Flume Gorge — Franconia Notch

The gorge itself sits at the base of Mount Liberty — a natural crack in Conway granite where Flume Brook carved walls that rise 70 to 90 feet high while staying just 12 to 20 feet apart for a stretch of 800 feet. The self-guided loop is two miles of mostly packed gravel and boardwalk, with uphill sections and stairs; plan on roughly an hour and a half. At the far end, the boardwalk delivers a close look at Avalanche Falls dropping off a cliff face. The whole circuit begins and ends at the Flume Visitor Center, which also holds a food court, gift shop, and restrooms — enough infrastructure that you're not rushing back to the bike after a single photo.

One practical note before you ride in: the gorge runs on timed reservations, and specific time slots can sell out, particularly on summer and fall weekends. Walk-up tickets cost more and entry is not guaranteed if the day is full. The season runs from mid-May through late October; outside those dates the boardwalks are pulled and the gorge is closed to hikers. Pets are not permitted on the trail, though a designated dog-walk area sits at the edge of the parking lot. The parking area is accessed from I-93 at Exit 34A — the same Franconia Notch Parkway stretch where the interstate compresses to two lanes through the mountain pass.