New Hampshire’s wildest eight-mile pack gorges, summits, and a ghost face

Where the interstate shrinks to two lanes

Somewhere in northern New Hampshire, Interstate 93 does something you won’t see anywhere else in the Northeast.

The four-lane highway narrows to two lanes and threads through a mountain pass for eight miles between the Kinsman and Franconia ranges.

Franconia Notch State Park fills every inch of that gap with granite gorges, mountain lakes, trails above the tree line, and a paved path that connects it all.

The White Mountain National Forest wraps around the park on every side, and the towns of Franconia and Lincoln sit at either end. What you can do in a single day here would take most parks a full week to match.

Glaciers carved this place 25,000 years ago

The ice age shaped everything you see in Franconia Notch. Glaciers ground through the pass about 25,000 years ago, carving gorges and polishing rock.

For decades, the park’s biggest draw sat high on Cannon Mountain: a 40-foot natural granite face known as the Old Man of the Mountain.

New Hampshire made it the state emblem in 1945. Then, on May 3, 2003, centuries of freezing and thawing cracked the rock apart, and the Old Man fell.

Back in the 1920s, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests rallied to save 6,500 acres here, and that land became the state park.

Walk between 90-foot granite walls at Flume Gorge

Flume Gorge sits at the base of Mount Liberty, and it runs 800 feet through Conway granite. A 93-year-old woman named Jess Guernsey found the gorge in 1808 while fishing.

The walls climb 70 to 90 feet and press within 12 to 20 feet of each other. A two-mile boardwalk loop now takes you through it, past moss-covered walls, waterfalls, and a covered bridge.

Avalanche Falls marks the high point, formed after an 1883 landslide deepened the gorge during a heavy rainstorm.

Ferns grow from cracks in the granite walls

The boardwalk brings you close enough to touch the ferns, mosses, and wildflowers that push out of the rock.

Partway through the loop, you cross the Sentinel Pine Bridge, a covered footbridge that hangs above a deep pool in the Pemigewasset River.

Give yourself about 1.5 hours for the full loop, and wear good shoes because the trail climbs uphill and includes plenty of stairs.

A visitor center at the trailhead has a gift shop, a food court, and a 20-minute film about the park. Book your time slot ahead of time because busy days sell out.

Ride a tramway that carried nine million passengers

Cannon Mountain tops out at 4,080 feet, and a state-owned ski area has run here since the 1930s.

In 1938, more than 200 Civilian Conservation Corps workers built North America’s first passenger aerial tramway on these slopes.

The second-generation tramway, nicknamed “Ketchup and Mustard” for its red and yellow cars, carried more than nine million riders from 1980 to 2025.

It retired in October 2025, and the state has approved $27.2 million for a third-generation replacement now in the planning stages.

Swim in a mountain lake at 1,931 feet

Echo Lake sits right at the foot of Cannon Mountain, 38 acres of cold water with views of both Cannon and Mount Lafayette.

You can rent canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats during the summer, and a sandy beach with lifeguards opens from about June through August.

The lake sits in the Connecticut River watershed, so its water flows westward, away from the rest of the state.

After a morning on the trails, this is where you cool off.

A 20-foot pothole Thoreau called remarkable

The Basin is a granite pothole in the Pemigewasset River, roughly 20 feet across and 15 feet deep. Melting glaciers carved it about 25,000 years ago as water and sand swirled against the bedrock.

Henry David Thoreau visited in 1839 and called it one of the most remarkable natural curiosities in New England.

A short, paved path from the parking lot takes you to a viewing platform right above the waterfall and the basin.

There is no entrance fee, so you can stop as many times as you like.

One short hike gives you the best view in the park

Artist Bluff Trail loops about 1.5 miles and gains around 400 feet in elevation. You can finish it in about an hour.

From the top, a rocky ledge opens up over Echo Lake and Cannon Mountain, and during fall foliage season, this is one of the most photographed spots in the White Mountains.

If you want more, extend the loop to the summit of Bald Mountain for another look down into Franconia Notch. The trailhead sits right across the road from the Echo Lake.

National Geographic ranked this ridge trail among the best

The Franconia Ridge Loop covers 8.5 miles and crosses three peaks, including 5,249-foot Mount Lafayette, the tallest summit outside the Presidential Range.

National Geographic put it on a list of the world’s 20 dream trails. About 2.5 miles of the ridge run above the tree line, and you can see in every direction.

The loop gains 3,900 feet in elevation and takes most hikers seven to eight hours. This one is for experienced hikers only, and the weather on the exposed ridge can shift fast.

Bike nine miles without leaving the park

A paved recreation path stretches roughly nine miles through the full length of Franconia Notch. Walkers and joggers share the path, and there is no fee to use it.

You can pick it up near Flume Gorge in the south and ride all the way to Echo Lake in the north, passing the Basin, Profile Lake, the Old Man of the Mountain site, and Lafayette Place Campground along the way.

Bike rentals are available near the tramway base.

Steel markers bring the Old Man back to life

The Old Man of the Mountain Profile Plaza opened in 2011 along the shore of Profile Lake.

Seven steel profile markers stand in a line, and when you position yourself just right, they recreate the Old Man’s face against the cliff where it once sat.

A small museum near the tramway base tells the story through photos, relics, and artwork. Next door, the New England Ski Museum covers 8,000 years of ski history with free admission.

The museum opened at this location in 1982, making Cannon Mountain the only ski area in the country with a ski museum on its property.

Sleep at a mountain hut above the notch floor

Lonesome Lake sits about 1,000 feet above the valley floor on the slopes of Cannon Mountain. A 1.5-mile trail from Lafayette Place Campground winds through the forest to reach it.

The Appalachian Mountain Club runs a hut at the far end of the lake, serving meals and putting up overnight guests during the summer.

From the shore, you look straight across at the Franconia Ridge, including Mount Lafayette and Mount Lincoln.

In winter, you can walk across the frozen lake, and the AMC hut switches to self-service.

Explore Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire

You can reach Franconia Notch State Park by driving Interstate 93 north from Boston, about 140 miles. General park access is free and open year-round.

Lafayette Place Campground has 97 wooded tent sites, and an RV park on the north shore of Echo Lake stays open through winter.

Flume Gorge typically runs late May through late October, with adult admission at $18 online and $21 at the window.

Echo Lake Beach opens from about June through August. Check the official website for seasonal hours before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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