Trudeau Rd., Bethlehem

Trudeau Rd., Bethlehem

Bethlehem, New Hampshire 03574

Tips for Birding

Most birding at Trudeau Road is on foot. You park along the road near the gates, about half a mile north of US-3. To the east, a gated road leads to a big open area surrounded by conifers and hardwoods. This can be quite good during fall when warblers hang out around the edges.

The longer walk is on the west side, where after a short walk from the gate (probably open in winter for snowmobiles) you come to a four-way intersection. Going left or right here takes you through spruce-fir forest and wetlands that can be great birding (although generally much less so in winter unless there are finches). Going left eventually takes you back to US-3, where you can walk back up on Trudeau if you want to make a loop. You can also go straight at the 4-way intersection, but I don't usually go that way.

Note that Trudeau road can be very busy with truck traffic for the nearby landfill. As a result road birding can be pretty noisy and sometimes hair-raising.

Winter birding is totally hit or miss up there. At least once we spent over an hour and had 6 species. Another time we had a Black-backed Woodpecker right along the road next to our car just as we were about to leave.

Birds of Interest

This site is mainly known for its boggy woodland and wetland areas, which typically host at least one resident pair of Black-backed Woodpeckers. The woodpeckers can be seen year-round, but it is much easier to find them during the breeding season when they are vocalizing and drumming (they have sometimes nested in highly visible locations such as along Trudeau Road or nearby trails). Yellow-bellied Flycatcher is common, and Boreal Chickadee and Ruby-crowned Kinglet are sometimes reported, but, despite favorable habitat, Spruce Grouse and Gray Jay have rarely been seen here. White-winged Crossbills favor this site in irruption years. Other species of interest that are regularly reported during the breeding season include Canada, Magnolia, and Blackburnian Warblers, and Alder Flycatchers.

About this Location

Trudeau Road goes north from Daniel Webster Highway (US-3).

The site is most easily reached by traveling north for about one-half mile on Trudeau Road from US-3. There is a gated forest road on the west side of the road (park on the east side of Trudeau Road as there is more room and you won’t block the gate). Walk past the gate for a short distance (about 800 feet) until you reach a four-way intersection. Turn right and walk slowly, looking and listening for bird vocalizations and drumming. When you reach an open water wetland (about 1,200 feet) on the west (left) side of the trail, you have reached the end of the main woodpecker area. The trails extend for many miles, and who knows what you might also turn up if you explore! The site is only about eight miles northeast of Cannon Mountain, so the two locations are easily combined to make a half-day trip (if you start at Trudeau Road at sunrise) or a full-day trip.

To get to Trudeau Road from the Cannon Mountain tramway parking area, travel north on I-93 to Exit 35, and from there travel east on US-3 until you see Trudeau Road on your left (north side of US-3). 

Notable Trails

The 1HappyHiker blog has a description and map of a hike at Trudeau Road.

Features

  • Roadside viewing

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Pam Hunt and Soumala, Mark. "Birding in the White Mountains in June and July." NH Bird Records. Vol. 32, No. 2, Summer 2013

Last updated May 20, 2023

Map from https://1happyhiker.blogspot.com/2019/02/outdoor-winter-adventures-in-bethlehem.html