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 look for fairy houses along the trail and run from one page to the next on the Story Book Walk. Mahoosuc.
org/valentine-farm Carter’s XC Ski Shop, 786 Intervale Rd, Bethel Follow marked trails through the woods, then cross the street to the mountain plateau. When you finish your hike, head over to Ella’s Flowers at Middle Intervale Farm to cut a bouquet to take home. https://www.
cartersxcski.com/ Moose Cave, Grafton Notch State Park, N.H.
A .4 mile loop or go for .8 miles more.
Moose Cave is located within a 45-foot-deep canyon of bedrock where water skirts boulders and temporarily disappears into a cave beneath a granite slab. The trail follows a 600-foot-long gorge carved through granite by glacial meltwater. The trail also loops through a moss garden located on the ledges of the mixed growth forest.
Several species of lichen inhabit this garden including “Reindeer Moss” which is native to the Arctic Tundra. This area is busy during summer weekends. Park Rangers ask that you choose another hike if the lot is full.
Two nearby easy hikes are Screw Auger Falls and Mother Walker Falls . Moderate Wheeler’s Mica Mine, West Bethel This hike has a wide berth because it doubles as a snowmobile trail in the winter. There are some strenuous uphill sections on the 1.
75-foot climb. At the top see pretty views of the Western Maine mountains and Androscoggin River, then crest the hill and the draw-dropping mine is to your left. Sign up for a four-hour guided tour of the mine for $45 for adults, $25.
for ages 13 to adult; $10. for ages 7 to 12. Free for children under 7.
Digging for minerals is part of the tour, too. The Wheelers also offer all-day rock hounding. White Cap Mountain Preserve, Rumford Don’t fall off the mountain as you turn in every direction to see the panoramic views.
Just the right burn at about 5.80 miles out and back . The top is wide open, so bring your lunch and enjoy a private picnic.
Abundant blueberry thickets add more delight to this quintessential Western Maine hike. Table Rock, Andover This 2.1-mile looped-hike is nearer to moderate than challenging and especially if you don’t loop and instead take the easier side up and back.
This is a very popular area for hiking, so you’ll likely encounter other people while exploring. Leashed dogs are welcomed. Long Trail , Albany Township Bring the dog along on this 5.
75-mile moderate hike. Start on the bog bridges which cross wetlands; further along is beautiful Mill Brook. It is never very crowded, and the views are of the peaks of Western Maine and New Hampshire.
The Parks-Bennett Loop, Bethel. This 2.8 mile out-and-back trail was part of the Chadbourne Tree Farm and is now part of the Bethel Community Forest.
It takes under two hours to complete this popular hiking and running trail. Disabled accessible Bethel Pathway and Valentine Farm, Bethel – Davis Playground on Walkers Mills Road is a good starting point for this connected trail that is about four miles out and back. Instead, a large crevice makes the trail impassable at about the halfway point and the bridges on the Davis side are lifted.
Probably best to park at Valentine until repairs are made. Adaptive Athlete Enock Glidden, of Bethel, reviews this trail and others on Maine Trail Finder. Look for “Enock’s Adventures.
” https://www.mainetrailfinder.com/stories/category/enocks-adventures Buck’s and Lapham’s Ledges, route 26, Woodstock – A viewing site for disabled persons is about a quarter of a mile drive up a hard packed dirt road from the parking lot.
The Woodstock Conservation Commission is working on creating a pathway for disabled persons to the same lookout. Challenging Old Speck Trail Grafton Notch , from Bethel take route 26 west to the Old Speck parking lot. Old Speck Trail is a challenging 7.
6-mile hike with spectacular views from an open observation tower at the summit. From the parking area, follow the white-blazed Appalachian Trail southbound along Cascade Brook. The trail crosses many streams then ascends the north shoulder, rising out of the woods and offering many views of the Notch.
Reach the summit and tower by a 0.3-mile spur at about 3.5 miles from the trailhead.
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mnap/assistance/hikes/old_speck_eyebrow.
pdf Eyebrow Loop Trail from Bethel take route 26 west to the Old Speck parking lot. The Eyebrow Loop Trail rises steeply to a 2,900-foot shelf-overlook on Old Speck Mountain . It is a 2.
2-mile round trip, advanced hike. Following the white-blazed Appalachian Trail southbound for 0.1 miles, look for the start of the orange-blazed Eyebrow Trail on the right.
The trail gently rises as it passes through a stand of hardwood trees until it reaches a steeper cliff section. Portions of the orange-blazed ascent involve ladders and steel rungs. Hikers wanting to avoid the rungs and ladders can go up and back on the AT portion for a 2.
6-mile round-trip. The Eyebrow trail’s steep areas with metal climbing rungs that may not be suitable for children or pets. Note this is an especially difficult trail in wet conditions.
East and West Baldpate (5.8-7.6 miles round trip) with the Table Rock Loop (2.
4 miles round trip) – is in Grafton Notch, too (see directions below). These trails are rated moderate to advanced. “Both hikes include some scrambles that could scare some people and they start from the same parking lot.
The Baldpates include a ladder that can be intimidating, and sections of the hike are very steep,” said master hiker Garret Bonnema of Bethel. From the intersection of US Route 2 and ME Route 26 in Newry, follow ME Route 26 approximately 12 miles north to where the Appalachian Trail crosses the road. Coming from US Route 2, the trailhead and parking area will be on the left.
The trails up Baldpate and Table Rock leave from the east side of ME Route 26 Further research Jonathan Goldberg, owner of Bethel’s True North Adventureware says the AMC Maine White Mountain Guide is an exhaustive list of nearly all the trails in the area. He also recommends Marita Wiser’s book which features 25-30 local hikes. Wiser, of Bridgton, regularly updates her book, “Hikes and Woodland Walks” “Here in Bethel, we’re lucky to have the [Mahoosuc] Land Trust and Inland Woods and Trails that have some hikes that are very accessible with varying levels of challenge and not necessarily published widely yet,” said Bonnema.
Wherever you choose to hike, stop first at Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce for updates, great directions and their free, “busiest bathroom-in-Bethel” pit stop. We invite you to add your comments, and we encourage a thoughtful, open and lively exchange of ideas and information on this website. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use .
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