Start of the Beaver Pond Trail at Little River Canyon National Preserve

Length: 1.5-mile loop
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy

Beaver Pond Trail Map

The Beaver Pond Trail in Little River Canyon National Preserve is the only trail along Canyon Rim Drive that does not lead down to the Little River, which makes it in effect, easy. It remains on the top of the canyon rim. Its only downside is that there is no longer a beaver pond, or at least one that can still be seen. The side trail to the so-called Beaver Pond overlook does nothing but end at what appears to be a creek flanked by a lot of vegetation. I first hiked the trail in 2014, and there was some sort of water source beyond the creek, but during my 2025 visit there was nothing that I could see.

One observation that I had about the Beaver Pond Trail, aside from it being a waste of time if you want to see a pond—or beavers—is that it is very junky, particularly on its eastern and southern sections. There are downed trees everywhere, most of which have been cut up by chainsaws. The place looks like a lumber yard. Many of the trees looked burned, so perhaps a fire came through the area. Also, the trail is often narrow, so I was constantly brushing up against vegetation where ticks like to hide, not to mention a few brier patches, so be sure to wear long pants on this hike.

Downed trees are common on the Beaver Pond Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

Typical terrain along the Beaver Pond Trail in Little River Canyon National Preserve

While called a loop trail, the Beaver Pond Trail is actually lollypop-shaped. This is a trail on which you walk out on the “stick” before coming to the actual loop. In this case the stick portion is a little over a tenth of a mile long. It covers fairly level ground, and the trail surface is smooth until it turns very rocky when it ends at a bridge over a small creek, Brooks Branch. This creek is the one that flows out of the Beaver Pond.

Rocky segment of the Beaver Pond Trail just before the first bridge, Little River Canyon National Preserve

The loop starts at the bridge. To go around in the counterclockwise direction, take a right on the path just before the bridge. I never saw it when I did the hike, so it is easy to miss. To continue clockwise, continue over the bridge. This is what I did, and this report is written from that perspective.

Start of the loop portion of the Beaver Pond Trail at the bridge over Brooks Branch, Little River Canyon National Preserve

The majority of the Beaver Pond Trail is easy to hike. There are a few creek crossings, all via foot bridges. Other than some rocky segments near the creeks, the trail surface is free of large rocks and roots. As mentioned, it is narrow in places and flanked by tall grass and other vegetation, so keep a lookout for ticks. I did not pick up any on this trail, but I did on other trails in Little River Canyon National Preserve.

Typical terrain on the Beaver Pond Trail in Little River Canyon National Preserve

The side trail to the Beaver Pond overlook comes .9 mile from the start (.4 mile if you hike in the counterclockwise direction). There is a sign on a tree pointing straight ahead, making it appear that you are continuing on the main trail and that the pond is simply located along the way. This is not the case. If you notice, there is a trail to the right, and this is the main trail. Following the sign simply takes you on a 150-yard out-and-back trail to the supposed Beaver Pond.

Side trail to the Beaver Pond Overlook on the Beaver Pond Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

The side trail is also narrow and a little overgrown. It forks at the end, with each fork proceeding a short distance to Brooks Branch. If there is a pond behind the vegetation, it’s news to me. My suggestion is to skip the detour to the Beaver Pond and just take a right at the BEAVER POND sign and head back to the parking lot.

Fork at the Beaver Pond Overlook on the Beaver Pond Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

View from the left side of the Beaver Pond Overlook, Little River Canyon National Preserve

View from the right side of the Beaver Pond Overlook, Little River Canyon National Preserve

The following two photos are of the pond in 2014, so you can see that there wasn’t much of interest even back then.

The Beaver Pond on the Beaver Pond Trail in 2014, Little River Canyon National Preserve

The Beaver Pond on the Beaver Pond Trail in 2014, Little River Canyon National Preserve

The .4-mile hike back to the parking lot is just more of the same—easy, narrow, and often a little overgrown. I will say that the northern end is much nicer, for there are way less downed trees and cut lumber.

Typical terrain on the northern end of the Beaver Pond Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

The tricky part of getting back to the parking lot is recognizing which of the four bridges on the Beaver Pond Trail is the first one you came to at the start of the loop. If you aren’t paying attention, it would be easy to recross the first bridge and start hiking around the trail a second time. All but the last bridge have numbers on them, and the bridge at the start of the loop is Number 4. When in doubt, check for the number.

Bridge 4 at the start of the loop on the Beaver Pond Trail, Little River Canyon National Preserve

Anyone hiking the Beaver Pond Trail with hopes of seeing a pond, or even beavers, is in for a big disappointment. The National Park Service really needs to change the name. It is a decent hike if you are looking for something that is not too taxing, but ultimately it is just a walk in the woods. Hike it for exercise purposes only.

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