Franconia Notch is located in the heart of the New Hampshire White Mountains.   I have visited here before and really enjoy this area.  My first visit was in the 1970’s for a backpacking trip along the Appalachia Trail, which runs along the mountain ridge tops.  The infrastructure surrounding the park has changed significantly since the 1970’s but the beauty of the park remains.

I spent two wonderful nights camped in the park.  My first day included hiking the Flume Gorge area and then finding / setting up a campsite .  The second day, I cycled on the bike paths that run along the Notch.

THE FLUME:

The Flume is a natural gorge with walls that rise perpendicularly to heights of 70 to 90 feet with widths as tight as 12 to 20 feet.  The trail through the Flume is two miles long and starts and ends at the Visitor Center (ticket needed).  The trails crosses over the Pemigewasset River via a covered bridge on the way to the gorge and then circles back toward the Visitor center on the Ridge Path.

Flume Visitor Center:

Items of interest along the trail include:

Covered Bridge:

Table Rock:

The Flume Gorge and Avalanche Falls :

The Pool and Sentinel Pine Covered Bridge (a second bridge located on the loop back to visitor center):

The Flume Gorge area is worth a visit.  The two mile hike is loaded with natural beauty and the state has done a great job of maintaining the area.

CAMP SET UP:

There were a few camping sites available at the Lafayette Place Campground.  I came without reservations, so I got lucky.  The campground has a store and showers.  The campground map highlights a washer and dryer location.  I thought I would do some laundry but I found only a dryer.  I stopped by the store and asked about a washer.  The store attendant smiled and pointed to the river.  He then said “welcome to Franconia Notch”.  I smiled back thinking “this is my kind of place” and we proceeded to talk about things to do in the area.

Day 2:  

I cycled the bike paths from the campground which take you to various areas with the Notch.

My first stop was the Old Man of the Mountain Historic Site.  A rock formation of granite blocks formed the profile of a man’s face when viewed from the correct angle.  In 2003, the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed.  After the collapse, funds were raised to build the Old Man of the Mountain Memorial and Profiler Plaza.  Using one of the seven “profilers” allows visitors to re-image the profile.  You pick which profiler to use based on your height.

In some ways pretty cool and other ways kind of nuts!

My second stop was the New England Ski Museum which is located at the base of the Cannon Mountain Ski Area.  The Museum has free admission and has a great display.

Bode Miller grew up in the area and skied Cannon Mountain.  Many of his Olympic and World Cup medals are displayed in the museum.   Many people say that if you can ski this mountain, you can ski anywhere.  It is know for icy conditions.

Often people ask about the term “skins” in relation to skiing.  The museum had background information on this.

Today back country skiers still use skins made of synthetic materials for climbing hills.  The skins are them removed before skiing down.  Yahoo!

I loved the collection of old telemark ski boots.  My originals would fit right into the collection.

It was a fun visit.  The lady running the museum was very knowledgeable about the displays and the area in general.

Some more pictures from the day which include Echo lake and the Basin West:

 

These pictures brought back memories of backpacking trips in the White Mountains:

 

I need to give a shout out to Jim B., a good friend who lives in Connecticut.  I was able to spend an evening (dinner and brews) with Jim and his family on the way to New Hampshire.  It was great seeing him.  Some pics from Jim’s hometown.  Neat area for cycling, which I did before meeting up with Jim.

Next stop New Brunswick, Canada!