Bear Brook Lower Trail
- 0.7 mi
- round trip
- 139 ft
- climb
- 340 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr–Oct
- best months
Bear Brook Lower Trail is a short, easy out-and-back hike in Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire, managed by the State Department of Natural Resources. The trail is about 1.3 miles long, with a low point of 308 feet and a high of 340 feet, and it gains about 21 feet of elevation. The steepest stretch comes at about 0.6 miles in, with a grade of about 4 percent. Late spring through early fall is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Concord show May highs around 69°F and September highs around 74°F, with July the warmest month at about 83°F. Snow is common from December through March, with January highs near freezing. The trail sits close to several other routes. Alp d'Huez Trail is about 0.1 mile away, and Cascade Trail and Carr Ridge Trail are each about 0.2 mile off. For a change of pace, the Merrimack River offers fishing about 8.6 miles away.
Alp d’Huez TrailHikingPhoto: ihamr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.1 mi- Cascade TrailHiking0.2 mi
- Carr Ridge TrailHikingPhoto: ihamr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.2 mi
Sentinel Pine TrailHikingPhoto: Ian's Isolation, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.3 mi- Merrimack RiverRiver fishing8.6 mi
- Lower Microwave AreaRock climbing9.5 mi
- The DugoutRock climbing9.7 mi
- Red Right Hand/ Universal SocketRock climbing9.8 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Alp d’Huez TrailHiking · Next doorPhoto: ihamr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Hayes Farm TrailHiking · ~2 min drive
- Carr Ridge TrailHiking · Next doorPhoto: ihamr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Bear Brook Upper TrailHiking · ~2 min drive
- Sentinel Pine TrailHiking · Next doorPhoto: Ian's Isolation, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Hall Mountain TrailHiking · ~5 min drive
- Big Bear TrailHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: ihamr, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Fort Mountain Vista TrailHiking · ~7 min drive
- Cascade TrailHiking · Next door
- Catamount TrailHiking · Next door
Best time to visit Bear Brook Lower Trail
Best months: April–October. 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.
Jan
32° / 13°
11 wet · 8 snow
Feb
35° / 15°
10 wet · 7 snow
Mar
44° / 23°
12 wet · 5 snow
Apr
57° / 33°
11 wet · 1 snow
May
69° / 44°
12 wet
Jun
78° / 54°
12 wet
Jul
83° / 59°
11 wet
Aug
82° / 57°
10 wet
Sep
74° / 49°
9 wet
Oct
61° / 38°
11 wet
Nov
48° / 29°
11 wet · 2 snow
Dec
37° / 20°
12 wet · 6 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Concord Muni Ap, NH, 6.9 mi away at 346 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
