Beaver Brook Trail climbs the northeast face of Mount Moosilauke (4,802 ft) as part of the Appalachian Trail, gaining 3,100 feet in roughly 3.3 miles. The ascent steepens almost from the trailhead and barely relents, placing it among the most demanding trail miles in the White Mountains.
For much of the lower climb, the trail runs beside Beaver Brook and its cascades. The rock and slab sections here are rarely dry; mist from the falls keeps them perpetually slick, and a slip in several places could produce a serious outcome. The Dartmouth Outing Club has installed iron hand and foot rungs along with wooden steps at the most vertical passages, but these aids demand full engagement: the rungs themselves can be wet and the wooden blocks weathered. The trail then pushes through boreal forest toward the broad, windswept summit ridge.
Winter and early spring conditions on this route are consistently severe, with ice frequently covering the rung sections well into May; traction devices and poles are strongly advised. The trail is poorly suited to wet-weather attempts or hikers without experience on steep, technical terrain, because the combination of sustained grade, limited handholds, and proximity to the brook's edge leaves very little margin for error.
