Nancy Cascades

Length: 5.0 miles out-and-back

Difficulty (click for info): Easy

Elevation Gain: 1620 feet (+50 feet on return)

Rating (click for info): 7/10

Height: 300'

Source: Nancy Brook

Driving Directions:
Trailhead and parking area are on Rt. 302 in Hart's Location, NH (cascades are in Livermore), 17.7 miles south of Rt. 3 and 11.3 miles west of Rt. 16. Look for a small pull-off on the west side of the road with a trail sign, across from a clearing by the railroad tracks. If travelling eastbound, it will be on your right 0.9 miles after passing the entrance to the Notchland Inn. Click here for a Google map.

About the Hike:
The spectacular Nancy Cascades are kept from notoriety by the overshadowing popularity of Arethusa and Ripley Falls, just north into Crawford Notch State Park. The 300-foot high chain of white water is tucked into a valley on the east side of the Nancy Range, a cluster of mountains just below 4000 feet that are seldom visited by hikers due to the lack of trails. The Nancy Pond Trail is the only pathway through the range, and its first stop is these magnificent cascades. It's relatively low-effort to hike to the base of the falls, where you can enjoy the majestic wall of water without the crowds of other, more famous waterfalls in the area.

The Nancy Pond Trail begins just south of Crawford Notch, at the base of the valley around the Saco River. Head into a tall tree canopy past the trail sign and you'll be able to judge the character of the trail for the first portion of the hike - a fairly mellow, smooth pathway heading uphill at easy grades. You'll find a kiosk with a trail map set back into the woods about 0.1 miles. In the first half mile, the trail runs in proximity to several houses. Past the kiosk, the trail crosses a minor brook, and in 0.2 miles, crosses Halfway Brook, usually easy to step across on stones and a segment of ledge. Soon the trail joins up with a woods road and follows it uphill. This junction is more noticeable on the return trip, where you should take note to turn right off of it. In a half mile past the brook crossing, the trail approaches the top of a high, steep bank from which you can look down onto Nancy Brook. Pass a red-painted boundary monument demarcating a corner of the White Mountain National Forest. At this point, a sign also marks a private trail coming up from the Notchland Inn. The trail diverges away from sight of the brook and continues gently uphill on a wide forest corridor, and in 0.3 miles, crosses a nameless brook draining off the slopes of Duck Pond Mountain. Another half mile of easy terrain follows as the trail parallels Nancy Brook at a distance. After a narrower section where the pathway cuts across the hillside, it turns and crosses a wide, boulder-tossed section of Nancy Brook. Most of the rocks at this crossing are large and immobile, but high water can cover up some of them and make crossing difficult.

On the other bank, weave through an area damaged by washouts, where a dry channel of the brook has lacerated part of the trail. Fresh blazes guide you around the boulders to the trail route. Soon the trail crosses another small brook, and 0.2 miles upstream, passes scattered artifacts evidencing the remains of an old mill site. Just 0.1 miles past this, it turns right onto a series of switchbacks leading uphill to bypass a long section down low next to the brook that was washed out in a flood. After a moderate climb, the trail traverses across the hillside far up above the brook, then descends through scattered large boulders back to the brook, reaching it after a total of a half mile. The trail crosses crosses Nancy Brook for a second time, now within viewing distance of the first cascade. It wraps around through the woods briefly and emerges on a bank with a picturesque viewing window of the lowest, and most singularly impressive, of the Nancy Cascades. It is a delicate, fanning waterfall, and is great to photograph. You can approach the edge of the pool beneath the tumbling cascade by walking out on the stones around the edge. In higher flow conditions, the mist permeates the air.

It is worth a bit of effort to climb past the top of the first cascade to see what lies beyond. The trail surmounts the sharp slope beside the cliffs with a series of switchbacks. It does a good job of eliminating the severity of the slope, but rough terrain persists, with plenty of roots and rocks to climb over on the narrow trail. At the second switchback, the trail comes into view of the brook again in the middle of the second cascade, more of a low-angle water slide. Just over the edge at the bottom of this cascade is the top of the first. Just past this, the trail passes a window in the trees that allows for a view out toward Stairs Mountain and Mt. Resolution, which makes for a good turn-around point. But if you have the ambition, continue another 1.8 miles up to the spectacular Norcross Pond.

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