Flume Cascade

Flume Cascade is situated roadside along Route 302 in Crawford Notch State Park, about a mile south of Crawford House at the summit of Crawford Notch (known as Gates of the Notch). Large pullouts are offered on either side of the bridge below the falls.Flume Cascade is the smaller of the two lofty but low-volume cascading waterfalls found just south of the height of land in Crawford Notch State Park. The falls run parallel to neighboring Silver Cascade, forming a series of horsetails and leaps which drop about 400 feet in all over a linear run of about 900 feet. Like Silver Cascade the falls are visible from along Route 302 as it passes just south of Gates of the Notch, but unlike its neighbor Flume Cascade is not nearly as visible from the highway due to the way the stream's channel is carved through the surrounding forest. Despite the pronounced bedrock channel, the stream feeding the falls is quite small and doesn't flow with much force for more than a month out of the year. Viewing the falls from the road, the final small slides and cascades of the series are easily visible - dropping perhaps 30 feet - but those with a keen eye may notice the stream extending a long way up the hillside, with broad expanses of granite cliffs visible through the trees but not much hint of the waterfall visible there (outside of periods of extremely heavy runoff at least). The only clear views of the entire falls are had from the opposite side of the valley - a view afforded by a ride on the Conway Scenic Railroad but not accessible by trails.