The Flume Gorge

The Flume Gorge Trail is a 1.9-mile loop trail located near Lincoln, New Hampshire that features a waterfall and is good for all skill levels.

The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until October.

The Flume was discovered in 1808 by a 93-year-old woman known as “Aunt” Jess Guernsey. She accidentally came upon it while fishing.

After her discovery, she had trouble convincing her family of this marvelous discovery. Eventually, she persuaded others to come and see for themselves.

In 1808, a huge egg-shaped boulder hung suspended between the walls. The rock was 10 feet (3m) high and 12 feet (3.6m) long. A heavy rainstorm in June of 1883 started a landslide that swept the boulder from its place. It has never been found. The same storm deepened the gorge and formed Avalanche Falls.

The gorge was covered by glaciers during the Ice Age, but the ice sheet did not greatly change the surface.  It partially filled the valley with glacial debris and removed soil and weathered rock from the vicinity. After the Ice Age, Flume Brook began to flow through the valley again.

The highly fractured granite and basalt have been eroded by frost action as well as by the brook’s water.

As you walk through the Flume, look at the floor of the gorge and you many notice remnants of the main basalt dike. On the walls of the gorge, small trees are growing which means that mother nature is still at work and will make the gorge into something else over time. Erosion is still occurring.

Nature has certainly provided us with a beautiful and majestic gorge.

Below are some photos of the Flume Gorge.