Best Waterfall Hikes in New Hampshire
These New Hampshire waterfall hikes combine a scenic finish after real trail time, from shorter woods walks to longer hike-in falls.
Use this page to compare options, then open each guide for trail notes, footing, parking, and seasonal flow. Use it to narrow the field first, then decide based on the details in each guide.
Rank 1: Franconia Falls — Lincoln
A ~6.5 mi RT Pemi Wilderness hike to a natural granite-slide-and-pool system from Lincoln Woods on the Kancamagus.
- Can you swim?
- Conditional swim or wade access. Check flow and signage
- Walk
- 2 hr
Rank 2: Arethusa Falls — Hart's Location
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Flagship long plunge in Crawford Notch State Park, reached by a ~3-mile round-trip mountain hike off US 302.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 2-3 hr
Rank 3: Sabbaday Falls — Albany
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A classic Kanc waterfall stop — short walk from the WMNF picnic area to a multi-tier gorge cascade in Albany.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 15 min
Rank 4: Nancy Cascades — Hart's Location
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A dramatic series of falls on Nancy Brook, ~4.8 mi RT via the Nancy Pond Trail off US 302.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 3 hr
Rank 5: Zealand Falls — Bethlehem
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A classic White Mountains slab waterfall at AMC Zealand Hut, ~5 miles round trip on the Zealand Trail.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 2 hr
Rank 6: Rainbow Falls (Plymouth) — Plymouth
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A small cascade on a Newfound-drainage brook in Plymouth, reached by a longer local trail.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 45 min
Rank 7: Falls on the Smarts Brook Trail — Thornton
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A small-cascade corridor on Smarts Brook in Thornton off NH 49, on the Smarts Brook Trail.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 20 min
Rank 8: Falls on the Falling Waters Trail — Franconia Notch
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A ~3.2 mi RT Franconia Notch hike past Stairs, Swiftwater, and Cloudland Falls on the Falling Waters Trail (Lincoln, New Hampshire).
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 20 min
Rank 9: Ripley Falls — Hart's Location
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A tall fan-shaped waterfall on Avalanche Brook in Crawford Notch SP — ~0.6 mi up the Ethan Pond Trail.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 1 hr
Rank 10: Thirteen Falls — Lincoln
A remote cascade complex on Franconia Brook deep in the Pemigewasset Wilderness.
- Can you swim?
- Conditional swim or wade access. Check flow and signage
- Walk
- 5 hr
Keep planning
Choose what to explore next
Follow the reading order, compare nearby options, or jump to a guide that matches the kind of day you want.
More guides in New Hampshire
Spot something wrong?