Bear Mountain and Candlewood Lake

• From the parking lot, start on Red Trail.
• Soon you will reach an intersection where Red Trail splits. For now, take the right-hand branch; we will return via the opposite leg.
• Keep following Red Trail for a while. You will pass an intersection with Yellow Trail on the left but keep going straight to stay on Red Trail.
• Upon reaching a junction with Orange Trail, turn right onto Orange Trail to descend down to the shore of Candlewood Lake.
• After enjoying the lake, retrace your steps up Orange Trail back to Red Trail and turn right to resume your trek along Red Trail.
• You will quickly encounter another junction with Orange Trail, this time on the left; keep going straight on Red Trail.
• You will next see Green Trail leaving to the left; stay straight on Red Trail.
• The next junction encountered will be with Blue Trail on the left; stay straight on Red Trail.
• Soon after is another junction where Red Trail goes left and White Trail goes straight. You should now leave Red Trail in order to follow White Trail.
• After a short distance the path will split with White trail veering left and Yellow Trail going right. Turn right onto Yellow Trail which will lead you to the summit of Bear Mountain.
• At another junction with a short connector trail, curve right to stay on Yellow Trail which will soon bring you to Bear Mountain Peak.
• Continue on Yellow Trail over the peak and down the other side.
• You'll quickly reach the other end of that little connector trail you saw on the way up; stay to the right to avoid the link trail.
• At the next junction, bear right which puts you on White Trail.
• Follow White Trail through a hair-pin curve to the left, avoiding a side trail that goes off to your right.
• Keep following White Trail, again veering left to avoid another side trail that goes straight.
• Next, you will bump into Red Trail at a point that you have not yet walked upon; turn right to once again follow Red Trail.
• The next junction reached will be a four-way intersection with Red Trail, Orange Trail, and Green Trail. Turn right to stay on Red Trail.
• You will soon return to the junction near the beginning of the hike where Red Trail splits. Avoid the left-hand path and keep straight on Red Trail.
• Continue following Red Trail until it returns you to the parking lot.

Click for a PDF-format trail map for Bear Mountain Reservation (it will open in a new window).   

• Take exit 6 off I-84.
• Follow Rt. 37 North past all the shopping centers. Go past the commercialized district and eventually past the federal prison (which houses non-violent women prisoners) into the more rural part of northern Danbury. About 0.2 mile past the prison entrance, on the right, is Bear Mountain Road which is 2.8 miles from I-84.
• Turn right onto Bear Mountain Road and follow it for 0.5 mile.
• Turn right into the entrance of Bear Mountain Reservation where there is a large paved parking lot with copies of the trail map at the trailhead.

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