From the Emerald Pool to Rhododendron State Park, these six natural wonders in New Hampshire inspire awe.
There’s no doubt about it. New Hampshire has no shortage of breathtaking natural wonders to offer. Here are just a few — some known by many in the Granite State, others a little more of a secret.
1. Emerald Pool
Baldface Circle Trail, 2223 Main Road, Chatham
The Emerald Pool is probably the natural wonder we need most during this long, hot summer. This 10-12-foot deep swimming hole is something out of a fairytale with its jade-green hue and clear, frigid water fed by a 20-foot waterfall that winds through boulders at the base of Baldface Mountain in the White Mountain National Forest. It gets its jewel color from the algae living on the bottom rocks.
To get there, it’s a verdant 1.6-mile (about 40-minute) hike along the Baldface Circle Trail. No matter what time of this year, Emerald Pool is extremely cold. Bring a towel, water shoes, and bug spray.
2. Sculptured Rocks
251 Sculptured Rocks Rd., Groton
The Sculptured Rocks are a profound example of nature’s powerful force. When the last Ice Age began to retreat rushing water (the Cockermouth River) funneled through a slim but steep canyon creating falls that carved an undulating channel of whirling kettle pools and glittering, smooth rocks on its way to New Found Lake.
The 272-acre Sculptured Rocks Natural Area is part of the New Hampshire State Park system.
3. The Isles of Shoals
If your sense of natural awe is heightened by a love of history, hop on a boat in Rye or Portsmouth and head six miles out on the Atlantic to The Isles of Shoals, a group of nine little islands straddling the waters off Maine and New Hampshire.
This handful of rock outcroppings is small but what they lack in size they make up in stark beauty and early geographical and human history. Long before fishermen and tourists began arriving, Native Americans were the first to fish and hunt on the islands centuries before it served as the center of the Colonial fishing industry and and a getaway for American artists and writers including Celia Thaxter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Henry David Thoreau, and Childe Hassam, to name just a few.
The islands have an other-worldly appearance. There are geographic remnants of the Ice Age with erratic boulders and nearly treeless landscapes thanks to wind exposure and thin soil and the shoals are rich in natural diversity. There are more than 250 species of plants, 139 kinds of algae, 49 species of fish, and 145 kinds of birds, according to the Shoals Marine Laboratory, which is jointly operated by the University of New Hampshire and Cornell University on Appledore Island.
Technically speaking, four of the islands are in New Hampshire waters: Lunging Island, White Island, and Seavey Island, plus the 46-acre Star Island. The latter is the most accessible to visitors as it’s annexed to the Town of Rye Historic District and is on the National and State of New Hampshire Historic Registers.
Approximately 16,000 day-and-overnight guests travel to the island each year to visit its historic buildings and take in one of the best views in the state. Star is within the waters of the traditional lands and waterways of the Abenaki, Penacook, and Wabanaki people. It was the busiest seaport on the East Coast in the 17th century. For more than 150 years it was home for families who made their living fishing. During the Revolutionary War inhabitants of the village, were told to evacuate to Rye because their loyalty to the colonies couldn’t be assured. After the war, few of the residents returned to reclaim their homes. The island, then called Gosport, came back to life in 1876 when the majestic Oceanic Hotel — one of the last surviving Gilded Age hotels, was built.
In 1915 the Star Island Corporation purchased Star Island and the Oceanic Hotel and still operates it today hosting retreats, conferences, and educational workshops. Day visitors can take self-guided tours, grab food at the Oceanic Snack Bar or the Gosport Grill, or take guided historical and environmental tours. Ferry services to Star Island are located in Portsmouth through the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company and the Uncle Oscar in Rye. Visitors can also spend nights on Star by participating in its retreats or by signing up for one of its many programs, including fall birding workshops.
4. The Flume Gorge
852 Daniel Webster Hwy, Lincoln
The Flume Gorge is a natural granite chasm, 800 feet deep at the base of Mount Liberty in the White Mountains with 90-foot granite walls, waterfalls, covered bridges, glacial pools, and mammoth boulders.
The Flume Gorge Trail is a two-mile loop that takes about an hour and a half to complete. The boardwalk on the side of the gorge offers a close view of the colorful wildflowers, feathery ferns, and blankets of emerald moss that grow in this rarified natural environment.
There’s a Visitors Center with restrooms, a food court, and a gift shop open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $21 at the center, $18 online for those aged 13 up, $19 ($16) for ages 6-12, and free for those five and under. Reservations can be made here.
5. Diana’s Baths
West Side Road, Barlett
Diana’s Baths is a series of dramatic pools and cascades on Lucy Brook in the White Mountains. It’s a short family-friendly hike that’s one mile in and out.
Bring a bathing suit to splash around the cool, clear pools and take time to take in the breathtaking sights and sounds. There are restrooms and trash disposal at the site as well as a large parking lot with a self-serve pay MM station for the $5 parking fee.
6. Rhododendron State Park
424 Rockwood Pond, Fitzwilliam
Rhododendron State Park is home to a 16-acre stand of wild Rhododendron (rose tree) Maximum, those delicately scented flowering shrubs that love shade and the acidic soil in New Hampshire forests. This grove is the largest in northern New England and has been a National Natural Landmark since 1982.
In addition to the “rhodies” which can range in hue from cream to blush to magenta to purple, the 2,723 – acre, wooded park is filled with wildflowers from early spring through October when they complement the fabulous foliage our state is known for. Late summer, and early fall blooms include Indian pipe, woodland asters, and bright autumn berries.
Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children 6-11. Find more information on the trail here.
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