Waterfalls and Swimming Holes From Crawford Notch & Bretton Woods
Crawford Notch and Bretton Woods hold some of the most reliable waterfall stops in the White Mountains. This page keeps the strongest ones together so you can plan a short trip with big views without sorting through the whole region.
A few of these are easy roadside stops, while others need more time, more caution, or a stronger sense of trail conditions. Use the map first, then open each guide for parking, footing, and water flow notes.
Rank 1: 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 2: Bemis Falls — Harts Location
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A mountain-trail cascade in the Bemis Brook set within Crawford Notch State Park (Hart's Location, New Hampshire).
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 1 hr 20 min
Rank 3: 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 4: Silver Cascade and Flume Cascade — Hart's Location
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Twin roadside cascades off US 302 on the east wall of Crawford Notch in Hart's Location.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 5-10 min one way
Rank 5: North Willey Brook Falls — Crawford Notch
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A small waterfall with informal access on North Willey Brook below Mount Willey in Crawford Notch (Hart's Location, New Hampshire).
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 15 min
Rank 6: Upper Ammonoosuc Falls — Carroll
Viewing only, not a swim stop
A polished-bedrock Ammonoosuc River cascade-and-potholes zone off Base Road in the town of Carroll.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 10 min