Franconia Notch State Park

This reveiw is for the tramway. The tramway is so worth it. The views are STUNNING! At the top, there are bathrooms and a café. There is also some trails and an observation tower. I could spend all day at the top. It’s really amazing.

Beautiful hiking trails! Very clean! Lots to see on the Lonesome and Basin trail. Waterfalls, water holes, creeks… beautiful scenery. Lonesome was steep, but overall both trails were pretty easy. I saw 6 year olds doing it — so you should be okay. :) The hut is a cool place to stop for a cold drink or a snack. Enjoy!

Taken as a whole, Franconia Notch is an impressive area. There are plenty of places for hiking and outdoor sports, but also sites for the non-​athletic people to see, places you can take a dip in the water (assuming you have an incredible tolerance for cold), and the drives through the area are quite pleasant. Some of the main attractions will take your money, but you can certainly have a nice day in a variety of ways for a variety of prices.
As many will have realized by this point, virtually every state sign in New Hampshire has a profile of the Old Man of the Mountain. This was a rather fascinating rock formation that does look quite a bit like a face when viewed from the right angle. Or it did, anyway. It collapsed over a decade ago. The site below it, Profile Lake is still there, and still has a large parking lot and a memorial of sorts, but it really isn’t worth it; instead of a unique symbol, you’ll see a McDonald’s sponsored bench and not much else.
There are, however, plenty of other places worth seeing, and this is a very pleasant area during the summer when other parts of the country are getting intolerable. And you’ll rarely ever see a place with more trees.

Absolutely adored my time in Franconia Notch State Park. Went on a couple general hikes, went camping, hiked the ridge trail, and just generally had a really great time. Beautiful views too, of course. Would love to visit this area again. :)

My girlfriend and I decided come here for Columbus Day weekend and this place did not disappoint. The flume gorge was simply amazing! Also, the aerial tramway to the top of the mountain view was well worth the price. The view from the top was gorgeous! We only had time to go to two of the park attractions but we will definitely be back for the others.

Great park. Lots of excellent hiking trails ranging in difficulty. Many of them including waterfalls, brooks, beautiful overlooks, etc. I look forward to the warmer months because I get to come here and explore the trails. I still have a lot to see and do here but so far, all of my hiking experiences have been exceptional. Good trail parking in most places, well marked trails, good maps. Overall, this place is absolutely gorgeous and pristine in so many ways.

Beautiful state park. Plently of trails and things to see! I personally loved stopping on all the little spots along the highway. Everything was lovely, even in the early spring.

Pros: The only attraction worth visiting is the Basin, a deep glacial pothole at the foot of a waterfall.
Cons: Over-​rated. Over-​priced. Over-​crowded. Staff seem uninterested in answering questions or being of assistance to the tourist. If you want to see a gorge, try Watkins Glen State Park in NY; 19 waterfalls during a 2 mile hike.

A beautiful state park area with some nice trails and scenic opportunities. Worth more than a quick drive through that most people do.

I love this whole area of NH, and the Basin was a beautiful nature walk, with amazing waterfalls. Great time here!

Quite excellent state park. Lots to see, do and great many good hiking and biking trails. Here’s a review of a few free hiking trails:
Falling waters trail — This is part of the Franconia Ridge Loop, which traverses through many beautiful waterfalls from small to large, eventually reaching the Little Haysack Mountain Summit, granting a beautiful view of the entire Franconia park region as well as other neighboring mountain tops. Be prepared to climb slippery rocks, cross the falls while balancing on a wooden log, rather fun and adventurous experience. The second half of the hike from the top of the waterfalls to the Little Haystack Mt. Summit is rather strenuous for the less than experienced hikers, the rise in elevation is rather steep and the trail is composed of rocks which requires some amount of hands and feet to climb. One-​way trip is about 3.2 miles and could take up to 3 to 4 hours. It is possible to continue after this trail to reach the summits of mount Lincoln and mount Lafeyette. The trailhead can be found at the Lafeyette Campground.
Basin-​Cascade Trail — The Basin Cascade Trail is relatively easy. If you have been to the Flume and want something with more resemblance to a natural trail, this is a good trail to do. The trail head starts at The Basin, about a mile or so north from the Flume Gorge, there are waterfall areas with large rocks where you can bring your own picnic, splash your friends with water, or simply admire the beautiful creation of nature. An easy and short hike to Kinsman Falls. Relaxing and scenic hike. The basin itself is beautiful, but lacking in comparison to the other waterfall wonders you will encounter on a deeper hike. The basin is rather small pool of water, with a small fall. I would come here for the trail, but not just the basin. The side trail reaches a small area called the baby flume.

This review is for the tram! The tram that will give you one of the best views of NH!
But beware if you are here as a leaf peeper like most – it is way way colder at the top than you think it will be! I felt like there should have been snow at the top of that thing that wind was so bitter cold! But that aside, it is an awesome ride up the side of the mountain that is slow enough for you to take a ton of pictures and take in the scenery of all the trees and lakes around you. The colors are just so so beautiful from up there.
The tram could be cheaper, but at least you know your ticket money is going to help maintain this giant state park. There are trails at the top of the tram too, that if you were feeling frisky and had actually worn warm enough clothes, you could just pay for a one-​way ticket and hike back down to the bottom. Definitely an option! But not an option we took ha ha And once you get back down, they have a free small ski museum that has some videos you can watch, olympic medals, and more information about the history of skiing than you probably really care about ha ha But it was a pretty cool stop in our New Hampshire leaf peeping trip!

