Bear Mountain Loop via AT, Bear Mtn. Rd., Bog Trail (Mount Riga State Park)
Hike Type: Lollipop Loop
Distance: 3.17 miles
Elevation: 597 feet
Time: 1 hour, 21 minutes
Parking: Parking for 6 cars at the end of East St. (3 on each side of road), more parking on CT side.
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er, Appalachian Trail 14-State Challenge
Hiking Challenges: Taconic 12er, Appalachian Trail 14-State Challenge
The Hike
The drive from the Mount Washington State Park HQ trailhead to the Mt. Frissell Trailhead was an easy 10-minute drive. Soon after leaving HQ, the road turned to dirt, and had some patches of deep gravel that was simply unpleasant to drive over. There was parking on the right side of the road signed as the Mt. Frissell Trailhead for 2-3 cars, and room on the left side for another three cars.
The original plan was to go up Round Mountain and Mt. Frissell, then traverse over to Mt. Brace, then a long trip down and up Bear Mountain with a steep descent to close the loop. I simply did not want to deal with a wet, steep descent, so instead I decided to start with Bear Mountain and ascending the steep portion and then simply seeing what happened next!
[8:53am - Start of Hike]
I started my hike by crossing into Connecticut (marked by a cool, old monument), and continuing for maybe 100-150 feet to another parking area at Northwest Road, which was signed as leading to AMC Northwest Camp. Google Maps said the gate on Mt. Washington Road in CT was closed, but it was definitely open today!
[8:55am - Northwest Road]
I turned onto blue-blazed Northwest Road, which was an old, gated road, and hiked in, soon passing more signs for the AMC Northwest Camp. I was greeted by a sign saying:
"WELCOME
You are entering land owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club. To insure your continued use and enjoyment of this wilderness area, the following regulations will apply.
1. Camping permitted in designated areas only.
2. Wood burning fires are specifically prohibited.
3. Foot travel only - no motorized vehicles.
4. Carry out everything you carry in.
5. No hunting permitted.
AMC ridgerunner monitors area on regular basis."
Just after there were stacks of fire wood, a few wheelbarrows, and a kiosk with a brochure that was too foggy to read.
The AMC Website reads: "Northwest Camp is a rustic backcountry cabin, secluded on a remote section of Bear Mountain in Salisbury, Connecticut. The cabin provides access to many hiking trails leading to New York and Massachusetts." Some more information by the CT AMC Chapter can be found here and here.
[8:57am - Northwest Road/AMC Northwest Camp]
Northwest Road passed the AMC Northwest Camp on the right, rock hopped across a small stream, and continued on, basically paralleling the MA/CT State Line and rising gently as rain began to fall again. My hip belt was becoming more and more of a bummer and this trail was in muddier shape than Alander Mountain. I ascended into a mountain laurel grove and I put the rain jacket back on (crankily), and soon landed at the junction with the Appalachian Trail!
[9:10am - Appalachian Trail]
The Northwest Road trail terminated at the Appalachian Trail, although the old road continued straight and was mostly obstructed. The AT was marked by a seafoam green sign, which was fun! The AT soutbound starts off by climbing easily along the side of the mountain before making a turn and climbing right up the side. The rocks were plentiful and exceptionally slippery. I heard a grouse thumping and my flatulence was giving me a nice boost as I scrambled up!
There were some nice tree views to the north and I passed my first person du jour right at the steepest spot - he was wearing baggy cargo shorts, a hoodie, and listening to some podcast out loud. The scrambling was physically challenging but super fun! I was SO GLAD I went up this way instead of down.
The tree views became more interesting the higher I climbed with MANY clouds on nearby peaks - thankfully it looked like this mountian was still in the clear. I pushed on, slightly gassing myself, and soon came to the summit area! First, there was a summit sign and a little herd path that branched off to the right to what was maybe an old trail or maybe the true summit or maybe just a grown-in viewpoint?
