Trail: The Basin Trail
Hike Location: Franconia Notch State Park
Geographic Location: north of Lincoln, NH (44.12296, -71.68270)
Length: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: August 2004, August 2015
Overview: An easy route, mostly on paved trail, along an interesting section of the Pemigewasset River.
Directions to the trailhead: From Lincoln, go north on I-93 4 miles to the exit for the Basin. Park in the large paved Basin parking lot. The trail leaves from the west side of the southbound I-93 parking lot.
The hike: Many of the great hiking destinations in the White Mountains require long and difficult mountain treks to reach the reward. This hike at the Basin is not that type of hike. For a small amount of effort, a very pleasant reward can be had by anyone in decent physical condition. Even better, this hike can be obtained by a short drive from I-93, which runs through Franconia Notch.
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| Parking lot trailhead |
From the parking lot, descend gradually on a paved trail west toward the Pemigewasset River. In a very short distance, the trail crosses the paved bike path that travels along the east bank of the river. The bike path heads north to Profile Lake in 4 miles and south to Lincoln in 7 miles. Immediately after crossing the bike path, the trail comes to the banks of the river. The river here is swift but shallow (during times of normal water tables) and travels over the granite bedrock, which is very close to the surface.
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| Waterfall in Pemigewasset River |
The trail crosses the river on a wooden bridge just below a pleasant cascade as it enters the basin. The basin itself is a large, round flat area where the waters of the Pemigewasset River and some of its tributaries spread out into several channels, only to converge again dramatically at the foot of the basin. Across the bridge, the paved trail intersects the Pemi Trail, a long, unpaved hiking trail that parallels the river’s west bank.
The Basin Trail joins the Pemi Trail heading downstream with the river on the left. 0.15 miles from the trailhead, the Basin-Cascade Trail exits to the right. A detour of 0.5 miles each-way on this trail will take you uphill to Kinsman Falls, a worthwhile side trip for those with the time and energy. Our hike curves to the left and, in another 0.1 miles, descends a short series of steps to arrive at the outlet of the basin. At this point, the hiker stands downstream from a powerful cascade where the water plunges into a deep pool through a gap in the right hand side of a rock wall. The thunder of the water echoes off of the rock wall creating a tremendous noise, one that you will not find at most waterfalls twice this size. This point marks the highlight of this trip through the Basin.
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| Powerful cascade in the Basin |
The trail continues downstream to a bridge that crosses the river allowing the hiker to access the bike trail on the other side rather than continue downstream on the Pemi Trail. Cross this bridge and turn left to begin the return route to the trailhead. The paved trail climbs moderately to arrive at a second overlook of the cascade described above. This view point sits above and to the east of the cascade, so it provides a very different perspective than the one you saw earlier. Also, this overlook is accessed by paved trail, so it is handicapped accessible, though the route to the overlook is somewhat steep for a wheelchair.
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| Trail along Pemigewasset River |
Continue climbing past the overlook with the river to your left and I-93 uphill to the right. In a short time, arrive back at the junction with the Basin Trail and the bike path, both of which are paved at this point. A right turn at this intersection will return you to your car and complete the hike.
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