Hermit Falls

Chatham, New Hampshire

(Click to see larger images.)

To Get There:: From Fryeburg, Maine (Year-round): take Rt. 113 North, carefully watch the signs as the road first heads North-West, then takes a sharp Right at a "T" intersection. Rt. 113 winds through farmland before taking another sharp Right off of the main road at a village store. Once in Stow, at the Stow General store, Rt. 113 takes yet another sharp right, heading North. Follow 113 to the Maine border. Turn Left into the Basin Campground.; From the Gilead (Summer only): Follow Rt 113 South to the Maine/New Hampshire Border. Turn Right into the Basin Campground.; At the Basin Campground, follow the winding road to the Basin parking area. The Basin is a man-made pond.

Contact:: Saco Ranger District; RFD 1; Box 94; Conway, NH 03818; (603) 447-5448; TDD (603) 447-1989

References

Bolnick, Bruce R., Doreen Bolnick, Daniel Bolnick, Robert Kozlow Waterfalls of the White Mountains: 30 Hikes to 100 Waterfalls, Woodstock, Vermont: Countryman Press, 1999.
Daniell, Eugene and Jon Burroughs White Mountain Guide, Boston, Massachusettes: Appalachian Mountain Club Books, 1998.
New Hampshire Atlas and Gazetteer, Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme Mapping Co, 1998.

Description: The trail to Hermit Falls follows Basin Trail from the trailhead near the outhouses at the Basin Pond parking area. The trail crosses several small brooks, passing the pond and a beaver bog on the right before coming to an old logging road. You may hear warblers and songbirds in the bushes and trees along the pond and in the bog. We saw a pair of Mergansers swimming along the edge of the grass and a chattering Kingfisher flying over the Red-winged Blackbirds. A large group of Bluejays passed over us a few times while we walked the old dirt road, sounding the alarm.; The road comes to a larger brook which must be crossed by wet-wading or jumping and another which has a short bridge. Nuthatches and Woodpeckers might be in the trees. The handiwork of the woodpeckers is plain to see.; The Basin Trail soon rises gradually before coming to the Hermit Falls Loop on the Left. Follow the Hermit Falls Loop to Hermit Falls which is a cascade of maybe 20 feet or so. The trail climbs close to the top of the falls, and you can carefully stand near the drop-off and look right down the cascade. Use caution and Be careful not to get too close to the edge.; From here you can retrace your steps back or continue on the Loop to where it rejoins the Basin Trail. At the junction, you can head left to the Basin Cliffs, or turn Right and head back down the Basin Trail passed the lower Hermit Falls loop junction parking area where you started.