The Basin

The Basin is a round granite pothole 20 feet across at the foot of a waterfall on the Pemigewasset River, in the middle of Franconia Notch State Park. It's an easy, roughly 10-minute walk on paved paths from its own parking pull-offs on I-93, northbound and southbound. NH State Parks lists it as open year-round and wheelchair accessible for viewing the Basin. No entry fee is listed for it. From here the Basin-Cascades Trail climbs 0.5 mile to Kinsman Falls.

What You'll See

The river drops over a ledge into a smooth, bowl-shaped hole in the granite. Stones and sand swirled by the current wore it into shape, which is why the rock is polished rather than rough. Just below the Basin, look for a water-worn rock formation called the Old Man's Foot.

NH State Parks says the Basin was eroded while the North American ice sheet was melting. Its documents put that at more than 15,000 years ago in some places and 25,000 in another, so the exact age depends on which page you read.

Accessibility

NH State Parks describes paved paths with moderate uphill and downhill sections and says the site is handicap accessible for viewing the Basin. Picnic tables are near the parking.

Parking and Getting There

• The Basin has its own marked exits from I-93 in both directions, between Exits 34A and 34B.
• The bike path passes the Basin, so you can also ride or walk in from the Flume or Lafayette Place.
• Parking along I-93 itself is illegal at any time. More on parking.

Kinsman Falls and Rocky Glen Falls

Kinsman Falls is what NH State Parks calls a beautiful, secluded and often overlooked waterfall on Cascade Brook. From the Basin, follow the Basin-Cascades Trail for 0.5 mile, about 20 minutes one way. The brook has potholes and ledges the whole way up. A rough side path on the left drops to the cool base of the falls.

Keep going a short way on the main trail and a brook crossing on the left leads to Rocky Glen Falls (the state's sheet spells it Rocky Glenn). There are no bridges over the brook, so crossings depend on the water level. After heavy rain, turn back rather than wade.

Boise Rock

Boise Rock is a large boulder nearby in the Notch, with its own pull-off on the northbound side of I-93 only. The story the state tells: in the early 1800s Thomas Boise, a teamster from Woodstock, New Hampshire, was caught on the Notch road in a blizzard. He sheltered under the rock, killed his horse, and wrapped himself in its hide. Searchers found him the next day and had to cut the frozen hide off him. It had saved his life.

Today the pull-off has a cool spring, picnic tables and, the state says, an exceptional view of Cannon Cliffs.

Good For

• A short stop on a drive through the Notch: the walk is about 10 minutes.
• Visitors using wheelchairs or strollers, or anyone who wants to avoid stairs.
• Visitors with a dog should check the rules first: NH State Parks allows pets in Franconia Notch only on hiking trails and in designated dog walk areas.

Maybe Skip If

• You want a full gorge walk. The Flume Gorge, at the south end of the Notch, is a 2-mile loop through a much bigger gorge.
• You want a view from above. Try Artists Bluff.