Jail Falls

Jail Falls is the middle of three significant waterfalls along the Bear River within Grafton Notch State Park, and likely the least visited of the trio due to a complete lack of developed access or signage calling out the location of the falls. The falls occur where the Bear River flows across an exposure of granitic bedrock which has been glacially scoured and polished, similar to nearby Screw Auger Falls. At Jail Falls however, instead of dropping into a narrow gorge the river tumbles 16 feet into a pothole which has been carved in an otherwise fairly uniform cliff face, and then spills another 8 feet out of the pothole and into a larger pool at the foot of the cliff. The most interesting feature at the falls however is not related to the waterfall itself, but rather the inspiration for the name of the falls. Just north of the falls is a huge pothole carved into the bedrock which measures approximately 60-70 feet in diameter and has sheer walls 30 feet tall for almost its entire periphery – only a small breach on the downstream side allows access or egress. One could easily imagine the feature serving as a makeshift jail of sorts. The Bear River upstream from Jail Falls drains from a basin which covers approximately 5 square miles in area, and while there are no substantial lakes feeding the basin, there are several small ponds and bogs which help regulate the flow of the river through the year and ensure a modest flow of water in the falls at all times.The name of the waterfall obviously comes from its position relative to the adjacent "Jail" pothole - whether it was actually used as some sort of prison at one time long ago is not known. It had also been referred to simply as The Falls at times past.