5 Waterfalls in one day 4-16-11

[sdways01]

So this was actually 3 hikes and two road side stops, but I thought people might still want to see. My mother wanted to see some of the waterfalls in the white this spring when the water levels might be up with snow melt. So we took a day trip driving through the White Mtns, and stopping at as many waterfalls as we could.

We started with Sabbaday Falls. The short 0.3 miles trail to the falls was all hard packed snow and was easy walking. The steps around the falls are icy (and would be why they are actually closed), but I had my microspikes just in case and they came in handy.


Next we did a stop on the side of the road for Rocky Gorge Falls. The short path to the falls was bare ground and an easy walk.


Then we went down the road just a bit more for another road side stop at Lower Swift Falls.


After lunch in North Conway, we went to see if the parking lot to Diana's Bath was open and it was. The trail going into the falls was mostly bare ground with small patches of ice. There was a little ice on the trail next to the falls, but not bad at all.


We saved what would be the best for last and now headed to Ripley Falls. The road up to the parking lot was closed. So we headed up from the highway. The snow was soft and a little hard going as all the winter hikers had taken different paths up so there was not main hard path. When we got onto the actual trail though, there was a pretty easy to follow hard pack of snow. Hiking up the trail wasn't bad, but my mother kept getting off to the side of the hard pack near the falls and falling in. I plunged the stick I was carrying into the snow to find out there is still a little over two feet of snow here. When we got to the falls the hike had been worth it though.



Now I just need to go through the rest of the photos and get them uploaded