Arethusa Falls and Frankenstein Cliffs

Date: October 20, 2007
Trails: Bemis Brook Trail --> Arethusa Falls trail --> Arethusa Falls --> Frankenstein Cliffs trail --> Frankenstein Cliffs

For the second part of the two day hike I did with Ben and Will, we decided to do a loop, starting with Arethusa Falls and looping around across the Frankenstein Cliffs. We did this hike in October, right around peak foliage season, and the foliage was a major highlight of the hike. It's a long but not an overly difficult hike, and I would recommend it to anyone that wants to get a great view of the foliage in NH in the fall. The views of Crawford Notch are amazing, and hiking along the cliffs, there are a lot of openings and great views throughout.

We started at the trailhead and made a quick, easy trip into the falls. At about 160 feet, Arethusa Falls is the largest waterfall in New England. The hike into the falls took us a little under an hour - a fairly easy walk along a stream fueled by the falls. I had pictured it in my head, but as I came around the corner and saw the waterfall, I realized how big 160 feet really is. In the picture that I've attached here, you can see Ben and Will standing near the falls, which will give an idea of how big they really are.

We sat and ate lunch near the falls, took some pictures, and chatted with the people coming by. The trail leading to the falls is a very popular one, especially for families, so there were people coming in and out fairly frequently. Typically, people will come in to the falls and head back out the same way they came in. However, we decided to do the 3 mile loop along the cliffs to round out our hike.

The hike along the cliffs is probably the best hike I have done in NH to date. The cliffs are wide open at points, providing great views of Crawford Notch below. As we were there during peak foliage season, the colors were amazing. The pictures I took show amazing foliage, yet they don't even begin to do it justice. Having grown up in New England, I've grown accustomed to the foliage and never really knew what the big deal was - but after doing the cliffs, I understand why people come to New England specifically to see the foliage. Several times, we stopped to just sit and take in the views.

After a while of hiking, we made it back to the car and headed home. I was very sore the next day at work after doing a full weekend of hikes, but it was totally worth it. The trip officially gave me the NH hiking bug, and has been a major catalyst behind my desire to complete the 4k's.