We were just about to pay for parking when a gentleman who was headed out handed us his parking receipt that still had about an hour left on it! We graciously thanked him and took advantage of the time to go on a fairly thorough self-guided tour of the State House. Our last stop of the day was a quick visit to the New Hampshire State House in Concord. However, even the rain couldn’t suppress the undeniable beauty of the gorge. Unfortunately for us, we were accompanied by a steady drizzle for the duration of our hike. A flume is a manmade water channel the 800 foot (244 m) long, 70-90 foot (21-27 m) tall Flume Gorge is very much not manmade.Īnyway, once we’d purchased our tickets, we departed out the back of the visitor center onto the 2 mile (3.2 km) loop trail that led us across the Pemigewasset River on a covered bridge, through the Flume Gorge on boardwalks built into the side of the granite walls, over to Liberty Gorge, back across the river via another covered bridge, past an enormous glacial boulder, and back to the visitor center. It’s also – in this case – not exactly being used correctly. I’ve always thought flume was kind of a silly word.
It looked like a neat place and we wanted to see it, so we paid the entrance fee. Admission was $16 per person, which is probably a little ridiculous, but it is what it is. Though we’re budget travelers, we usually find one splurge item for each trip this was our splurge. Our only other stop in Franconia Notch State Park, was Flume Gorge. It’s obviously not the same, but I guess it’s the closest I’ll ever get. In the end, the state settled on creating a monument on the shore of Profile Lake, complete with a setup that allows you to stand in a particular spot based on your height and gaze up at a metal rendition of the Old Man. In the years following his collapse, there was much debate over what to do. You might have noticed my use of past tense in the previous paragraph unfortunately, the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in May 2003, a tragic ending for this iconic feature of New Hampshire. It was also huge: 40 feet (12 m) tall, 25 feet (7.5m) wide, and located 1200 feet (370 m) above Profile Lake, in which the face was sometimes reflected on a calm day.
This was actually somewhat of an illusion, as the face was the combination of five perfectly-oriented cliffs. I imagine most of my US readers know what I’m talking about: the giant cliff face that looks like the profile of an old man. Summer is an excellent time to bring your group up to Franconia Notch State Park, voted America's 7th Most Beautiful State Park! With our breathtaking views, exciting attractions, cascading rivers, and endless adventures, there is an activity within the park for every member in your group! And Franconia Notch State Park is also a GREAT VALUE! Group prices are available for your group of 20 or more.Ask anyone in New England what the most iconic image of New Hampshire is, and they’ll probably say the Old Man of the Mountain. Summer is an excellent time to bring your group up to Franconia Notch State Park, voted America's 7th Most Beautiful State Park! With our breathtaking views, exciting attractions, cascading rivers, and endless adventures, there is an activity within the park for every member in your group! And Franconia Notch State Park is also a GREAT VALUE! Group prices are available for your group of 20 or more. The park is home to the Flume Gorge, Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway, Echo Lake State Beach, The Basin, Boise Rock and The Old Man Memorial Plaza. This popular park offers a multitude of recreational opportunities including camping to discovering geological wonders. This spectacular mountain pass traverses between the high peaks of the Kinsman and Franconia mountain ranges.