We visited this place when we visited White Mountains. Definitely a great place. Some people may give this and other such parks a lower rating because of the price. But, I always think, without such caretakers not taking care of these parks and making it so easily accessible to public (of all ages), we wouldn’t be able to see all such natural wonders so easily. The entry fee we pay is for being thankful for it :-)
The Flume Gorge is very good. Going very next to the water fall between the rocky walls is nice. The park on the top is also good. Overall, a nice place to spend time during your visit to this area.
Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway is one more place of Franconia Notch State Park you cannot miss. The tram ride, the view from the mountain top once you reach there, the trail on top of the mountain are all worth every penny.
Echo Lake is one more place of Franconia Notch State Park you cannot miss. This lake is at the foot of the Cannon Mountain (you can see it from the top of the mountain). The lake and beach are simply superb. You can see 3 mountains sitting on the beach and you’ll never forget the view from this place. Also, there is pedal boating in this lake which is fun with family.
You can cover all the 3 places in a long summer day or you can spend 1 day at each place if you have luxury of time.

Accidentally discovered this place while driving down from Montréal to Boston. I-​93 cuts right through the park, and it’s well worth the stop. We only had time for the Flume and Tram, but both were fantastic. The Tram car holds about 30−50ppl and gives a spectacular view of the mountain/​surrounding areas. On a clear day the guide said you could see upwards of 50miles. We also saw black bears and a Canadian lynx below. Once at the top, there are some hiking trails and an observation tower. Beware of the majestic beauty drawing you off the path — it’s so pristine and you’ll want to sit on that rock yonder for a picture. I walked the trail in sandals (silly me) but I highly recommend gym shoes with traction or hiking boots.
The Flume was even more impressive. It’s basically a gorge with 70−90ft walls of granite, Avalanche waterfalls, and some glacial boulders. It’s a 3 mile hike, and you’ll want to take your time because it’s a photographer’s dream. Funny how we drove the coast of Maine, saw Quebec City and Montréal, and this spontaneous stop was the prettiest site we saw.

Wow, this is probably the best state park in NH hands down. We always come back here to see the Flume Gorge and Old Man on the Mountain (no longer here now after it fell off). Wonderful trails and visitors center to get hiking maps, etc.

The park is a mix of free and paid parts, all of which are beautiful and great hikes for anyone looking for a little adventure.
I loved the tramway ($ 13 or $ 24 if combined with the Flume Gorge) to reach the top of Cannon Mountain quickly since time was a constraint for us, but you can easily try the 2 mile trail up to the top of the mountain if you wish. There’s a nice path with plenty of open viewing areas as well as a path leading up to an old tower where you can look out over the New Hampshire forest area. I can only imagine how beautiful this would be in the fall! Too bad I missed that boat by a month or two…
For free things, just look for the signs up and down I-​93 in the stretch between the Gorge and the tramway. There’s plenty of other trails to explore in the area, dip your feet into the cool water (no really, it’s coooooooold), and places to have a picnic to get the energy to hike some of the hillier sections of park. Seriously, you could spend a couple of days in this park alone trying to explore everything, and there even appeared to be a well-​cared for bike path running through the area.

In a capricious and probably unfair act of Unilocalish judgment, I’m deducting one star for a tragic act of nature over which FNSP had no control. Profile Rock’s demise has left me missing the pre-​2003 version of this still beautiful setting.
I miss you Old Man of the Mountain. Still, good call by New Hampshirites to NOT build a Disneyfied version on the same site, lest the license plates read: Live FAKE or Die! But how about a fabricated replica somewhere nearby?
Wait. Do you suppose thrill seeking rock climbers contributed to the Old Man’s destruction? I’m talking to you Josh, Zach, Jake, Ethan, and your adrenalin rush craving, official Northface outerwear sporting, powerhiking buddies.

This is such a great state park. Boyfriend and I have been here several times and we always have a great time. There are so many things to see and do there from the Flume Gorge, Basin, Boise Rock, etc.
We have seen all this things from the former location of the Old Man in the Mountain to Indian Head. We have been at Echo beach for Kayaking and hiked Lonesome Lake trail.
You cant go wrong here– it is beautiful all year long. Even if you don’t like to hike you can always find something do to like the tramway that takes you up Cannon Mt. And even then if you don’t like nature (who are you???) you can find a craft fair and go shopping in Lincoln or the other towns in the area.

My husband is more of a mountain man, and I’m an ocean woman. So he was very happy on his first trip to the White Mts on our Fall 08 Foliage Tour. The White Mts may not be like the Rockies or the High Sierras of CA, but they are still full of beauty, especially in the Fall!
The Basin is an interesting pool of madly swirling water. Nice trails to walk around on.
We did the Flume Gorge (review and pics under that title) and Cannon Aerial Tramway. We skipped the Old Man in the Mt since it’s just not the same since his face fell off in 2003. Fortunately I’d seen him in the late 80s.
Most stops are free, so pack some goodies and enjoy a day walking around and taking in the beauty!

Here I am, back in New England for a last-​minute, short-​but-​sweet visit. I grew up in NH and never made it to this amazing state park. Was I crazy? No, just young and naïve. I never took advantage of all of New Hampshire’s natural beauty.
This park is a magical place. The flume gorge and surrounding areas will take your breath away (including «the pool» and 2 adorable covered bridges). Ride the aerial tramway up to the top of Cannon Mountain and and climb to the top of the observation tower. Incredible views! Alas, no more Man in the Mountain! I wonder if the state of NH will change their license plates???
The height of the White Mountains may not measure up to the Rockies or the Sierra, but the scenery, gorges, lakes, rivers, and hiking give Western nature a run for its money! I can’t wait to go back.