Mt Agassiz Hike in Bethlehem, NH
Mt Agassiz is a short, steep hike in Bethlehem, NH. It is a unique trail in northern NH with an interesting trailhead, but the views are simply stunning and are well worth the climb!
To learn more about this trail, keep reading because this post will tell you all you need to know to hike Mt Agassiz! In this post there are sections on:
- Directions and Parking
- The Trailhead
- The Trail
- The Summit
- Finishing the Hike
To read about other activities near Mt Agassiz (including one of my favorite breweries!), check out my post on 7 Things to do in Northern New Hampshire.
Directions and Parking for Mt Agassiz
The parking for Mt Agassiz is on a road right outside the town of Bethlehem, NH. Leaving downtown, you will drive up Agassiz St (Route 142) a little bit until you are just south of Mt View Lane. Leaving downtown Bethlehem, Mt View Lane is on your left and the trailhead is behind a home right after that.
Below are the coordinates to park at Mt Agassiz, but the trail can easily be found with a quick search online too.
44.26465, -71.68764
Note: There is no designated parking lot for this hike at these coordinates! You will park your car on the side of the road and the road is a bit of a hill so be careful leaving or returning to your car. You may be able to pull far enough off the road further away from the trailhead, but all parking should be at your own risk.
The Mt Agassiz Trailhead
As mentioned, you will have to park your car on the side of the road to hike Mt Agassiz. The trail for Mt Agassiz is down someone’s driveway and behind their house. Yes, you read that right!
When we arrived early in the morning, it seemed so so strange to be parked where we were and casually walk down a stranger’s driveway. We were very uncertain at first but as we went behind the house, we saw the Mt Agassiz Road continue uphill away from Route 142. This is the trail!
It is not obvious that this is where you have to go, especially if you arrive early in the morning. However, upon finishing the hike and returning to the cars we saw that there was a big sign placed on the side of the road saying “Mt Agassiz” with a big arrow pointing behind the houses. So be reassured that this is a very common hike and the people in the area are understanding when it comes to visitors!
While it looks like a very random spot to park when you arrive and the beginning of the trail is certainly unique, you just have to find Mt Agassiz Road behind the houses and walk up this road all the way to the summit.
The Trail Up Mt Agassiz
For a short trail this was extremely steep. This was much more difficult than my family and I anticipated. It’s so short (only 0.75 miles to the summit), but the elevation gain is 555 ft.
The trail up Mt Agassiz felt like a 30+ degree incline the whole way up but it wasn’t difficult if we took our time. Since the trail is so short it is certainly doable, but the steepness is definitely something to keep in mind. People with certain injuries may have trouble climbing the hill, but that’s just my opinion!
My dad has a bad knee and I was a little concerned it was too much for him. But he said he was enjoying himself so we pushed on! We took our time and enjoyed the journey. Since the hike is so short anyway there is no rush to reach the top too soon.
The trail is very easy to follow. It is a wide open paved road all the way to the top and you can’t lose your way. There may be one spot where a path crosses n front of you, but continue up the road and you will be fine. The trees on either side of the road make for a beautiful setting and there’s even a little bench halfway up to rest on before reaching the summit.
Trail Stats:
Mileage: 1.5mi
Elevation Gain: ~555ft
Date Hiked: October 4, 2020
Moving Time: ~45min-1h
Parking:
Along Route 142 leaving Bethlehem, NH or
44.26465, -71. 68764
Views and Brews
Mt Agassiz is on the Views and Brews hiking list that I have been enjoying completing! There are Views and Brews lists for multiple states in the United States and you can check out the homepage for those lists here. Of course after moving to New Hampshire that is the list I am most actively working on completing.
For each Views and Brews list there is a list of breweries to visit in the state. The goal is to visit a certain number of those breweries and hike a local trail within 48 hours of each brewery visit. Rek Lis Brewing was on the list for Bethlehem, NH so my family and I hiked Mt Agassiz and stopped in for drinks and snacks afterwards to check it off.
You can read more about Rek Lis at my post here or read about other Views and Brews hikes I’ve done in New Hampshire here.
The Summit of Mt Agassiz
After the 0.75 mile climb, the road will begin to curve a little and you will see buildings to your right making you wonder what you’ve stumbled upon. They are an unexpected site if you are hiking Mt Agassiz for the first time, but right past these buildings is an absolutely amazing view.
Mountaintop Observatory
The buildings at the top of Mt Agassiz are actually an old observatory and the landowner’s house. The land here is still privately owned so please be polite and respectful and stay away from the structures. If you are curious about the building though, there is a very nice plaque you can read with the history of the observatory on it.
All I could think when I first viewed the buildings was how beautiful the area and structure was. They are in an amazing isolated spot with a gorgeous view and have beautiful stonework on the outside. I was just imagining staying here gazing out at the mountains for every sunrise.
Amazing Views
The short, steep hike up Mt Agassiz is entirely worth it because the views at the summit are insane! As you round the observatory and owner’s home, there is a clean flat lawn with a viewing area that has a wonderful stone wall and railing to look over and a bench to sit and enjoy the views.
It was incredible how much we could actually see from this viewing area! Almost 180 degree views and you could see so many mountains including part of the Franconia Ridge, Cannon Mountain, and Mt Moosilauke. It was amazing!
Especially in fall, the foliage colors absolutely popped. I couldn’t believe this short of a hike had some of the best views of the whole weekend spent in northern NH. I felt so content enjoying this unique little spot.
If alone at the top, you will feel so isolated as you stare out for miles, but that feeling will hit you in the best way. I could easily have sat on the bench for another hour enjoying the changing light and the movement of the clouds over the peaks.
My family was so happy to enjoy that summit view together. We were initially unsure about doing a hike as short as Mt Agassiz but I think it worked out perfectly. Such a wonderful reward for the hike and we had time to go explore town afterwards as well.
If you want to read about another mountain my family hiked in northern NH in October, check out my post about Prospect Mountain and Weeks State Park here.
Finishing Mt Agassiz
Going down Mt Agassiz was much faster than hiking up it! In October when I hiked Mt Agassiz, the only thing to be careful about was all the fallen leaves. They completely covered the paved road and made it very slippery in a few spots.
My group and I were the only hikers on the way up, but descending we passed a lot more people. A lot of families too which was funny to see because here we were thinking about how tired we were from the incline and all the little kids could just sprint up the entire thing! They had endless energy, it was too funny.
One final note- please be respectful of the homeowners on this trail. This includes where you walk and where you park. We were the first car parked to hike Mt Agassiz the day I went, but when we left there were easily half a dozen to a dozen more cars parked along the road.
This could get very crowded very fast and it goes a long way to be polite and courteous. I can’t imagine what these people must see with the public coming and going by their homes all day.
Mt Agassiz is a short, quick hike but is a fantastic local option if you are around Bethlehem, NH! The views are amazing and it’s so close to town that it is easy to grab some food or do some shopping before or after! For any more questions, please feel free to reach out by emailing me from my Contact page.
