Black Bear Mountain trail head is located in the same parking area as Rocky Mountain trail head. But to me, that is about as far as the similarities go. Black Bear Mountain has two different hiking options, which I will explain more below. The elevation gain is 700+ feet and at the top the elevation comes in at 2,442 feet. The mountain is considered moderate/intermediate, according to most sources. But, in my opinion, it is a step higher in the moderate scale, compared to say Rocky or Bald.

Black Bear Mountain is known as a "lollipop" trail. A lollipop trail is when a loop sits at the end of an out-and-back trail, and it looks like a sucker. The out-and-back portion of the trail is called a stem, as you don’t turn around upon reaching the trail junction (like you would on an out-and-back trail) but continue on the loop. Anyway, you continue .7 miles on the "stem" at which point you come to a Y in the trail. At the Y you can go the left and take the yellow trail which is more gradual, or you can head to the right and take the blue trail, which is the steeper trail. Hope that makes sense.

At the top, you can choose to come back down the same trail you took up, or continue the loop to the other trail (making a lollipop head). No matter what you choose, you are looking at a 4-5.5 mile hike. (Different sources site different distances.) There is also another path you can take, off of the Uncas Road, which is not as steep and about 2.2 miles to the summit.

Black Bear Mountain has some challenging parts that are steep, narrow and rocky. On one path there are a few places you literally have to rock climb. One spot in particular has a rope to help you. There is a foot bridge or two that have some pretty wide lengths in between the boards. There are various sources of water and in some sections you feel like you are on a different trail, going through dense forest. There are several places along the way to stop and see the views. You can see the Fulton Chain of Lakes and the Pigeon Lake Wilderness area which encompasses Big Moose Lake, Stillwater Reservoir, Raquette Lake and the Fulton Chain of Lakes.

If you research, you will see a few people reference Black Bear Mountain as "an easy hike". I do think that is subjective to one's health, fitness and athleticism so please take it all into consideration. It is fun but it is challenging in some places. Avoid if it is raining or rained hard recently, as many people have discussed how slippery and muddy it got, making it unsafe.

Black Bear Mountain is part of several hike challenges including the "Fulton Chain Trifecta Challenge" and the "Inlet Outdoor Family Challenge".