A short hike in the beautiful Flume Gorge in New Hampshire

Last August, my sister-in-law Mireille and I decided to spend a weekend at Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire. I’ve been dreaming of hiking in the White Mountains for a long time and I couldn’t wait to visit this park which is a must-visit in the region. We had planned to some mountain hiking, but we thought it might be a good idea to start with an easier hike to stretch our legs, so we headed first to the Flume Gorge.

It should also be said that Flume Gorge is perhaps the most popular attraction at Franconia Notch State Park, so I’m glad we took some time to visit it. The famous gorge is so popular that it is recommended to book your spot in advance to visit it (an entry ticket costs US$18 when purchased online).

Mireille and I arrived about an hour before the site closed, and I thought that would mean the place would be less busy. I was wrong: there were many, many people on the trail. But this was my very first hike in New Hampshire, and my first time exploring the White Mountains region, so there was nothing that could dampen my excitement!

Flume Gorge (also known simply as “The Flume”) is a natural gorge whose granite cliffs rise to a height of nearly 27 metres. It is said that the gorge was “discovered” in 1808 by a 93-year-old woman who was looking for a place to fish and that the place appeared to be so extraordinary that she had difficulty convincing other people of its existence.

The Flume Gorge Trail is a 3.5-kilometre loop that begins from the Visitor Centre. The trail first winds through the forest and descends towards the Pemigewasset River (“Pemigewasset” means rapid current in Abenaki), above which there is a covered bridge. This covered bridge dates from 1886, and is one of the oldest in New Hampshire.

A few metres later we arrived at the Flume Brook and a place called Table Rock, as the flow of the brook had eroded the rock layer to expose the granite surface. In fact, as you go further along the brook, you can start to see the surroundings becoming more and more steep and rocky. Then, at one point, we stepped into the famous gorge.

It seems that The Flume dates from the Jurassic Period, when the Conway granite that forms the walls of the gorge was deeply buried molten rock. As it cooled, the granite fractured in a few places. Columns of lava from deep within the earth penetrated the fractures, forcing them apart. Water, ice and time have continued to shape and widen the gorge, giving it the unique appearance it has today.

Although there were a lot of people on the trail, it was truly magical to walk in the heart of the gorge. Boardwalks and stairs allow you to closely follow the granite walls. At its narrowest point, the gorge is less than 4 metres wide. I felt very small in front of this place sculpted by nature.

At the end of the gorge, the trail passes near the beautiful Avalanche Falls, more than 13 metres high. After observing the fall for a few minutes, we reluctantly left the gorge and continued our hike.

And the trail doesn’t end there. After the gorge, the trail continues to present other natural attractions of the sector: the Liberty Gorge, the basins of the Pemigewasset River and several large erratic blocks. We also passed another covered bridge, the Sentinel Pine Bridge, a bridge whose base was built from a large century-old pine tree that fell after a hurricane in the 1930s.

And eventually, the trail brought us back to where we started. We left very satisfied with this quick and easy hike. The Flume Gorge walk is definitely popular and a bit touristy, but it’s easy to understand why.

It was a good first hike at Franconia Notch State Park, and we now felt ready to tackle a more challenging hike the next day: hiking to the top of Mount Lafayette!