Lower Glen Ellis Falls

Lower Glen Ellis Falls is a less significant waterfall found a short distance downstream from its much more famous sibling Glen Ellis Falls. The lower falls sees the river split into two channels which plunge 17 feet into a large pool. Between the base of Glen Ellis Falls and the top of Lower Glen Ellis Falls there are two more smaller cascades, neither of which are large enough to be considered for inclusion within this database, but both are pretty and worth stopping to admire. Another small cascade can be found just downstream of the lower falls as well. 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.