People often Ripley Falls as one of their favorite falls in the New England area. I guess I just wasn’t nearly as impressed… I actually wasn’t impressed with Ripley or Arethusa Falls, which is very close by. That may be partially due to the rather low flow at the falls when I visited. I’ve seen pictures at higher flow that look pretty, but at low flow, the water seems to get lost.

I visited over Labor Day weekend, so Crawford Notch State Park and the White Mountain National Forest were jumping with people. The roadside falls and Arethusa Falls seemed to be the busiest, while Ripley Falls was less hopping. That was a good thing. It was more peaceful at Ripley Falls, and there weren’t a number of people standing right in my view. Still, my top waterfall goes to Glen Ellis Falls.

Directions:

1. Ripley Falls is found off of US-302 in Crawford Notch State Park. If you enter the park from the northern “entrance”, you’ll find these falls a little more than 3 miles after entering park.
2. You’ll see a sign for Ripley Falls, and that’s your indication to turn. At first, you will see a parking lot, which was very full. Do not park here. Head further down the road to the parking for Ripley Falls, which actually had spots and lead much more quickly to the trail for the falls.

Accessibility: 8/10 (easy/moderate)
Height: 100′
Length of Hike: 1.2 miles round-trip

Ripley Falls in September 2010

Where in the World is Ripley Falls?