August 1, 2008 – Franconia Notch State Park and the Flume

This morning we awoke to blue skies and took advantage of it by heading to Franconia Notch State Park. The park is on both sides of I-93 and as you go thru the notch, the speed limit goes down to 45 mph and one lane each. The few exits off the interstate here go to trails, campgrounds, and lakes. Once thru the notch, the highway goes back to four lanes and 65 mph.

We started our tour at the visitor center and took the 2 mile nature trial. The first part of the nature trail goes thru the Flume Gorge. From the brochure “The Flume is a natural gorge extending 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty. The walls of Conway granite rise perpendicularly to a height of 70-90 feet and vary in width from 12-20 feet.” Wait until you see the pictures!

The first series is walking up and thru the gorge to Avalanche Falls:

It was truly incredible. All we kept sawing was WOW! Between the roar of the water and the mist from the falls thru the gorge – another WOW!

The next series of pictures is from the rest of the hike:

What a wonderful experience!! From this area we explored some of the other pullouts and scenic views:




And headed back when it started to rain. The rain was short-lived and we were able to enjoy an evening outside by the campfire.