Enjoy A Secluded Stroll On A Little-Known Path Along Attractive Cascades

I've mentioned this before in other hiking articles — I'm a fan of hiking to and along water features. Not only are they peaceful to look but they are also relaxing to listen to. Fortunately, there are many, many trails here in New Hampshire where you can get your waterfall hike fix. Many of these, however, are in more populated areas where it's sometimes hard to find solitude. I've got some good news - Great Brook Trail in New London is the opposite of that.

Great Brook Trail in New London follows the course of Great Brook for over two miles between Lakeshore Road and Devil's Half Acre Pond.

The hike along Great Brook Trail begins at a trailhead with plentiful parking on Lakeshore Rd., not far from downtown New London.

The trail runs beside many scenic cascades all along its length, which are at their most impressive in the spring or after significant storms.

Just 0.3 miles from the trailhead, Great Brook Trail reaches Grampa's Bathtub, an attractive pool just above where the brook drops down another cascade.

The trail can be traveled year-round, but hikers should use caution in the area of the cascades due to icy ledges.

The upper cascades are reached near the end of the trail at around 2.0 miles. Here, the brook tumbles down a ledgy waterslide.

Above the upper cascades, Great Brook Trail ends at the remote Devil's Half Acre Pond. This high-elevation tarn sits on a natural shelf at 1,580 feet.

To learn more about this beautiful waterfall hike and to download a trail map, visit the New London Conservation Commission.

New Hampshire is fortunately blessed with many great waterfall hikes that are perfect adventures for springtime. Here's a scenic drive where you can visit nine of them, or try your hand at finding one of the most remote waterfalls in the state.