Nice and shady for the majority of the trail. Nothing much to see at the top as its covered with tall bush. Great hike - didn't see anyone else and nice view from summit. Lots of little streams you have to cross which makes it interesting. Muddy areas and several brook crossings but most had rocks/wood to walk over. The junction with the West Ridge Trail is at 3.5 miles, some views can be enjoyed here. It gets tougher toward the top, and I was fooled twice into thinking we had reached the summit (at white rocks, there’s still quite a bit to go). Our watches indicated just shy of 9 miles for this hike. The trail follows and crosses a brook, with number of swampy spots, so wear waterproof shoes. The trail is rated as moderate and is primarily used for hiking and trail running. View is decent but if you are looking for that gorgeous mountain view this isn't it. The trail, marked with blue blazes, begins where a power line crosses North Branch Street Extension. The trail is primarily used for hiking, trail running, and bird watching and is best used from March until December. Bald Mountain is a 4.3 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Bennington, Vermont that features a great forest setting. Dogs are also able to use this trail. Pleasant at the top with limited views. This is by far my favorite short hike in my locale. There were tons of raspberries and wild flowers along the way with a narrow creek running through as well. Beautiful trail with awesome fall colors! For the trail leading out of Bennington: Bald Mountain is not bald (nor does it have much of a peak). Beginning was a little weird going under the tunnel but it was short, after that it was a beautiful hike! Nice trail. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October. The trail was well-marked and offered a lot of variety including several stream crossings. This part of the trail is not as well traveled but still fairly easy to follow and not likely to see anyone else. Not many bugs for a mid morning hike. From Rte 9, turn north on North Branch St., which is ¾ mile east of downtown Bennington. New parking lot (12 spaces) on sharp curve of North Branch Street. You get the chance to play leap frog across streams and the views range from rock, to forest, to the whole of Bennington when you stop at white rock. Just pay close attention to the trail markers at the beginning. I really love what this trail has to offer all wrapped into a 2.4 mile, 1548' elevation change. Great views, wildlife and camping opportunities. We couldn’t seem to find any clearings for a nice landscape shot near the top like many photos I’ve seen from this trail. The trail was challenging with fun. Turn right over a bridge onto N. Branch St. Ext. Great hike- very well marked. The trailhead is found at the edge of the woods. Lots of water and mixed terrain. Awesome trail... We only hiked to the White Rocks following the blue trail. Trail was a little muddy toward the bottom and would probably be much worse after a decent rain. Nice gradual climb up. Not much of a view on top but still an a good experience to go up. Tough climb for old people but doable. The trail overall is a gradual incline, and then 2 steeps right when you are coming close to the white rocks, however they’re not very long steeps. But stop by at the summit, for a moment of silence, when you pass by remains of an aircraft that crashed at the mountain few years ago..... Great hike! Path goes through a tunnel under hwy 279 to mtn. Overall - we give this 3.5 stars. Saw 5 groups of hikers, but everyone was nicely spread out. Took about 2 hours. I should have brought my trekking poles. Pretty side views of Bennington and the view at the top was gorgeous. We took our dogs and made the hike in about 4 hours. 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