Bear Mountain (NH) 2/13/2016

Bear Mountain

Location: Bartlett, New Hampshire
Mileage: 5 Miles
Elevation Gain: 2100 Feet
Trails Used: Road Walk, Bushwhack
Views: From Logging Cut, Wooded Summit
Difficulty: Moderate

Hiking Lists: NH 200 Highest/NH 3000 Footers

Kris reached out about possibly going for a hike this weekend, so we tossed around a few ideas before settling on something he needed to do—one that Brian and I had already climbed, though never in winter—and decided it was worth a re-do. We planned to meet Kris at the park-and-ride in Penacook, then drive north to Bear Notch Road, where we’d begin the hike. It was shaping up to be a cold day, so after gearing up, we headed down Bear Notch Road to our starting point for the bushwhack.

We followed day-old snowshoe tracks through open woods and logging cuts, enjoying views of Mount Paugus, Mount Passaconaway, and Hedgehog Mountain.

The logging cuts offer better views looking out toward Mount Paugus, Mount Passaconaway, Hedgehog Mountain, Potash Mountain, East Sleeper, West Sleeper, and the Tripyramids.

Climbing through another logging cut, the summit of Bear Mountain gradually comes into view.

We enjoyed endless views from the many logging cuts we passed through, despite the cold and windy day.

Brian and I at the wooded summit of Bear Mountain, standing by the canister and old sign at an elevation of 3,220 feet.

Kris grabs a snack at the summit of Bear Mountain as we get ready to follow our tracks back out to the car.

The views from a logging cut on Mount Carrigain, nestled between Owls Cliff and Mount Tremont.

From a logging cut, the views of Mount Paugus, Mount Passaconaway, Hedgehog Mountain, Potash Mountain, East Sleeper, West Sleeper, the Tripyramids, and Scaur Peak are stunning as the sun peeks through on the hike back to the car.

We walked along Bear Notch Road to and from the summit of Bear Mountain, which is closed in winter but open for snowmobiles.

It was a fairly quick round trip hike and bushwhack through mostly open woods on a windy, cold winter day. We saw several snowmobiles zoom past on Bear Notch Road, even though it was supposed to be closed due to low snow conditions. We wore Microspikes or went bare-booted for the entire trip. Hiking with Kris is always great, and after quickly changing and tossing our gear in his car, we headed into Lincoln for some well-earned post-hike food.