It has been a long few weeks with the holidays approaching and Thanksgiving zipping past. At a very family-centric time of year, my mind often returns to New England and particularly New Hampshire, where I spent so much time growing up.
Casting my mind back to May, I recalled that our whirlwind trip to the White Mountains did not allow us a lot of time for long walks, and we were delighted to discover that there were more than a few short jaunts where the views were still excellent. The trial to Diana’s Baths was one of those – easily accessed and yet in no way lacking in terms of waterfall.
We chose this walk as we knew it was close by – less than ten minutes by car from our hotel – and it had great reviews. One aspect of travelling in the White Mountains that I had forgotten about was that some trails require a fee to pay in the car park. This is entirely foreign to those of us who hike in Scotland, and we found ourselves digging around for cash at several sites. Now of course if I had read ahead I would have realised this, but I didn’t. And most of my memories of the White Mountains come from childhood, when I would not most likely have noticed any payments being made. What I had remembered about the area though was the large, clear trailhead signs for most sites, which helpfully confirmed we were in the correct place even when Google faltered a bit.
I cannot claim credit for this picture, which was posted on the main website for visiting Diana’s Baths.
On the day we visited, we had been driving most of the day, and so were keen on something quick to stretch out a bit. We had trusted Google maps to take us on an epic drive from Freeport, Maine almost due north – though there is no road due north – towards Bethel. From there we cut across the top of the White Mountains and then south along Route 16. This route cuts south from Gorham, NH and passes so many remembered locations – Dolly Copp Campground, the Great Gulf Wilderness trails, Glen Ellis Falls, and of course the Pinkham Notch visitor centre where we several times started a trek up Mount Washington.
Fortunately, the Diana’s Bath trail is no where near as strenuous as climbing one of the Presidentials, or even some of the shorter peaks we favoured. Quite the opposite, it is just about one mile round trip and so perfect for families. The path itself is well-kept and pleasant, cutting through the forest of tall pine trees. The day we visited was warm and sunny, a great day to be walking in the woods.
There is a small creek running alongside the path in places, but it is quickly overshadowed by the first hint of the falls – the sound of rushing water, seeping through the trees.
I immediately got excited, as I had brought my tripod with me and had every intention of practicing some rushing water shots. And indeed, once you reach the falls, there are plenty of opportunities. There are, as I discovered to be standard, detailed plaques teaching visitors about the falls, why they are there and their history – the rushing water was used to power a sawmill before being recognised as a tourist attraction in the early 20th century.
When you first approach the bottom end of the falls, you get a splendid view up the river; the trail then follows along with several paths where you can move through the trees to the edge. Even better, there are viewpoints set up with benches and plenty of space to rest – and set up a tripod. One thing we did notice was that, near the river, the biting bugs returned, and I paid for several of the below pictures with mosquito bites!
If it were not for the mosquitos there may have been more pictures, but they were getting quite vicious and we had not prepared properly. So, we quickly climbed to the top viewpoint which looks up the falls, before returning to the woods. Only minutes away from the water, the bugs disappeared again and we enjoyed a pleasant walk back.
Anyone visiting the North Conway area and looking for a short walk, or one that is more accessible for children and those with limited mobility, this is an excellent option.
The Wandering Medievalist 