Ammonoosuc Inn & Restaurant

Parks of White Mountains - Franconia Notch State Park

Located right in the center of the White Mountain National Forest, Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire is 6,692 wild acres of amazing outdoor fun and recreation. Truly a park of all seasons, whether it is skiing on Cannon Mountain, canoeing Echo Lake, hiking the Appalachian Trail, taking a leisurely auto tour, camping in the backcountry, or climbing one of several very challenging and rewarding mountains, it is all found here.

Like so many other scenic wonders in the northern half of the United States the Wisconsin Glacier created the terrain that is Franconia Notch State Park approximately 15,000 years ago. The scouring powers of the ice in the glacier removed the soil and left the red Conway Granite behind, sculpting this narrow valley and leaving some of the highest peaks in New England.

The State Park was born in 1928 Just South of the Entrance to Franconia Notch, is a natural Stone profile, resembling an Indians Head, complete with headdress. The Profile is at the top of Mt. Pemigewasset. You will then enter the park on the Franconia Notch Parkway, a stretch of Interstate 93, which originates in Boston, and ends in Vermont. For the next 8 miles, you will be within the confines of the state park. There will be numerous parking areas along the roadway. There is also an 8-mile long Bike path, which is accessible from any of the parking areas along the parkway.

The Flume Gorge at the southern tip of Franconia Notch State Park is a very popular attraction. Discovered in 1808, the narrow natural gorge is only 10 to 20 feet wide and has granite cliffs rising 70 to 90 feet upward. The narrow rocky gorge has Flume Creek rushing through the granite boulders at its base. From the Flume Gorge Visitor Center you can walk or take a shuttle bus to hike the gorge.

You will pass thru the famous Flume covered bridge, perhaps the most photographed covered bridge in all of New England. A boardwalk allows visitors to walk through the cool, damp crevasse and see the lush plant life that flourishes in this sheltered area.

If you are in good shape, you can climb what seems like an endless series of stairs at the north end of the Flume out of the chasm into old growth forest. The trail then descends downhill to the Sentinel Pine Bridge. This covered bridge was built in 1939 over the Pemigewasset River out of a single pine tree that was felled in a severe storm. While on the bridge be sure to look down at the natural stone pool it crosses below. The trail then loops back to the Visitor Center and is a little more than a mile to complete. This hike is wonderful during any season of the year.

Continuing north along the Franconia Notch Highway the next major feature is The Basin. For the last 15,000 years the Pemigewasset River has been cascading down into a natural pool made of solid granite. Through the forces of time, water, sand and small stones have carved a pothole at the falls base that has grown to over 20 feet in diameter. A short gravel trail leads to The Basin and it is easily accessed from the highway. If you are looking for a scenic day hike that offers lakes, forests, and bragging rights of walking a bit of the Appalachian Trail, The Basin offers an excellent jumping off point for a six-mile trek. From the Basin you can take the trail north along the west bank of the Pemigewasset River northward to the Lafayette Campground.

You then turn west toward Lonesome Lake and walk southward along its wooded eastern bank. If you take the trip in the early morning on before sunset you may here the cry and laughter of loons echoing across the water and be sure to take a look at the beaver lodge display. At the southern tip of Lonesome Lake you leave Franconia Notch State Park and enter the White Mountains National Forest and start heading southward on the Appalachian Trail (AT). Just before you reach Cascade Brook, just a bit more than a mile on the AT, you turn east again and follow the brook back to The Basin and the Parking lot.

Continuing deeper into Franconia Notch State Park your next stop is at Lafayette Campground. Flanked by mountains on both sides, including 5,260 feet high Mount Lafayette to the east, The Lafayette Campground serves as a very popular base of operation for a grueling nine-mile long day hike to 4,840 feet Little Haystack Mountain, 5,089 feet Lincoln Mountain, and 5,260 feet Lafayette Mountain, all of which sit atop of the Franconia Ridge. The hike up starts on the eastern side of the Franconia Notch Parkway at the banks of the ever-present Pemigewasset River. Heading east the trail will fork and you will head south on the Falling Water Trail. The trail turns east and climbs sharply up Little Haystack Mountain and into the White Mountain National Forest. The section that rises from 2,200 feet to 3,600 feet is aptly called the forty-five, due to the steep angle on the trail - take heart in knowing it gets easier past this point. As you rise above 4,000 feet the trees start to give way to struggling scraggly pine, grasses, lichens and wildflowers of a mountain environment before giving way to the wind scoured barren top of the ridge. At the bare summit of Little Haystack Mountain the Falling Water Trail ends at the Appalachian Trail.

Take the trail heading north to even higher Mount Lincoln about a mile away. Travel another mile and you will reach the summit of Mount Lafayette. From the barren windswept peak you can see Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Quebec Province, Massachusetts and the Atlantic Ocean on a clear day. Hiking down the Old Bridle Trail from the summit of Lafayette you can stop and rest at the Greenleaf Hut. Greenleaf Hut sits at Eagle Lake, which rests about 1,000 feet below the summit of Lafayette and just above the timberline. The trail winds down Mount Lafayette back to the waters of the Pemigewasset, and back to Lafayette Campground.

Continuing northward through this rewarding park you come to popular Profile Lake and there 1,200 feet above the Old Man of the Mountain. Profile Lake is famous for world-class brook trout fishing. From Profile Lake you can take a hike up the side of Cannon Mountain to an observatory that sits atop this popular wintertime ski resort. If all this hiking is making you tired don’t despair. Cannon Mountain is also the site of the first aerial tramway in the United States. Originally built in 1938 and updated in 1980, two 80-passenger gondola cars take you on a five minute ride to the top of 4,180 feet Cannon Mountain for breathtaking views of the valley below. In the wintertime skiers and snowboarders alike are taken to the top of Cannon to explore over 26 miles of trails. At the base of Cannon Mountain you can visit the New England Ski Museum. Your exploration of Franconia Notch State Park is almost complete.

At the northern end of the park is Park Headquarters and Echo Lake. The calm cold waters are popular among paddlers, swimmers and anglers. You will be looking up at the ski slopes of Cannon Mountain. The lake provides the water for snow making operations during winter. Even with those operations, the level of the lake drops only a few inches and then fully recovers during spring. From Echo Lake you can take a short 1-1/2 mile loop trail up to Artists Bluff and Bald Mountain for an excellent view of Franconia Notch looking back southward along the route you just drove up. The Trail starts across the road from the parking area. Whether your plans include driving through to see the world famous fall foliage, skiing in the winter, enjoying world class fishing, or some of the best hiking and climbing in all of New England, Franconia Notch State Park is the one of the best places to have your next outdoor adventure

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