This just may be the most popular waterfall hike in New England. A trip to the Flume-Pool Loop, or The Flume, as it is known to so many, has long been a favorite for families, hikers, photographers, and sightseers. This is no surprise to us, considering the variety of natural features offered on the 2 mile loop trail. Along the way you will get your daily dose of waterfalls, covered bridges, glacial boulders, a long flume, and one of the deepest pools below a waterfall in the region. The first “waterfall” you visit, Table Rock, is more of a slide than a waterfall. At Table Rock, granite has been weathered by Flume Brook for thousands of years. This waterslide is quite large—about 500 feet long and 75 feet wide. The next falls is Avalanche Falls, located at mile 0.7 of the trip and the climax of the boardwalk within the “Flume” gorge. The falls were supposedly formed during the great storm of 1883. This waterfall is a major highlight of the hike, and is therefore extremely crowded. We had difficultly in taking a picture of the falls without fellow visitors in the frame. You will most likely be pushed along the boardwalk trail due to the crowds. Continue hiking to the top of the falls, where you can enjoy a less-crowded birds-eye-view of this 40-foot tall plunge. After Avalanche Falls, continue along the loop to a short spur trail that leads to a view of Liberty Gorge Cascade. This waterfall is a 70-foot clear-water horsetail. Considerably sunnier than its nearby neighbor, Liberty Gorge Cascade is a more appropriate place for a photograph. The gorge is highly exposed to the sun and although there is only one viewpoint of the falls from an observation, you really should not miss this. It is perhaps the prettiest of all the waterfalls here. The final scenic wonder of the trip is called “The Pool.” Very large in size—40 feet deep and 150 feet in diameter—“The Pool” is located in a deep basin of the Pemigewasset River. Viewpoints from the trail extend around the pool, offering just about every perspective possible. If swimming were allowed, we would have to say this pool would be one of the top five swimming pools in New England. However, “The Pool” is off limits, probably due to both the intense popularity of the loop, and to the difficulty one would have entering and exiting the area.

Before you begin your hike, you must stop in the visitor center and pay the admission fee, which was $13 for adults and $9 for children in 2009. The trail actually starts behind this center. For the first 0.2 mile of this loop trail, you cross relatively flat, easy terrain. Once you reach the “Glacial Boulder”, take a right onto a trail heading towards “The Flume.” Walk through a covered bridge and the flume boardwalk trail will soon begin. About 0.7 mile past the visitor center, Avalanche Falls will appear just before the flume boardwalk ends. After relishing in the different viewpoint perspectives offered of the falls, continue further along the trail until you reach a fork. Fork right here onto the Ridge Path, which will bring you to Liberty Gorge Cascade, “The Pool,” and finally back to the visitor center. A left here would bring you directly back to the visitor center, but you would miss the other attractions of the Flume-Pool Loop. Take the Ridge Path and in about 0.6 mile you will reach a marked spur trail that leads down a 100-foot long dead-end trail to a heads-on view of the Liberty Gorge Cascade. After observing the cascade, continue further along the Ridge Path to “The Pool.” After The Pool, follow signs back to the visitor center, again passing the Glacial Boulder along the way. The entire 2.0 mile trail is meticulously maintained and well-marked, which makes for a pleasant family outing. You should not encounter any problems along the entire length of the trail.

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.

None.