Rocky Gorge Scenic Area

Another stop on the Kancamagus Highway and part of the Swift River. There is a waterfall, narrow gorge, and granite slabs. There is a beautiful pedestrian bridge, a great spot for photos. The parking lot had plenty of spaces when we went and it's part of the White Mountains National Park. The walk to the waterfall was short. I really enjoyed walking around this spot and seeing the waterfall. It's very peaceful. I would recommend watching your steps near the edge because the rushing water looks very powerful. Overall, worth a stop!

Sure, you can see a nice waterfall here, but that's not the main attraction. This is one of the BEST places to dip yourself in a river for a short swim! It's a much more intimate experience than the nearby and often overcrowded Lower Falls. We visited in Aug 2025 and enjoyed it a lot. Parking lot at the site ($5). Strongly recommended!

We stopped here on our leaf peeping road trip. Beautiful falls and view of river. Short walk to a pretty pond. Not too busy. Out houses. Parking fee. Very pretty.

Nice area to stop if you are driving on the Kanc (Kangamagus Highway) there are bathrooms available and there is a trail down to the falls and river that is handicap accessible. The river is a one minute walk from the parking area. The walk way I think is paved to the bridge if not it’s smooth for a wheel chair. On the other side of the bridge it’s dirt. There’s a trail around the pond as well.

I absolutely LOVE this place! In spite of a full parking lot ( saw when we were leaving), I didn't realize how many people were actually there. I've gone here for years. Found a great spot to leave towels coolers, etc that had shade and the most wonderful breeze. The pools are deep or not depending on where you stand. Lots of waterfalls to sit in, yes sit in while the water massages your shoulders and back. It's a little bit oh heaven. Oh, if you enter the Kanc Hwy from the Conway side, stop in the ranger station to get your parking pass for $5, no lines here like we saw at the Gorge. It's good for multiple sites along the Kanc. Enjoy the cool water & have lots of fun!

My number 1 pick in Kancamagus HW. It has multiple attractions, a river, a beautiful bridge over water stream, a lake, multiple trails for hiking. You can spend half a day here. The hiking trail goes around the lake for 3 miles and it is extremly beautiful. I visited on October 4th 2025 and it was sunny and warm. Parking is a challange. If you are lucky, someone leaves and it becomes available. It is $5 cash. If you see cars parked by the road, that means, it is full. Jus park there and walk inside. There is an Outhouse restroom that smells horrible.

This was worth a stop. Waterfall, bridge small lake and trek must visit highly recommended

The drive to rocky gorge was scenic and generally NH is scenic, though there was no WOW factor at this place. Small tracks with nothing much to do … make sure to carry $5 cash for parking.. you have to put the money in an envelope and write down the car details on that.

Another stop on the Kancamagus Highway and part of the Swift River. There is a waterfall, narrow gorge, and granite slabs. There is a beautiful pedestrian bridge, a great spot for photos. The parking lot had plenty of spaces when we went and it's part of the White Mountains National Park. The walk to the waterfall was short. I really enjoyed walking around this spot and seeing the waterfall. It's very peaceful. I would recommend watching your steps near the edge because the rushing water looks very powerful. Overall, worth a stop!

Five star all around! Another wonderful stop to make along the Kancamagus Highway. It's very busy in the fall, but usually it's a nice stroll the rest of the year. What people don't realize is there is a wonderful 1.3 mile loop around the pond that is across the gorge bridge and unto more paths that will take you that way. Falls pond trail is the name. In the winter the pond is frozen over and it plays host to hockey players and skaters alike. It's another one of those beautiful in every season spots. The bridge crosses the gorge and you can stand above it and watch. There is absolutely no swimming , and signs all over but I still often see people swimming there. Buses and buses of people show up as well. Spring and winter are the quiet times to explore the area. There is one major gorge/ waterfall area as the beautiful swift river winds its way to the mighty Saco. Fall colors here are remarkably wonderful and the reason why traffic is so insane from late September to mid October. There is a large parking lot, and paved trails right over the bridge, so wheelchairs can enjoy this adventure as well! They cannot go all the way around the back pond, but they can enjoy a majority of this stop!

Along the way, the next stop was Rocky Gorge. We parked our car and it's just a couple of minutes' walk. it was not summer, so we walked in the gorge, and took some pictures. The Fall tree colors were awesome. Swimming is not allowed at the Rocky Gorge scenic area because of the force of the river flowing through the narrow gorge, which has been carved by glaciers. This is a short paved trail to a bridge looking over the beautiful Rocky Gorge. There are restrooms at the trailhead.

Beautiful area. I recently went in July of 2023, and due to the floods in Vermont, the current was strong. They have a nice walking path, if dipping your feet in the water isn't your thing! Lovely area

Beautiful spot. Watchout if you have children! It goes all the way to the cliff of the gorge and rover without any railings. It is paved going through the bridge so strollers are fine. Payment for entrance is through honesty, there is an envelope on the entrance of the pavement with instructions on how to fill in.

Rocky Gorge is beautiful... and possibly haunted... but mostly it's just beautiful (and maybe a little haunted, too, but you make that decision yourself). Haunted? Apparently, in the summer of 1942, a lovely young woman - and very talented swimmer - named Dorothy Sparks was hanging out with friends at Rocky Gorge (which is a chasm of jagged granite where the Swift River cuts through). She went for a swim. Later, as her friends were hiking, they wondered where Dorothy was (thinking she was right behind them). She was not. The friends looked for her all around the hiking trails, they looked for her in the water thinking she was trapped among the rocks below the falls. Eventually the park rangers came to help with the search. As they were about to call off the search for the night, someone saw a hand swaying back and forth in the water. So, one of the rangers reached down with a pole to get her... and when he reached below the water to pull her up himself, her cold, clammy fingers closed around his wrist and squeezed it. Or so the "Why we can't swim at Rocky Gorge" story goes in a big sign before the bridge. HOWEVER (turn of events!), the last time we came to the Rocky Gorge they had removed ALL of the placards about this story! Why? IDK, but now I'm not sure what's real and true. Beautiful? This is an absolute must stop when you're driving on the Kanc. It's very easy to navigate and the difficulty level is probably a zero if you're just going to the bridge (so if you've got a stroller or are wheelchair bound, don't think you have to miss this! over the years they've done such a good job at flattening and widening the path too). Basically, it's a walk along the Swift River that leads up to a very safe and sturdy foot bridge where you can see picturesque views of the White Mountain National Forest, the river, the (as you now know, very powerful) rapids, and the "waterfalls" that are created because of rocks + water (obviously if you're feeling adventurous, you can spend some time climbing on the rocks near the waterfalls themselves!). If you keep walking across the footbridge, and go around to the other side, there's a little trail that's lined with a tremendous amount of spearmint. It leads around to a tiny pond with another sign talking about the wildlife you might see and why it's important to the ecosystem. Lots of people don't walk down here, so if you want a quiet spot to sit and read or picnic at, definitely take the extra five minutes. CARRY IN, CARRY OUT PLEASE.

Another great stop along the kancamagus highway. The view is breathtaking and is a must to see. Keep in mind it can get busy here so parking may be limited. There is only 1 bathroom so they will be a line to wait in. Great to visit in autumn.