Maine · Hiking · Near North Conway

Bickford Brook Trail

8.0 mi
round trip
2,668 ft
climb
2,637 ft
high point
Out and back
route
Sep
best months

Caution today

Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 18 min ago

Is Bickford Brook Trail open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in White Mountain National Forest. It doesn't name Bickford Brook Trail, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

As of · Source: USFS · White Mountain National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Bickford Brook Trail is an 8-mile out-and-back hike in the Saco Ranger District of White Mountain National Forest in Maine. The trail is a hard route, with a total elevation gain of 2,668 feet and a high point of 2,637 feet. It is a natural-surface route, not accessible, and bicycles are not allowed. The climb is front-loaded, with the steepest stretch at about 1.7 miles in, where the grade reaches 27 percent. The trip takes about four hours and is open year-round. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire, run to highs around 75°F in July, with July and August lows in the low 50s. That station sits about 600 feet lower than the trail's high point, so temperatures on the summit run cooler. Royce Trail starts right next to the trail. Cold River campground is about half a mile away, and Basin Campground and the WM: Evans Notch climbing area are each about a mile off.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Cold River

    Campground

    Campground · 0.5 mi from the trail
  • If it rains

    Museum of White Mountain Art / Jackson Historical Society

    Museum

    On your way back · 12 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors

More in North Conway
  • Best time to go · Sep

    Best time to visit Bickford Brook Trail

    Best months: September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      26° / 6°

      14 wet

    2. Feb

      28° / 7°

      13 wet

    3. Mar

      36° / 15°

      14 wet

    4. Apr

      49° / 27°

      13 wet

    5. May

      62° / 39°

      15 wet

    6. Jun

      70° / 48°

      14 wet

    7. Jul

      75° / 53°

      14 wet

    8. Aug

      74° / 52°

      13 wet

    9. Sep

      68° / 45°

      12 wet

    10. Oct

      54° / 35°

      14 wet

    11. Nov

      42° / 24°

      14 wet

    12. Dec

      31° / 14°

      16 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Pinkham Notch, NH, 12.4 mi away at 2,025 ft. The station sits about 600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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