I have had 3 small trails left at Bear Brook State Park for a while.. having only a half day available to hike today, I decided now was the time. I pre-booked my parking reservation and headed for the toll booth on Deerfield Road. Thinking I was going to park at the beach/pond parking area, the girl at the toll booth actually said it would be fine to park at the gate at the end of Black Hall Road, where I intended to hike, as long as I didn't block the gate. This saved me a few tenths! Black Hall Road is essentially a snowmobile corridor, and a straight shot out at that. There is nothing to see, but with the Fall foliage peaking this weekend and some exquisite sunlight today, it was a perfect day to just stroll. I went as far as the Bear Brook boundary and turned around to head back. I was surprised to pass 2 hunters right on the trail, I know it's a thing (and had been hearing the gunshots my entire walk) but to see them up so close is always unnerving to me! Right at the gate where I had started, another trail headed to my right (facing the road) which is named Deer Trail on some maps. There were several trails off Black Hall Road the entire distance, but this was the only other named trail on the Bear Brook map, so this was the only other one I walked. It cut through a really pretty patch of forest, parallel to the road and popped out just a bit further down Deerfield Road from where I had parked. I retraced my steps and was back in the car.
Strava Activity
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| gate on Black Hall Road |
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| lovely water crossing along Black Hall Road |
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| Black Hall Road |
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| Deer Trail |
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| gate for Deer Trail on Deerfield Road |
Out & Back Trail
My very last hike was Out and Back Trail which shows up on the newest Bear Brook trail map. It starts at the campground and goes out to South Road and a neighborhood. There isn't any parking at the road, and it's not marked or visible, so a digital map was required to locate the trail for this one. I parked along a stone wall at the property line marked as far off the road as I could. Skirting the edge of a cleared field, there is evidence of a footbed through the grass and soon you are in the woods. The road stays left, and an actual trail heads right. This surprised me as I thought the trail was going to be old road/snowmobile corridor the entire way. Turns out it is a really nice wander through the woods reaching the outer campsites in just under a mile. The trail isn't blazed, but was easy to follow. I wandered through the campground over to the pond to see if there was any nice foliage shots. The campground was packed (even though it was a very cold overnight), so I just turned around and retraced my steps. There are no signs at this end either, so look for the road directing to campsites 12-19 with a toilet block and follow that to the end. The road ends in a circle and the trail starts right in the middle at the back, to the right of campsite 12.
Strava Activity
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| entrance from South Road |
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where the trail went right, road went left
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| Beaver Pond from the campground |
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