A trip to Thoreau Falls offers many rewards. The waterfall is long, powerful, and set in a wonderfully remote and pleasing setting. The ledges besides the falls are large and flat, creating a fine lunch or rest spot. There is also an impressive scenic view. If you are like most visitors, you will want to relax for at least an hour here. The waterfall consists mostly of cascades and slides stretching to a total of an 80-foot drop; no single drop is greater than 15 feet in height. Decent wading pools lie up-and-downstream, hidden from most visitors, who are likely to arrive at the top of the falls from the trail. This remoteness of this waterfall makes the wading pools very inviting. If the river water is running low, it is safe to scramble directly alongside the falls the pools above and below. During high water, some of the river may be spilling onto the ledges; under these conditions, use the developed trail to move up and down the river. If you are looking to photograph these falls, we recommended the afternoon hours. During the morning hours, the sunlight creates a streaking effect on the water that limits your chance of a good snapshot.

From the end of the last parking lot along the Zealand Rd, follow the wide trail that immediately enters the woods. This path, the blue-blazed Zealand Trail, covers the first 2.5 miles of this trip. This trail, which is rated as easy side of moderate, is considerably easier once the muddy spring season ends. At mile 2.5, you will reach a major trail junction between the Zealand Trail, the trail known as the Twinway, and the Ethan Pond Trail. If you take a right onto the Twinway Trail, you can visit Zealand Falls (see separate chapter), and the AMC run Zealand Hut, both less than 0.3 mile away. To reach Thoreau Falls, you will need to continue straight onto the Ethan Pond Trail. This trail, which is also a section of the white-blazed Appalachian Trail, is the next leg of your hiking trip. You will need to follow the Ethan Pond Trail for 2.1 miles to its junction with the Thoreau Falls Trail. When you reach the Thoreau Falls Trail, which is clearly marked, take a right and follow the rough path for 0.2 mile down to the top of the falls. You will want to pay close attention to this trail as you approach the falls as it may be somewhat challenging to locate when you are ready to leave. Primitive paths will also lead you to the base of the falls, but we felt, and believe you will also, that the views from the top of the falls are more than sufficient. The variety of hiking environments, plus the smooth and gentle stretches spread across the entire trip, craft quite the pleasant family hike, perhaps one of the best hikes suited for the introductory hiker looking to get a feel for long-distance hiking. The most notable sections of the trail includes a walk along the unstable cliffs of Whitewall Mountains, where you are exposed to the elements, and afforded with fine views of Zealand Mountain, Mount Bond, the section of the Zealand Trail that cuts through mountain marshland, and Zealand Pond, where beavers have made their home. A combined trip to Zealand Falls and Thoreau Falls will forever be one of our favorite day hikes in the White Mountain National Forest.

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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