Bear Mt. Wildlife Sanctuary, Hebron

Bear Mt. Wildlife Sanctuary, Hebron

New Hampshire Audubon North Shore Road

Official Website
Bear Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary brochure and map

About this Location

The 73-acre Bear Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, located on the north side of Bear Mountain, is a relatively rugged forested property with some fairly steep slopes. The trail gains 600 feet in elevation from its start on West Shore Road (elevation 640 feet) to the highest point on the Sanctuary (elevation 1,240 feet), where there are views of Newfound Lake through the treetops. Although the Sanctuary is generally a closed-canopy mixed forest, the effects of the changes in altitude can be seen in tree species composition as one walks up the trail. For example, there is a noticeable increase in red spruce and balsam fir at higher elevations. The Sanctuary was donated to Audubon in 1999 by Jon McKee and Joan Belden, both summer residents of Hebron. The property had been purchased 30 years earlier by McKee and his business partner, Rod Belden, to create a modest five-home development. Sensitive to the increase in development in the Newfound Lake area, McKee and Belden decided to forego their plans in favor of protecting the property as open space. They chose to donate the property to N.H. Audubon because the organization protects other lands in the area

From Bristol: Drive north on NH-3A for 9 miles toward East Hebron. Turn left onto North Shore Road and drive approximately 2.6 miles (past Audubon’s Paradise Point and Hebron Marsh Wildlife Sanctuaries) to Hebron. In Hebron, turn left onto West Shore Road and drive 0.4 miles; the trailhead is on the right. Park on Cross Street, one-tenth of a mile north of the trailhead.

Notable Trails

Bear Mountain Trail - yellow markers, 2.1 miles round-trip
The Bear Mountain Trail, which begins at West Shore Road, takes about 1.5 hours to walk. Because of the rather narrow shape of the property and its relatively steep slopes, this is the only trail, although, at 0.83 miles, there is a half-mile loop around the higher elevations of the Sanctuary. The trail also crosses a snowmobile trail.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Official Website

Last updated November 8, 2023