Hidden in a deep ravine between Blueberry Mountain and Sugarloaf Mountain, Bickford Brook travels downstream towards its confluence with the Cold River. Along the way, hundreds of feet of cascades and slides adorn the brook, most accessible by connecting a few popular hiking trails. The first slides of the trail, appropriately named lower slides, are reached just after your first contact with the brook. This slide is about 50 feet in height, and composed of cascades, slides, and delightful water chutes. Forget about exploring the lower slides; the sheer flume walls are very dangerous and too slippery to safely navigate. A 40-foot tall, medium-angle slide, with a clear dark green dark, attractive pool found beneath the slide. Set in a heavily-shaded glen, the upper slide has very low water throughout most of the year. Although the area is remote and access can be confusing, the pool, with its depths up to 5 feet, receives moderate use. As the cold river waters warm up, visitors with swim shorts and towels can often be seen making their way to the upper slide.

The trail to Bickford Slides begins at the parking lot to the right of Brickett Place when facing the entrance to the building. For the first 0.2 mile, the trail is a moderately steep climb. After climbing for about 10 minutes, the trail will reduce its intensity as you continue to hike the next 0.4 miles. At this point in the hike (0.6 mile from the parking lot) you will reach a fork. The left fork is for the Bickford Brook Trail and the right fork, which you will be taking, is the Blueberry Ridge Trail. Follow the Blueberry Ridge Trail for 0.1 mile as it meanders down to the brook. Upon reaching the brook, a white sign will appear and point towards the lower slides and the trail that leads to the upper slides. The lower slides are approximately 100 feet downstream, accessible by an overgrown path that parallels the brook. Take note that there are limited views of the slides from the trail, and scrambling off trail is not recommended, as a fall from the river walls could cause serious injury. To reach the upper slides, continue back to where you first reached the brook and cross to the other side. There are two different trails that continue from the other side of the brook. The path on the right is the Blueberry Ridge Trail. The path on the left is the trail to the upper falls. Both are yellow-blazed, so be sure to take the left trail. Follow the aforementioned trail parallel to the brook for about 0.4 mile and you will reach a head-on view of the upper slides. If you are confident in your abilities, scramble down to the base of the slides, where you will find one of the more popular swimming holes of the White Mountains.

Directions for this particular waterfall are not posted online. Please see directions in our published guidebook, New England Waterfalls: A Guide to More Than 400 Cascades And Waterfalls, or you can email us and we will happily provide them to you.

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