This 3.1-mile loop trail near Brattleboro is generally considered moderately challenging, taking an average of 1 hour 55 minutes to complete. Black Mountain rises abruptly from the West River in Dummerston to a horseshoe ridge with a summit of 1,280 feet. From the top of the mountain, there are views as far as New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock and into the river valleys. The lower slopes are covered by pine, hemlock, and hardwood forests, while near the top you’ll encounter a 70-acre pitch pine-oak-heath rocky summit woodland community. A large population of mountain laurel produces a magnificent display of showy pink flowers in June.