Franconia Notch State Park
A White Mountains pass with a boardwalked granite gorge, and the empty cliff where the Old Man of the Mountain fell in 2003.
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The notch is a deep pass between the Franconia and Kinsman ranges, and the interstate narrows to a two-lane parkway to get through it. The Flume is a natural gorge about 240 metres long with granite walls rising up to twenty-seven metres, only a few metres wide in places, walked on a boardwalk built along the rock. The Old Man of the Mountain was a granite profile on Cannon Cliff, five ledges that lined up from one angle into a face, and it was the state emblem until it collapsed overnight in May 2003 despite decades of cabling and epoxy; a memorial at Profile Lake uses steel rods you line up to see the profile against the empty cliff. The aerial tramway climbs Cannon Mountain.
What you actually see
- The Flume Gorge - a boardwalk through a granite slot 240 metres long.
- The empty cliff - where the Old Man collapsed in 2003.
- A profile viewer at the lake - lining up steel rods against the rock.
- The Cannon Mountain tramway - to the summit ridge.
When to go
May to October; foliage in early October. A full day.
Honest expectations
The Flume is one-way, timed and sells out on foliage weekends. The Old Man is gone - visitors still arrive expecting it. Parking fills early in autumn. The gorge boardwalk closes in winter.
Nearby
The Kancamagus Highway is east; Mount Washington is north-east.
What to pack for Franconia Notch State Park
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
