Old Speck offers excellent views over the rugged Mahoosuc Range from its summit observation tower. Carey Kish photo BETHEL — Bethel is surrounded by natural beauty with hundreds of great hikes in every direction. If you’re not sure where to go, this list will help you get started.
For families with young children Valentine Farm, Step Falls and Bear Cave are memory making locales. For a group in search of a workout and a vista, look to White Cap in Rumford or Bald Pate in Grafton Notch. Very challenging hikes are Old Speck and Eyebrow Loop, also in Grafton Notch.
Many other hikes have off-beat vistas and endpoints. For instance, maybe you’re interested in a flat hike along the mighty Androscoggin River or would like to search for peels of mica in Wheeler’s Mine following a moderate uphill hike. Or maybe your path is in a boat! Head from Gilead to Bethel on an inner tube, canoe, or kayak for a “hike” of a different sort.
Easy, Family-friendly Valentine Farm, 162 North Rd. Bethel: Valentine feels like Bethel’s Town Park. Locals and their dogs traverse a 1.
2-mile mostly flat trail with an additional 1-mile loop that circles the meadow below. At the far end of the meadow is the mighty Androscoggin River that travels from north of Bethel all the way to the Atlantic. Listen to the sounds of birds and pollinators that surround you in the densely planted pollinator garden with tall grasses and flowers.
Expanded in 2023, the garden alone is worth a visit. Children love to.