Last August we got to visit New England for the first time when we went to visit our friends in New Hampshire. One of the first places we went was Franconia Notch, which is a state park nestled inside a National Forest. While we were up there our friend took us on a hike to the area known as the Basin at Franconia Notch.
How to Get to the Basin at Franconia Notch
One of things I have found out about visiting friends when you travel is that they drive you around and you don’t get quite as good at knowing where you are or how you got there. So I had to look up how to get to the Basin, but it is not hard to get there as it turns out.
The Basin has its own parking lot just off of I-93 located just a few miles north of the town of Lincoln. If you are headed north just watch for the exit to the Basin after you leave Lincoln.
From the parking lot you just head down the trail. There is a larger trail for bikes that you might see first, we ended up walking on this on our way back up from the Basin, but to go down to it you really want to use the footpath or you will miss out on a lot of beauty.
What You Will See at the Basin at Franconia Notch
This area is just absolutely gorgeous. We were there in the summer so everything was incredibly green of course, if you are lucky enough to be here in the fall I’m sure it will be even more spectacular, although probably considerably more crowded with what our friends call “leaf-peepers”.
The trail to the Basin at Franconia Notch is easy, although I think if you continue on past the Basin itself the trail gets more moderate. You are hiking next to water the whole time and have to cross it once or twice. There are a few small waterfalls along the way.
Eventually you will come out onto the boardwalk around the Basin itself. The Basin is a large natural pothole carved by water erosion. The water shoots into from the side and the water in the pool itself is a beautiful greenish-blue.
Sum Up
The Basin at Franconia Notch is an easy and beautiful hike. We were able to do it with Lucy in a front facing carrier with no problem, she was about ten months old at the time. It only took us about half an hour or 45 minutes to complete, although you can go further on and into hard parts if you wish.
We highly recommend visiting New Hampshire and just taking in the natural beauty that is there. This trail is a great way to do that and there are many other trails and overlooks throughout the area.
