispersed camping sites along Little Lary Brook Road.

Directions: The north trailhead is located on Route 2, 1.9 miles east of the center of Gilead and 8.2 miles west of the center of Bethel. There is no designated parking here, but parking is possible on the very wide shoulder of Route 2. The south trailhead is located at the end of Little Lary Brook Road (Forest Road 8) in the White Mountain National Forest. Little Lary Brook Road is located 2.9 miles south of the center of Gilead on Route 113. Little Lary Brook Road and Route 113 are closed seasonally.