Glen Ellis Falls

The Glen Ellis Falls trail can be found along Route 16 in Pinkham Notch, about two-thirds of a mile south of the entrance to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center at the summit of Pinkham Notch. From the parking lot the trail runs beneath Route 16 and then parallels along the Ellis River for about one-eighth of a mile to reach a viewpoint at the top of the falls, passing the small upper falls en route. From there a set of stairs lead steeply down to the misty viewpoint at the base of the falls.Glen Ellis Falls is one of the most visited waterfalls in New Hampshire, and has long held a reputation as one of the finest waterfalls in the White Mountains. The Ellis River, produced from the convergence of the New and Cutler Rivers which drain the east flank of Mount Washington, plunges through a narrow notch and bounces off a small protuberance in the cliff, causing a bit of a roostertail effect as the water thunders 54 feet into a pool ringed by sheer cliffs, which amplify the roar of the pounding water to great effect. The falls are commonly cited as standing 64 feet tall, but our survey in 2008 produced a measurement about ten feet less than that figure - though if including the upper falls a short distance upstream it would be more or less a correct assessment. The Ellis River basin upstream of the falls covers an area of approximately 5.3 square miles, and includes the entire east flank of Mount Washington - itself drained by the Ellis, Cutler, and New Rivers (though all three are unequivocally rivers in name only). The high elevation of Mount Washington, plus the fact that it is known for generating its own weather, ensures that both a significant amount of precipitation falls within the basin above Glen Ellis Falls, and heavy snow is retained well into the summer in Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines, helping to sustain the river during the drier summer months. The falls flow at their strongest in April and May, but are entirely respectable at any time of year.The falls were known as Pitcher Falls until 1852, undoubtedly a reference to its sharp pouring plunge into the pool below. The current name was then applied by Henry Ripley, whose name is now immortalized in Ripley Falls found in Crawford Notch. We've also seen one or two mentions citing the falls as Glen Ellis Cascade, rather than "Falls", but this is a very outdated and isolated variant.