Northwest Camp and Bear Mt. Loop

I had a nice hike with my daughter, who is home from college, doing a loop around Northwest Camp and Bear Mountain last week.  The weather was great with mild temps and a bright sunny sky.  We arrived at the trail head about 9:30am and set off toward the cabin at Northwest Camp.  We turned left just before the cabin and hiked the AT approach trail for about 1/2 mile or so before joining the AT and turning South.

Once on the AT, the trail starts to climb and gets pretty steep in sections.  The views start soon after you gain some elevation and with the leaves just beginning to come out, we were able to see nicely through the trees.

We were soon at the summit and had it all to ourselves.  We sat and enjoyed the view, took a few pictures and drank some Gatorade to stay hydrated.  Then it was time to head out and we continued South down the mountain. On the way down we passed a few hikers heading up and chatted briefly but kept moving.  There was some ponding on the trail back toward Northwest Camp but we had little trouble maneuvering around the water.

Soon, we were back at the car.  It was a short loop, about 2.5 miles but was fun.  We also saw many wildflowers along the way.