Franconia Notch State Park

On our windshield tour yesterday the one place we saw that we really wanted to return to was Franconia Notch State Park. Franconia Notch State Park has a number of remarkable features, including the Flume Gorge, Old Man of the Mountain, Cannon Mountain aerial tram and ski area and a multi use recreation trail. Franconia Notch State Park is unusual in that an interstate highway, I-93 runs right up the middle of the park. When they were planning I-93 there was much debate and controversy about its route through the park. Finally, a compromise was reached that the highway would be built, but it would be more like a parkway than an interstate highway. Consequently, the section through the park necks down to two lanes and has a 45 mph speed limit. On/off ramps access the park features. It is actually rather nicely done.

First we toured the Flume Gorge, a 700' long 90' deep slot gorge of the Pemigewasset River through solid granite. It was a bit reminiscent of our earlier visit to Watkins Glen State Park. One can walk up the gorge on wooden walkways affixed to the walls of the gorge. Later we rode our bikes up the multi-use Recreational Trail which runs almost 9 miles from the south end to the north end of the park. The trail is paved, and, while there are a few steep sections, the grade is relatively mild. The trail passes by the viewpoint of the former Old Man of the Mountain. The Old Man of the Mountain was an iconic face profile consisting of five slabs of Conway red granite suspended in a cliff 1200' above Profile Lake. Unfortunately, on May 3, 2003, the Old Man fell, after his chin slab gave way. We also toured the New England Ski Museum, at the base of Cannon Mountain ski area. Much of the museum was dedicated to the 10th Mountain Division of the Fifth Army, which fought in the latter part of WWII. The idea of the 10th, a division of highly trained mountain soldiers, was proposed to the War Department by Charles M. (Minnie) Dole, the founder of the National Ski Patrol. The 10th waged a very successful campaign in the Italian Alps in 1944 and 1945. After the war many veterans from the 10th returned to the US and pioneered the development of recreational skiing and mountaineering in this country. We finished our ride in the near dark. Another full day, however, no moose sighting.