Franconia and Littleton

2026-08-07
Franconia NH

It's another warm day in New Hampshire. We got going a bit later today after solid hiking yesterday and headed off to the Lower Ammonoosuc Falls Trail. It's an easy trail, about two miles and 100 feet of climb. It parallels a river that seems to be a favorite of fly fishermen. We also passed a group of lads with towels heading up the path as we were leaving.

This hike was important for another reason: it reminded us that we are not the top of the food chain. Indeed, we were both successfully attacked by mosquitos here. And, unlike a bear, there are enough to get everyone...

For a second hike, we went to the Basin (another exit off I-93) to hike a bit. We had done a little of this hike last time, but since many of the best sights are in the first quarter mile we felt like we'd seen a lot. Today we continued for about three quarters of a mile and about 300 feet of climb up the river to look at several more falls.

There was a large group of school children bussed in that were playing in the water at one point on the river. It was a broad, flat slab with some pools that looked like a great place to play as a kid.

After hiking a bit, we took showers and then went to Littleton for a late lunch. We visited the town a few years back when we were in the area, and I felt like it was a small town that was going in the right direction. A couple years later, it still seems that way. There were too many photo stores last time, but now the preponderance is home decor stores (with three or four) which I guess could be considered a broadening step from photos? We ate at the same pub and enjoyed the food again. The town still has most (all?) of its storefronts filled, and not just with tourist favorites, although there are some of those. So once again, a tip of the hat to Littleton, the self-proclaimed "Main Street of the Mountains."

Driving Distance: 21 miles
Hiking Distance: 3.5 miles