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Easy, unpaved trail through trees and marshy areas. Lots of gnats, so I'd worry about mosquitoes in the summer. Very pretty hike and we briefly spotted some white tail deer. We followed the one detour and had no issues. Due to recent rains, there were some pretty wet areas where we were very thankful for our waterproof hiking shoes!
love this place so much. hope the new people in my life like it as much as I do. happy hiking you all.
Great trail... to short, so I took a walk on the sea wall... checked out large snapping turtle over the small bridge... great day for a short hike
reviewed Shelter was nice, good trail for a quick hike.
Wonderful trail! Pause and look around as you're crossing the small bridge; we saw several large turtles in the water and 2 blue heron nests in the treetops! The fort is really nice, too!
The trailhead was very well kept and the facilities were clean. The trail itself was merely ok, but the hike along the beach was much better.
Don't follow directions in app to trail. Google bear lake campground trail starts there. Also there is no cell service in the area, so download the map if you want to follow it. You don't need to follow the map however, the trail was well maintained and follows all the way around the lake with 4-5 open camp ground fishing areas along the way. Multiple benches spread out throughout so if you just want to take a break and look at the lake or have a picnic good for both.
Beautiful day to be on the trail. Some sections near the South trailhead we're a little wet to start but overall very hikeable.
Well maintained and blazed. There was one detour, but smooth sailing.
One of my favorites. Well marked. half of the hike is by the creek. It's more like a river. Moderate hike. Take the little side trails down to see the water. Lots of roots in the path so Would not be stroller friendly. Definitely will do this again.
Easy flat Trail. Less than a mile. Very wide trail, more like a sand packed road. Slightly muddy today. Can see the river for over half of trail. Some roots, but pretty stroller friendly if you don't mind it getting sandy/muddy.
Great hike. Trail is well marked. Beautiful park. Can see the lake most of the hike. About 1/3 had a controlled burned done but was still neat to see. Had just rained so trails were somewhat flooded in parts. We wore hiking boots. Marked this trail as a favorite. Will be back to do this one again!
Great place to visit
It was nice but not nice pulling 20+ ticks off of my dog ):
Extremely well marked and maintained.
They did a controlled burn throughout half of the area earlier this week. So the air was clear today, but in those parts it definitely smelled burned. There were a few soggy parts, but most of the trail was just fine.
Nice level loop through the forest. Lots of birds to see. Optional side spurs down to beach. Sand has been placed over the trail making it a little slow in places. Evidence of bikes, so keep an eye out, but I didn't see any the morning I was out.
January 30, 2021well maintained trail through the live oaks made for a nice stroll
Hilly, windy
I've hiked the 4 & 6 mile loops MANY times and prefer the 6 mile bike/hiking loop since I rarely see anyone on it and I feel more "out there". LOVE hiking the Bear Lake Trails and being around this area and have never had an issue until 28 January 2021 which is the reason why I'm posting this. I hiked the 6 Mile loop and parked at the trailhead for that particular loop and when I hiked out, I came out to find someone busted my vehicle window and went through my center console. Fortunately, I use common sense and never leave anything of value in my vehicle and whoever did it, walked away with nothing. I've been out there MANY times and have never had an issue until recently. I'm guessing if I had parked by the lake/4 mile trail head, I'd had been ok (my vehicle was the only vehicle at the 6mile trailhead this particular day). It's a beautiful & very peaceful area to spend a day or weekend, however like all trailheads across the US, be mindful that there are scumbags out there who may see vehicles at trailheads as window of opportunity. Highly recommend this area if you really enjoy spending time in nature, seeing wildlife, and being those southern pines!
Good trail
Trail was easy for the majority of the hike. It was better maintained than I expected. there is a campsite with a fire pit and 2 benches at about 1.0 mile in from trail head.
