Location: Crawford Notch State Park, White Mountains National Forest
Managed by: New Hampshire Division of Parks & Rec (& AMC)
Trail: Ethan Pond Trail, Ripley Falls Trail
Date: 8/14/18
Distance: 7.05 miles
This trail was very easy to follow! It's hard to see in the map, but the pink highlight with blue stars was the intended hike, and the satellite is the hike as tracked by my phone.
This hike starts out with a kinda brutal steep uphill segment (after a very short walk that crosses railroad tracks). The good news is it only lasts about half a mile! After that, the grade varies for a while, eventually coming to a marshy segment with lots of little plank boardwalks. After this segment, the turn-off for the pond is on the right. The view at this point blew me away. Naturally, I had read that Ethan Pond was truly gorgeous, but seeing it in person (and just before sunset) far exceeded my expectations. After retracing my steps back to the railroad tracks, I took the very short (but also relatively steep) trail to Ripley Falls. This is where I watched the sunset. This is a really quick hike for a 100 foot waterfall!
Summary:
- Absolutely GORGEOUS. DO THIS HIKE.
- You can camp at Ethan Pond.
- There is no enforced parking fee, but there are envelopes and a suggested donation (I believe it is $5).
- Dog friendly
- I had no cell reception anywhere along this hike.
This doesn't look steep, but I assure you... It is.
As the marshier trail begins...
The wetlands change & look like this toward the end of the trail!
Here's a beautiful flower from this section...
And finally, the lake!!
