Hike Black Bear Mountain in Inlet, NY
Black Bear Mountain is part of the Fulton Chain Trifecta in Eagle Bay, NY. You may also see these mountains referred to as being in the towns of Inlet or Old Forge. This is the tallest of the three mountains in the trifecta and is also the longest.
The other two mountains are Bald Mountain (Rondaxe Fire Tower) and Rocky Mountain which are one mile and half a mile to their summits, respectively. All three have wonderful views of Fourth Lake and are a joy to hike! I’ve completed at least one of these every year since I was a kid and they hold a special place in my heart.
Black Bear Mountain has a summit elevation of 2,445ft. There are two trail options to reach the summit as well- yellow and blue. One is steeper while the other ascends the mountain at a more leisurely pace but is longer. If you combine both trails and hike a loop, your hike comes out to about 5.1 miles long.
Keep reading this post to learn about the trails and the hike as a whole!
- Parking and Trailhead
- Trail Options
- Blue Trail
- Rope Section
- Summit Space
- Yellow Trail
- Trail Mileage Discrepancies
- Easy Descent
- Trail Stats
- Trail Review
Parking and Trailhead for Black Bear Mountain
Parking for Black Bear Mountain is on the northern side of State Route 28 between Eagle Bay and Inlet in New York. It is a large parking lot that shares a trailhead with Rocky Mountain, another of the Fulton Chain Trifecta. There is also a boat washing station at the far end of the lot.
If you are headed up Black Bear Mountain early you will easily get a spot as the parking lot holds at least 30 cars with a dozen or so more being able to park along the sides. That said, on nice summer days, all of these spots certainly get used around midday! The lot can fill up very quickly as families try to get a hike in before lunchtime.
To hike Black Bear Mountain, you need to go to the most eastern edge of the parking lot (the far side from the boat washing station). With your back to the road this is all the way to your right. There is a worn dirt path that leads away from the paved lot, parallel with the road, that leads you to the Black Bear Mountain trailhead. At the right time of year, there are tons of pretty wildflowers surrounding the dirt path.
Two Trail Options up Black Bear Mountain
There are two marked trails that take you to the summit of Black Bear Mountain. These form a sort of lollipop loop. The yellow and blue trails align with one another for about 0.7 miles until a junction where the blue trail splits off to the right and the yellow heads to the left.
The initial walk up to this junction is very flat. An easy dirt trail through the forest, it is very enjoyable and a great warm up for the hike. The junction itself is in a very grassy section of the trail, but you can’t miss it!
Blue Trail to Climb Black Bear Mountain
The blue trail is the shorter and steeper option. I was hiking Black Bear Mountain with my parents and we decided to do the whole hike as a counterclockwise loop so we went up this trail to the summit. The blue trail is about 1.3 miles long and has about 600 ft of elevation gain.
I’m always a fan of heading up the quick steep way because my legs like to climb!! Overall the blue trail is moderate and is mostly dirt. Only a few sections are rooty or rocky and there’s even a little man made bridge over an especially muddy part to help hikers pass easily.
I found the blue trail very fun because the dirt path changed into a mini rock scramble near the summit. So this was a little rocky and steep but it’s to be expected because we’re hiking in New York! There were some scrambles where you needed to use your hands as well, so keep an eye out for those.
Rope Section
My parents and I were a big fan of the rope that is actually tied down to one slope about 1.9 miles from the trailhead (a quarter mile or so from the summit). This rope helps hikers climb up a semi-washed out root section on the trail. While not necessary to use (there are plenty of footholds without the rope) it is useful as a confidence boost for beginner hikers, children, or for when it is a bit slippery out after some rain.
After climbing past the rope section, there are only a few more rocky sections to get up to reach the summit of Black Bear Mountain! And with one final rocky slope you’ve hiked 2.2 miles and you’re there!
Black Bear Mountain Summit
Black Bear Mountain’s summit is so much better than I remember. I’ve certainly done this hike a time or two growing up because I’ve been going to the Inlet area every year since I was born. However, since it is the longest of the Fulton Chain Trifecta, my family, cousins, and I would usually opt for a shorter trip (up Rocky or Bald Mountain) so we could get back to the lake.
