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The Beautiful Arethusa Falls Hike – One of the Best Waterfalls in New Hampshire

Following a lovely stream, the Arethusa Falls hike leads to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the White Mountains. This is a great year round hike and the photos here are mostly from our most recent hike in the winter of 2023. Hiking Arethusa Falls in the winter is a good and easy winter hike.

In the summer and fall the hiking trail is typically rocky with a steady incline. There are two trail that run parallel for the first 1/2 mile (Bemis Brook and Arethusa Fall Trail) and you can read more below about how we recommend ascending and descending this trail.

Arethusa Falls is the tallest waterfall in New Hampshire and worth exploring.

Arethusa Falls Hike
Arethusa Falls Hike

Quick Look at the Arethusa Falls Hike

Distance: 2.8 miles
Elevation Gain:775 feet
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

The prettiest way to hike this trail is up the Bemis Brook Trail and down the Arethusa Falls Trail. Bemis Brook is a beautiful stream that cascades in the series of small but lovely waterfalls all along this trail. If you choose to hike up the Bemis Brook Trail note that the very last section right before it meets back up with Arethusa Falls Trail is very steep and involves some scrambling. Besides this steep section, the rest of the trail is just a gradual ascent.

The obvious and classically rocky path ends right at the gorgeous waterfall. The waterfall is a large cascade down a steep rocky cliff that ends in a small series of pools. Pack a picnic or snack and enjoy the waterfall before turning around and descending. It is possible in continuing the hike above the falls to Frankenstein Cliffs – this turn the loop into a 5 mile hike.

You can see a longer description of the hike below.

Arethusa Falls Hike

Map of the Arethusa Falls Hike

Things to Know About the Arethusa Falls Hike

How to Get to the Arethusa Falls Parking Lot

The Arethusa Falls Trailhead is located right off route 302 in a well marked and well signed parking lot. This is a popular trail, so even this large parking lot does fill up so try to arrive early. If you are drive up to Arethusa Falls and want to do more than this short hike, you can also take the short hike to Mount Willard or Ripley Falls.

Are dogs allowed at Arethusa Falls?

Arethusa Falls is a dog friendly hike and dogs should be leashed. You will see many other people and dogs on this hike.

Is Arethusa Falls a Good hike in the Winter?

The Arethusa falls winter hike is a great option for a short hike during the cold season. Depending on the time of year and the severity of the winter, the waterfall may be all or partly frozen. You may also see ice climbers at Arethusa Falls. Most of the photos in this post are for a winter hike to Arethusa Falls.

If you are hiking to Arethusa Falls in the winter, make sure you have a good pair of microspikes.

Can you Swim at Arethusa Falls?

You can swim at Arethusa Falls, but the better swimming spots are downstream from here and you may find some places to dip your feet or take a dip just off the Bemis Brook Trail.

Is Arethusa Falls a Good Hike with Kids?

Arethusa Falls is one of our favorite White Mountain hikes with kids. It has just enough challenge for most kids and families will enjoy the walk along the Brook and the waterfall at the end.

Ice Climbers on Arethusa Falls
Arethusa Falls Hike: Ice Climbers on Arethusa Falls

Details of Hiking to Arethusa Falls

The parking lot is up Arethusa Falls Road. From the lot, follow the trail uphill until it shortly crosses the railroad tracks. You will see a steep little climb with some trail signs and a split of the Arethusa Falls trail (right) and the Bemis Brook Trial (left). We recommend hiking up the Bemis Brook Trail as long as you are ok with a little scramble towards the end of the trail. It’s much easier to hike up the Bemis Brook Trail than come down.

We first did this hike as a family when our twins were around 5 and we mostly carried our two year old. Since then we’ve hike this trail a number of time is every season.

Bemis Brook Trail

This is a seriously pretty hiking trail that snakes along the the Bemis Brook. The trail has a series of small but pretty waterfalls including Coliseum Falls. The water cascades over the rocks in many places and forms deep pools in others. The only time I don’t recommend this trail is in the winter when the snow and ice cover the brook.

The Bemis Brook Trail is a great hike with kids and is a fun and interesting way to start off the hike.

After a steep uphill scramble, the trail rejoins the main trail and begins a steady ascent.

Arethusa Falls Trail

This trail is steady with a low to medium slope. If you are an experienced hiker, you will likely find this an easy walk despite the classic rocky trail. If you aren’t a frequent hiker, be ready to sweat and puff your way up this section. Since this is one of the easier and popular hiking trails in the White Mountains you will see people hiking with flip flops and other inappropriate footwear. While the trail is easy we definitely recommend sneakers or hiking boots, a snack, and extra water.

Right before reaching the end of the hiking trail, the trail descends back down to the Bemis Brook. From here Arethusa Falls is directly ahead. The base of the waterfall has plenty of places to sit and enjoy the falls, but it can also get very crowded on busy summer days.

After enjoying the waterfall, you simply hike out the way you came in on the Arethusa Falls trail (skip the Bemis Brook Trail on the return to the trailhead and parking lot).

Before heading off on the trail, check out the recent trail conditions by reading the comments on All Trails.

Looking for more great hikes in NH? Check out:

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