[9:27am - Bear Mountain Summit]
The main summit area was marked by a giant pile of socks and a plaque saying: "THIS MONUMENT MARKS THE HIGHEST GROUND IN CONNECTICUT. 2354 FEET ABOVE THE SEA. BUILT A.D. 1885. OWEN TRAVIS MASON." I guess this was before they identified the shoulder of Mt. Frissell was taller?
There were a few people of a hiking group showing up, so I kept on moving on (also it was still rainy and windy. The rain coat was off again because of the sweating, but it was still wet everywhere.
[9:32am - Appalchian Trail]
The AT from this point on was an absolute treat! Easy, descending grades. I only had to be careful of puddles and an occasional slippery rock. I passed a few folks hiking up, all of whom appeared to be day hikers. I kept stopping as more and more viewpoints over towards Mt. Brace and Mt. Frissell began to open up. Nearby bushes were starting to bloom, and the sun kept trying to poke through, but it was generally not successful. I noticed after using PeakFinder my phone battery plummeted to 19%, so I threw it on airplane mode and low power mode in hopes of keeping it alive!
The trail entered an eroded section as the trees began to grew taller. I also realized I forgot chapstick... The descent continued into an endless sea of mountain laurel with birds singing everywhere (I was thrilled to recognize the Eastern Towhee, thank you, Merlin!). Eventually, in the sea of mountain laurel, I came to the junction with the Bear Mountain Road, which would bring be back to Mt. Washington Road.
[9:49am - Bear Mountain Road]
This "road" was actually a narrow footpath with ankle-tickling and ankle-soaking mountain laurel on both sides - it was unpleasant. It was also somehow still misting out when the rain was supposed to be long since done... I traversed a wet spot and wondered how long I would be stuck in this laurel-ous hellscape, but thankfully after about 10 minutes I came to a junction. Only plus of this stretch was seeing Bear Mountain through the trees.
At the junction, I could decide what my next move would be. I could turn right onto the Bog Trail, which said closed on AllTrails but was very clearly open, and close this loop before starting a seperate hike up Mt. Frissell and Mt. Brace, or I could continue the loop onto Mt. Washington Road and up Mt. Brace, ending with Mt. Frissell. The thought of dealing with more mountain laurel and the unknown road walk and Mt. Brace Trail had me convinced to close the loop, so I turned right.
[10:00am - Bog Trail]
To my delight, the Bog Trail was a dream! To no surprise, it circled a bog! On a bog boardwalk! The boardwalk was super slippery, so I had to go nice and slow. I followed the yellow blazes along, enjoying the sounds of peepers in the bog. I was enjoying it, until a grouse scared the LIFE out of me! Awful little birds... There were small interpretive signs throughout the trail, which were just lovely, and there was a sign saying "BOG BRIDGE 2015" at the end of the boardwalk nearest the camp.
Now back at the camp, I hiked past a fire pit and a cabin with a sign indicating that this was an old growth area, whic was pretty neat! I hiked down around the cabin and over a nice bridge back to Northwest Road, closing the loop.
[10:10am - Northwest Road]
[10:12am - Road Walk to Car]
The stem of the lollipop loop was nice and easy. I had a short walk to the gate and another short walk back to the car, which was already at the next trailhead! There were two new cars total in the area.
[10:14am - End of Hike]
I did a quick stop at the car to drop a water bottle and throw on some chapstick. The main plan was to out-and-back Mt. Frissell and Mt. Brace, but I was open to a loop option if it spoke to me. Time will tell!
Step-by-Step
- Start hike by walking south on East Street (MA)/Mt. Washington Road (CT).
- At trailhead, turn left onto Northwest Road.
- At jct., turn right onto Appalachian Trail (southbound).
- At jct., turn right onto Bear Mountain Road.
- At jct., turn right onto Bog Trail.
- At terminus, turn left onto Northwest Road.
- At terminus, turn right and return to car.
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