Your kids will find lots of glacial rocks along the path, and you'll find plenty of photo-ops in Flume Gorge..

Exploring The Flume Gorge Trail in Franconia Notch

Flume Gorge is a state park located in Lincoln, New Hampshire. The stunning gorge sits at the base of Mount Liberty. It formed during the Jurassic Period, when dark colored lava was pushed up from below filling cracks in the granite that New Hampshire is famous for. In some areas, you can see the remnants of that lava, it is darker in color than the granite walls. Frost and water has widened the flume over time.

This 2.2-mile loop could take 1.5 to 4 hours depending on the age of your children and the amount of oohing and ahhhing at the incredible scenery. And it is incredible! There are uphill portions and lots of stairs. Most of the path is either a wide gravel trail that takes you through wooded areas or a boardwalk that allows you to traverse the gorge for a close up look at the rocks and waterfall. 

 
Sentinel Pine Bridge at Flume Gorge overlooks a pool, and the bridge is held up by an impressive pine tree.

Flume Covered Bridge

This picturesque covered bridge is one of the oldest in the state; it crosses the Pemigewasset River. This is a perfect spot for a family picture!

Table Rock

The kids loved Table Rock, where water from Flume Brook rushes over a large outcropping of rocks. The rocks are slippery, so stay off them. But it is a beautiful spot and the kids like looking in the water along the edge of the trail. 

Avalanche Falls

This 45-foot waterfall is the pinnacle of the gorge walk. As you follow the boardwalk through the gorge, you'll feel transported back in time as you stare at the ancient, towering rock walls covered in ferns and moss. At the end of the boardwalk you will ascend stairs that take you so close to this beautiful waterfall that you feel the spray on your face. If you are there on a hot day like we were, it feels amazing! Just at the top of the stairs there is a cave that smaller kids can fit through the hole in the top. Our 8- and 6-year-old did it, with a little help from mom and dad. It was a tight fit, so neither my husband nor I wanted to try it ourselves.

Sentinel Pine Bridge and Pool

As you cross another nostalgia inducing covered bridge, look down into the pool below. Once you cross over the bridge be sure to look back to see the giant pine tree underneath the bridge that is holding it up!

 
Entering the cave at the top of Avalanche Falls at New Hampshire's Flume Gorge in Franconia Notch.

Wolf Den

Just across the Sentinel Pine Bridge, you will see a sign for Wolf Den. This is a one-way trip through a cave. My 6- and 8-year-old kids wanted to do it, and then once we got inside and they saw how dark it was, they wanted to head back out. Depending on how crowded the trail is that day, you may not be able to back out, so keep that in mind when deciding if you want to try it. You do have to climb on your hands and knees to squeeze through rocks. It looked a bit wet in there, but people who did said it was worth it!

Glacial Boulders

There were many boulders along the trail that the kids loved either climbing on or around. Some were quite large, and I later read weighed 300 tons! During the glacial period the area was covered by a mile thick ice sheet that moved and deposited those large rocks there. 

 
The trek along the gorge is incredible, and your family will love the hike.

Insider Tips for Visiting Flume Gorge in NH with Kids

Because of the stairs, I would not suggest taking a stroller or wagon on the trail. For our two-year-old, we had a sling; when she got tired or the walking got tough, we put her in there. If you plan on doing the hike with toddlers or infants, consider bringing some carrying apparatus. 

Our older kids were fine on the 2-mile hike, although there are some inclines and lots of stairs on the boardwalk, I did not consider it a difficult hike, and we did see many retirees making the trek. I would be careful with small children on the boardwalk and overlooks. And the rocks could all be quite slippery, and a fall could be disastrous. 

What to Bring when Visiting Flume Gorge

Snacks! Plenty of snacks and water. We did the hike on a hot day and we were all thirsty. I also brought portable fans and those towels you can soak in the waterfall and put on your neck or head to cool off and we used them. Much of the trail was in the shade but I would still suggest sunscreen and hats. At times the trail was buggy so bring some bug spray as well. 

Best Times to Visit Flume Gorge

We went on a weekday morning in the summer, and it was still quite busy; we were never alone on the trail. There were also large groups from local camps there. Weekends are often busy; in the fall it is can be busy for leaf peeping season. The parking was much more packed as we were leaving, so I would suggest going early on a weekday. Also, if you are going at a particularly busy time like a holiday, be sure to buy your tickets online in advance. 

Managing Kids

Again, be on the lookout for slippery rocks; watch younger kids on the outlooks and bridges where they could fall. The boardwalk was quite slippery in places as well, since it was wet from the waterfall. 

The nature center is very large and has bathrooms and sells some prepackaged snacks and drinks. You might want to avoid it if you don’t want to deal with your kids begging for stuffies and other keepsakes from the store (like ours always do). There are a number of educational and interactive activities in the nature center. 

If you are worried your kids could get bored on the hike, try printing out this scavenger hunt. It's provided by the park, and kids can complete it along the way. 

 
A beautiful overlook toward the end of the hike at Flume Gorge in New Hampshire.

Make it a Longer Trip

My husband was attending a conference in Holderness, NH, so I kind of stumbled upon the hike as something to do with my kids. We were extremely impressed with the White Mountains region in New Hampshire where Flume Gorge is located. I am planning to go back in a few years and spend a week exploring many more trails with our kids. We stayed at Profile Motel and Cottages while we were there and were enjoyed it. It was economical, clean, and family friendly. The staff was very friendly and helpful. It also had trails right on the property and a pool with a gorgeous view of the mountains! There was also a small water park on Route 3, Whale’s Tale Waterpark. While in the area we also visited the Squam Lake Natural Science Center, which had animals and nature exhibits and was a huge hit with our nature loving crew! 

If you want to make it a longer trip, read our round up on Weekend Getaways in New Hampshire’s Lake Region. There is also Story Land, an amusement park for young kids in the White Mountains region of NH. And check out our round up of 25 things to do with kids in the White Mountains Region to help plan your trip.

Flume Gorge: Know Before You Go

• The park is staffed May through October from 9 am to 4 pm. On the website it says during off season the park is not typically staffed, bathrooms are closed and the hike may not be accessible to visitors.
• There is a large parking lot, but I imagine it does fill up during peak times. Arrive earlier to secure a spot.
• After you park, walk right past the nature center and the trout pond (which our kids enjoyed looking at the trout down below) where you will see two little houses at the start of the trail. You can buy your tickets there or show your pre-purchased tickets and start the hike from that point. If you bought your tickets in advance, they also let you go ahead in the line.
• You can pre-purchase your tickets online in advance in order to secure your place in the park that day and it is also $3 cheaper if you buy them online as opposed to at the ticket window. The cost of admission for people ages 13 and over is $18 in advance and for children ages 6-12 it is $16 in advance. Children under 5 are FREE! 
• Pets are not permitted in the park.
• I would not suggest bringing a stroller on this hike and instead for young children bring a sling or baby carrier for when they get tired or the trail gets more difficult.
• The only bathrooms we saw were located in the nature center before the start of the hike. You can also buy prepackaged snacks and drinks in there and fill up your water bottles.
• Remember to bring sunscreen and hats on sunny days, bug spray and hand-held fans if you are visiting on hot day. 
• Plan to bring whatever you bring into the park back out with you because there were no trash cans on the trail.
• Bring lots of water and lots of snacks!

All photos by author Lisa Warden.