Description
This waterfall can be found in the Flume Gorge of
Franconia Notch State Park. The state park is located in the White
Mountain National Forest and runs for about eight miles along I-93 from Flume
Gorge at the southern end to Echo Lake on the northern end.
This is not a free state park. Park hours and rates can be found
here.
There are several other good waterfalls within Franconia Notch State Park,
including Avalanche Falls and
The Pool (within the Flume Gorge area), The
Basin,
Cascade Brook Falls,
Cloudland Falls, and
Kinsman Falls, to name a few.
This cascade is one of those "freebies" that shouldn't be missed. It's
smack dab in between two great areas - the Flume Gorge and The Pool - so you
should walk by and stop to soak in the view.
Getting There
Flume Gorge is well marked. Your best bet is to
visit the Franconia Notch
State Park website for
directions.
Hike Details
Liberty Gorge Cascade is on a hiking loop within the park that includes Flume Gorge,
the cascade, and The Pool. The trail begins behind the
visitor's center. The less adventurous can hitch a ride to the bottom of
Flume Gorge on one of the park's passenger buses.
Starting at the visitor's center, the round trip hike to the falls, Liberty
Gorge Cascade, and The Pool is just over 2 miles. For just Liberty Gorge,
the hike is 1.4 miles one way if you go through Flume Gorge, closer to 0.6 miles
if you go to The Pool first. Taking the shuttle bus will cut your
distance (through Flume Gorge) by 0.5 miles.
You will cross the creek at the top of the cascade before reaching the
overlook. The view up the creek is quite nice, reminiscent of the Smokey
Mountains, so I've included that photo on the left as well.
For more details on this popular loop hike, check out this
great
description on GORP.
Photo Tips
Without a
tripod
you will be out of luck here, especially in mid-summer or Fall when the volume
is down. This cascade does not photograph well at normal shutter speeds.
You will definitely
need a polarizer
to reduce glare on the rocks and foliage. The granite face here catches a
considerable amount of glare and reflection from the sun.
There is really only one composition as the terrain is too steep for
exploring and every other view but the overlook is limited by foliage.
Return to top of Liberty Gorge Cascade
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