As you walk through the Flume, look at the floor of the Gorge and you many notice remnants of the main basalt dike, and on the walls of the gorge, small trees are growing. As you begin the trail, you will come across the Flume Covered Bridge, one of the oldest covered bridges in the states. The highly fractured granite and basalt have been eroded by frost action as well as by the brook’s water. The Flume Gorge Trail is a 2.2 mile loop, one-way trail that leads you up and through an 800 foot natural gorge. After the Ice Age, Flume Brook began to flow through the valley again. It partially filled the valley with glacial debris and removed soil and weathered rock from the vicinity. A Fun Hike to Flume Gorge - New Hampshire - Leisurely Drives. The gorge was covered by glaciers during the Ice Age, but the ice sheet did not greatly change the surface. Afterwards you can visit the gift shop and eat at the food court. If You Go: THE FLUME GORGE: Located off Route 93 at 852 Daniel Webster Highway, Lincoln, New Hampshire, about 2 hours, 45 minutes north of Boston. The trail to the gorge is a two mile loop that can seem very drawn-out. Near the end of the gorge’s loop trail, a glance to the northeast reveals Mount Liberty which, to some, looks like the first president lying on his back. You can walk into the gorge, look at waterfalls, walk across bridges and observe many types of wildlife. The basalt dikes eroded faster than the surrounding Conway granite, creating a deepening valley where the Flume Gorge is now. Flume Gorge is a beautiful place with many different views. As the overlying rock was worn away, the pressure was relieved and horizontal cracks developed, allowing water to get into the rock layers. Had this material ever reached the surface, it would have become lava flows.Įrosion gradually lowered the earth’s surface and exposed the dikes. Hiking the Flume Gorge is an awe-inspiring experience that should be on every nature lover’s bucket list. The Start of the trail: The Glacial Boulder and A Covered Bridge. Because of this quick cooling, the basalt is a fine-grained rock. While Flume Gorge is what draws everyone to this trail, there are other stunning views to see as you make your way along the 2.2 mile trail.
Osseo in Franconia Notch State Park.The main attraction is a 2 mile walking trail including boardwalks through the gorge itself for an incredible close-up view. The basalt crystallized quickly against the relatively cold granite. The Flume is a spectacular natural gorge at the base of Mt. The basalt came from deep within the earth as a fluid material, and because of pressure, was able to force the Conway granite aside. If you want a short hike, follow the 0.5 mile Rim Trail back down from the top of the waterfall. Sometime after the fractures were formed, small dikes of basalt were forced up along the fractures. Once you reach the top, you have two options for returning. Paths are graded gravel, but steep in some places, with many stairs. Open between May and October (dates vary). Provenant des eaux du lac de Lamoura et des Hautes-Combes, le Flumen (fleuve en latin), s’infiltre dans les roches fissurées et après un parcours de 4 km, rejoint le Tacon. Located in Franconia Notch State Park, the Flume Gorge was founded in 1808 and is a natural granite gorge that extends 800 feet at the base of Mount Liberty. Nearly 200 million years ago in Jurassic times, the Conway granite that forms the walls of the Flume was deeply buried molten rock.Īs it cooled, the granite was broken by closely spaced vertical fractures which lay nearly parallel in a northeasterly direction. Au fond d’une vallée dominée par des sommets de plus de 1 000 m, les cascades du Flumen vous laisseront un souvenir inoubliable.