Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Franconia (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Flume Gorge, Cannon Mountain, and Mount Lafayette. Also, be sure to include Echo Lake in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Franconia (New Hampshire).
Table of Contents
Flume Gorge
Gorge in New Hampshire. The Flume Gorge is a natural gorge extending 800 ft horizontally at the base of Mount Liberty in Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire, United States. Cut by Flume Brook, the gorge features walls of Conway granite that rise to a height of 70 to 90 ft and are 12 to 20 ft apart. Discovered in 1808 by 93-year-old "Aunt" Jess Guernsey, the Flume is now a paid attraction that allows visitors to walk through it from May 10 to October 20. Pets are not allowed.[1]
Address: Off Interstate 93 at Exit 34A, Franconia
Cannon Mountain
Peak in New Hampshire. Cannon Mountain is a 4,080-foot peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is known for both its technical rock and ice climbing on its cliff face and skiing at Cannon Mountain Ski Area. It was also home to the Old Man of the Mountain, until that formation collapsed on May 3, 2003.
Cannon has three sub-peaks with heights of 3,693, 3,700, and 3,769 feet (1,125, 1,127 and 1,148 m), collectively known as "The Cannon Balls". Geologically, it is an exfoliating granite dome. Part of the Kinsman Range, the mountain is within Franconia Notch State Park.[2]
Address: Franconia Notch State Park, 03580 Franconia
Mount Lafayette
Mountain in New Hampshire. Mount Lafayette is a 5,249-foot mountain at the northern end of the Franconia Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. It lies in the town of Franconia in Grafton County, and appears on the New England Fifty Finest list of the most topographically prominent peaks in New England. The mountain's upper reaches are located in the alpine zone, an area where only dwarf vegetation exists due to the harsh climate.[3]
Address: Franconia Notch State Park, 03580 Franconia
Echo Lake
Water in New Hampshire. Echo Lake is a 38.2-acre water body located in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, at the foot of Cannon Mountain. The lake is in the Connecticut River watershed, near the height of land in Franconia Notch; water from the lake's outlet flows north via Lafayette Brook to the Gale River, then the Ammonoosuc River, and finally the Connecticut River to Long Island Sound, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean.
Echo Lake lies in Franconia Notch State Park. The park's Cannon Mountain ski slopes rise directly to the southwest of the lake. Interstate 93 (the Franconia Notch Parkway) runs along the lake's eastern shore, and New Hampshire Route 18 passes the lake's northern shore, where a state park swimming beach is located. Artists Bluff, a hill with open ledges, rises north of the lake and provides views south over the lake into the center of Franconia Notch.
The lake is classified as a coldwater fishery, with observed species including brook trout.[4]
Address: 600 Springfield Ave, Franconia
New England Ski Museum
Non-profit. The New England Ski Museum is a non-profit operation in Franconia, New Hampshire.[5]
Address: 135 Tramway Dr, 03580-4403 Franconia
The Frost Place
Museum in Franconia, New Hampshire. The Frost Place is a museum and nonprofit educational center for poetry located at Robert Frost's former home on Ridge Road in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[6]
Address: 158 Ridge Rd, 03580 Franconia
Old Man of the Mountain
Remains of a legendary facelike cliff. The Old Man of the Mountain, also called the Great Stone Face and the Profile, was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States, that appeared to be the jagged profile of a human face when viewed from the north. The rock formation, 1,200 feet above Profile Lake, was 40 feet tall and 25 feet wide.
The Old Man of the Mountain is called "Stone Face" by the Abenaki and is a symbol within their culture. It is also a symbol to the Mohawk people. The first written mention of the Old Man was in 1805. It became a landmark and a cultural icon for the state of New Hampshire. It collapsed on May 3, 2003. After its collapse, residents considered replacing it with a replica, but the idea was ultimately rejected. It remains a visual icon on the state's license plates and in other places.[7]
South Twin Mountain
Mountain in New Hampshire. South Twin Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains. South Twin forms the high point of a north-south ridge, with North Twin Mountain lying approximately one mile to the north and Mount Guyot two miles to the southeast. Galehead Mountain, a lower spur of South Twin, is to the west.
The east face of South Twin drains into the Little River, thence into the Ammonoosuc and Connecticut Rivers, and into Long Island Sound in Connecticut. The northwest slopes of South Twin drain to the North Branch of the Gale River, another tributary of the Ammonoosuc River. Southwest of South Twin Mountain is the valley of Twin Brook, which flows into the Franconia Branch of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River, through the Pemigewasset Wilderness, thence into the Pemigewasset and Merrimack Rivers, and into the Gulf of Maine in Massachusetts.
The summit of South Twin is open and rocky, but stands of spruce and fir trees grow in close proximity. The Appalachian Trail, a 2,170-mile (3,500-km) National Scenic Trail from Georgia to Maine, crosses the summit of South Twin, passing from Galehead Mountain (and Galehead Hut) to the west towards Mount Guyot to the southeast. The North Twin Trail proceeds north along the ridge crest to the summit of North Twin.[8]
Address: 44°11.25′N 71°33.32′W, 03580 Franconia
Mount Flume
Mountain in New Hampshire. Mount Flume is a 4,328-foot mountain at the southern end of the Franconia Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. Mount Flume is the lowest in elevation of the peaks in the Franconia Range that are accessible by official hiking trails.
The summit marks the western border of the Pemigewasset Wilderness within the White Mountain National Forest. From the summit, there are outstanding views of Franconia Notch and the Kinsman Range to the west and the Franconia Range to the north, with limited views of the Pemigewasset Wilderness and the Twin Range to the east.[9]
Abbie Greenleaf Library
Public library in Franconia, New Hampshire. The Abbie Greenleaf Library is the public library in Franconia, New Hampshire. It is located at 439 Main St. in the center of the main village, in a Jacobethan building designed by William H. McLean and built in 1912. The building was a gift to the town from Charles Greenleaf and named in honor of his wife. Greenleaf was owner of the Profile House, a major resort hotel in Franconia. The library had an addition designed by Carter and Woodruff of Nashua built in 1971. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.[10]
Dow Academy
Dow Academy was a historic school in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1884, it served as the town's high school until 1958, after which its building, a Georgian Revival wood-frame building built in 1903, became a centerpiece of the Franconia College campus. The building was converted into condominium residences in 1983; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[11]