What a great day. We had a 3 pm reservation for entry into the Flume Gorge. It was over an hour to get there, and we arrived a bit early. They let us in anyways. This 2 mile loop was extremely well set up and maintained. It was a self-guided route, past a 300 ton boulder, deposited by the glaciers, across the Pemigewasset River on a scenic covered bridge built in 1886. You then walk by Table Rock, a section of Conway granite, that is like a series of huge rock shelves in the river.
Next, you walk uphill on a well-made boardwalk, along the narrow Flume Gorge. It extends 800 feet, and the sides of the gorge go straight up 70-90 feet. The walk up is really incredible, the rock wall amazing. I imagine the amount of water in the gorge is really different in the spring, but even now, at its lowest, the sound and the views are really delightful.
At the top, is Avalanche Falls, a 45 foot waterfall that cascades down into the gorge.
Continuing on the mountain path, there is a turnout that walks down to a platform that overlooks Liberty Gorge, a beautiful cascading mountain stream that flows through a narrow valley.
A half mile through the woods further on is the Sentinel Pine Bridge and Pool. The Pool is a deep basin formed at the end of the Ice Age. It is surrounded by high cliffs, and water cascades over granite rock fragments that have fallen from the cliffs above. A covered bridge, built in 1939, spans a portion of the river. You can walk 3/4 around the rim of this really beautiful basin. Very striking.
The last segment of the loop took us through a Glacial Boulder strewn area. During the last Ice Age, a mile thick ice sheet moved through the area, moving boulders, huge and small, and dropping them in this area.
On the trip back to the RV through the White Mountains on US-93, I remembered how incredibly beautiful are the various mountain vistas. The mountains are all tree-covered, and they are currently turning into fall colors everywhere.
Table Rock and Covered Bridge photos:
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