Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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43.15360°N / 71.3938°W |
Route Type:
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HIke |
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Time Required:
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Less than two hours |
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Difficulty:
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Class 1, Walk Up |
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Approach
VIA ROUTE US 3: Take U.S. 3 to the intersection with Route 28 with signs towards Bear Brook State Park. Make a right on Allentown-Derryfield Road. Take the road until you see a toll booth on the right. Park at the toll booth on the either the left or the right (Closed in winter).Route Description
Route Description: 2.2 miles roundtrip
0.4 miles on the main snowmobile trail
0.7 miles on the Catamount Hill Trail
Elevation Gain: 400 feet
The route here is the most direct is to top. The features that make this trail special to many hikers is the fact the trail travels through a third generation red pine forestry area in the beginning and toward the top a number of viewpoints provides views on the surrounding area.
The hike begins at the tollbooth on the south side of the Allenstown Deerfield Road. There is a snowmobile trailhead with a sign on it stateing that the closed off dirt road needs to all trails. You tak this route into the third generation red pine forest. At about 0.3 miles you run into a Y intersection with a snowmobile path. Merge keft and stay on the path until you find the Catamount trail sign on the right at 0.4 miles. Take a right on the Catamount Hill Trail sign. The trail will start to steepen a little as it begins to clib the hill. The next 0.3 miles is the bulk of the climb where the trail continues at a moderate pitch. The pitch will continue until the first nice rocky overlook on the left (0.7 miles). Views of Saddleback Mountain as well as many of the hills of Bear Brook can be found here. The trail will continue until reach a ridgeline at about 0.8 miles where partial views of the distant Belknap mountains begin to open up. The ridge line continue past the Catmount Hill Trailhead (which need to the longer Catamount Hill Trail Loop) at 0.9 and lead to a small small Y section which will lead to a loop hike around the top of the summit. Merge right and head and head 0.2 miles to the top. Where you will find no views and just trees and small tarn marking the top. Just feet from the tarn is where the left part of the loop will connect back to the loop to the parking lot. Straight ahead will lie a trail that head to a semi open area (no views) that head down hill to a neighborhood. Be careful not to tkae that trail. There will also be a wooden post with an arrow pointing to the correct path back on the look. After about 0.1 miles afterthe intersection the trail with lead to a viewing area overlooking Hall Mtn. and Ber Hill on your right. Continue straight on the level trail to the end of the loop and head down the same pathe back.