Things to Do in Bethel, Maine

This is why most winter visitors come. Sunday River, just up the road in Newry, spreads 135 trails across eight connected peaks. Its 2,340-foot vertical drop is second in Maine only to Sugarloaf. In summer and fall the Chondola carries riders up North Peak for views of the Mahoosucs, and there’s mountain biking and a golf club.

★ Good to know Fall brings River Fest, with the North American Wife Carrying Championship and the Maine Brew Fest; check the resort calendar for this year’s dates.

This museum on Main Street opened in 2019 and punches far above a town this size. It holds the largest piece of the Moon known on Earth, the largest known Martian meteorite and about 6,000 rocks from space. The Maine galleries show tourmaline, the state mineral, including stones from the 1972 ‘Big Find’ in nearby Newry.

★ Good to know Hours change by season; check before you go.

North of town on Route 26, this 3,129-acre park sits in the pass between Old Speck and Baldpate mountains. Short walks lead to Screw Auger Falls, Mother Walker Falls and Moose Cave, all gorges cut by glacial meltwater. A rugged 12-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail runs through it.

★ Good to know For a short hike with a big view, Table Rock is a 2.4-mile round trip.

Locals call it the Artist’s Bridge, because painters and photographers have been setting up here for generations. The 100-foot Paddleford truss bridge was built in 1872 after two earlier spans washed out or collapsed. It’s been closed to cars since 1955, so you can walk right through it.

★ Good to know It’s northeast of the Sunday River ski resort, off Sunday River Road; fall color makes it a popular photo stop.

The society runs two museums on Broad Street, facing the Bethel common. The 1821 Robinson House holds the Museum of Regional History and a museum shop. Across the street, the 1813 Dr. Moses Mason House has nine period rooms and hallway murals attributed to the itinerant painter Rufus Porter.

★ Good to know Mason House tours run on a summer schedule and by appointment the rest of the year.

Mahoosuc Land Trust’s Valentine Farm has a 1.2-mile trail with a crushed gravel surface, built to be universally accessible. It passes woods, fields, views of the Androscoggin and the Habitat For All pollinator garden. The Intervale Gateway footpath links it to the Bethel Pathway and the village, about 2.5 miles one way.

★ Good to know The trails are free.

The Androscoggin runs slow and wide past Bethel, which makes it an easy float. Bethel Outdoor Adventure, on the river at 121 Mayville Road, runs canoe, kayak and tubing trips with the shuttle included. It also has a sluice where you can sift buckets of mine tailings for Maine tourmaline, beryl and amethyst.

★ Good to know A paved path connects the campground to downtown Bethel and Davis Park.

Wight Brook drops over open ledges and potholes here, leaving a chain of pools for wading and sunning. The 24-acre preserve in Newry belongs to Mahoosuc Land Trust, and the trail gets steeper toward the top of the falls.

★ Good to know It’s on the way to Grafton Notch, so the two make an easy half-day together.