10. Cloudland Falls on the Falling Waters Trail
Lincoln & Franconia, NH
GPS UNIT: 2 Franconia Notch State Park, Franconia, NH 03580
DISTANCE FROM BOSTON: 2 hours
WALKING LENGTH TO REACH FALLS: 1.3 miles one-way
SWIMMABLE: No
PARKING: Trailhead Parking Lot (south approach) or Lafayette Campground (north approach)
The best thing about the Cloudland Falls, other than the fact that it’s absolutely breathtaking, is that you get to see two more waterfalls on the way up to it. The 3.2-mile trail takes you to the top of Little Haystack Mountain, and while a short hike, it is absolutely worth spending a whole day on. The first two waterfalls, Stairs Falls and Swiftwaters Falls, are both impressive in their own right, but the real treat is the Cloudland Falls. At 80 feet tall, it’s a lot of waterfall for the region, and its characteristic spanning horsetail formation is awe-inspiring and mystical to experience. For those doing the NH 48, you can continue from the Falling Waters Train onto the Franconia Ridge Trail to summit Lincoln and Lafayette.