Kimball Falls

Length: 2.6 miles out-and-back

Difficulty (click for info): Beginner

Elevation Gain: 250 feet (+50 feet on return)

Rating (click for info): 6/10

Height: 60'

Source: unnamed brook

Driving Directions:
Trailhead is on Sculptured Rocks Road in Groton, NH. From Rt. 3A at the northern end of Newfound Lake, 8.8 miles north of the junction with Rt. 104 in Bristol and 4.9 miles south of the traffic circle at Rt. 25, drive west on North Shore Road into the town center of Hebron. At the junction with West Shore Road, the road becomes Groton Road. Continue 1.6 miles. Continue straight again as North Groton Road turns off to the right and the road becomes Sculptured Rocks Road. After 2.6 miles, the maintained portion of the road ends at a cul-de-sac where a private road takes off to the left. Park on the right side of the road. Click here for a Google map.

About the Hike:
The Cockermouth River is most famous for the geological wonder of Sculptured Rocks, where the river has worn down the ledge in a deep gorge into a variety of fascinating shapes. It's a well-advertised and popular location, for good reason. But not many visitors know of the bigger waterfall on a tributary not far upstream. Just off the side of the Cockermouth is a tall gorge that rivals the magnitude of Sculptured Rocks. While it doesn't have any of the interesting rock formations, the sheer size of the boulders and ledges and the variety of the cascades and plunges on the brook as it flows through are quite impressive. While officially nameless, the falls are often called to as "Kimball Falls" in reference to the NH Fish & Game conservation area they are located in, the Kimball Hill Wildlife Management Area, as well as Kimball Hill, where the brook that feeds the falls flows down from. The falls are located just a few miles up the road from the Sculptured Rocks wayside and are visible from the road, but the road becomes class 6 and is varying degrees of passable at different times of the year. This adds a mellow 1.3-mile stroll down the road to your visit, turning a drive-up attraction into a quick hike. Start out from the end of the maintained portion of Sculptured Rocks Road and continue on foot down the class 6 road (the right fork). The road parallels the Cockermouth River as it leads into the steep-walled valley. After a quarter mile, stay straight as another road diverges to the left. In another half mile, the road swings to the left and crosses a brook, then continues into flatter terrain. The falls are reached after another 0.6 miles. They are set back a bit from the road, where the brook crosses under in a culvert and empties into the river. It is possible to walk off the road a bit to get a closer look. The jumble of boulders in the huge gorge are intermixed with playful little cascades and falls in the brook.

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