There is a huge amount of open rock space on top of Black Bear Mountain! No sweeping 360 views, but at the far side of the summit it is a pretty good 180! I think you are seeing Rocky Mountain as a little bump in front of you which does block the view of Fourth Lake a little but since Black Bear Mountain is the tallest of the Fulton Chain Trifecta, you still get amazing views of the lake and surrounding mountains.
Standing looking at so many beautiful dark green trees against a bright blue sky makes for a perfect morning. I was so happy my parents decided to join me on the climb. I was worried about the elevation, but we took breaks, drank water, and made sure to rest a lot at the top to ensure everyone was enjoying themselves.
We brought a Rootstock cider to share while we took some pictures together and of each other at the summit. We had some great trail snacks and I even brought some of my knitting to get a row or two of my sock in on top of the mountain.
Yellow Trail to Descend Black Bear Mountain
When ready to head back, we found the yellow trail to descend so we wouldn’t have to worry about any steep sections being hard on the knees. From the summit to the parking lot the trail is closer to 3 miles, so a little longer than the blue one.
Descending the yellow trail of Black Bear Mountain, you will reach a trail junction that you did not see while hiking the blue trail. If you walk straight at this junction you can reach Uncas Road 1.5 miles away. There is a trail sign to direct you back to the parking lot on State Route 28 as well to ensure you make it back to your car.
Trail Mileage Discrepancies
We noticed that trail mileages on the signs didn’t add up for Black Bear Mountain. At the Uncas Road junction (we had already been descending for a few minutes form the summit) the sign says it is 2.3 miles back to the parking area. However, from the parking area, that sign states it is only 2.2 miles to reach the summit from the yellow trail.
This might be why the yellow trail ended up feeling longer than expected. Also, the parking lot sign says that taking the blue trail you will reach the summit in 1.9 miles. However, when tracking in my All Trails app (which I am well aware is not the most accurate), we had reached the rope climb at the 1.9 mile mark.
Feel free to check out my recording if you are interested in these numbers: Black Bear Mountain Trail on AllTrails
Easy Descent
That said, the yellow trail was very pretty with lots of grasses, mossy sections, and little shrubs. There was a tree in the path about a half a mile from the summit but it was passable. The trail was definitely muddier than the blue trail we had just hiked, but it wasn’t too bad.
While it was pretty rooty near the summit of Black Bear Mountain, once you get past the initial descent it levels out and clears up quite a bit. Be careful of any slippery roots as you are climbing down though. There are quite a few man-made bridges to help you over muddy sections but the trail is definitely still wet.
There is a nice creek to enjoy as you are walking out and the woods are very peaceful. Once you pass the junction with the blue trail again you are in the home stretch. You will probably have forgotten how flat the trail from the parking lot actually is so you will be cruising on the way out!
If you’ve started early you will see just how full the parking lot gets. I truly hope you enjoy the hike and push yourself to climb Black Bear Mountain! If you enjoyed reading about this trail, check out my other posts on adventures in New York as well.
Trail stats:
Mileage: 5.1mi
Elevation Gain: 801ft
Date Hiked: August 10, 2022
Moving Time: 2h 44min
Parking:
43.76466, -74.79414
Black Bear Mountain Trail Review
If I am being honest, while the yellow trail was easier, it was a bit boring. It was great for me to get mileage in since I was working on building my endurance, but by the end my family kind of wanted to get out of the woods. We all agreed we would have rather taken our time going back down the steep parts of the blue trail than do the yellow trail again.
Returning on the blue trail (making the hike an out and back) would have made the day’s trip total closer to 4.2 miles rather than the 5.1 miles of the whole loop. You only save a mile making that change though, so take a look at your hiking plan and decide what is best for you.
Black Bear Mountain was a very fun trail since it provided an easy warm up, fun rock scrambles, and a not-so-painful descent. It is completely worth trying it you have hiked Rocky and Bald Mountain nearby already and want to go for something just a little harder. I wouldn’t even say it is more technically challenging, but it is certainly longer than the other two hikes.
Either way, I hope you love your time spent by Fourth Lake! Let me know if you hike Black Bear Mountain or anything else nearby. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them below or visit my Contact page!
