Beede Falls - Nature's Waterpark!
- mharding221
- Aug 29, 2015
- 3 min read
If you're like me, you love gazing at the majesty of a rushing waterfall...but your kids probably have different ideas - they wanna get in there and play in that shit, amiright?! So this summer (which I'm not ready to let go of yet), we went searching for waterfalls that were both beautiful and safe to swim in.
Our new favorite hidden gem (and I mean that quite literally) is Beede Falls in Sandwich, NH (not too far from Squam Lake).
Admittedly, the road in is pretty sketchy - a bumpy mixture of dirt and rocks - but hey, my 12 year old Corolla could traverse it, so give it a shot! And for your bravery, you'll be rewarded with a tranquil, natural waterpark!
A couple miles down the road, as I silently cursed myself for not renewing my AAA membership, a dirt parking lot suddenly appeared on our right. We pulled in and parked just as two SUVs were unloading nine or ten 20 and 30-something year old guys - and one tiny, cute baby. :)
The trailhead to Beede Falls is clearly marked, just off the parking lot. We scampered down the easy path and soon caught sight of a gentle pool gathered around a wide, rushing waterfall. The pool, with a depth of about 2 feet, was a perfect, calm spot for wading. The bottom was lined with rocks and flat-ish boulders, so watershoes or sturdy flipflops will help protect delicate feet - although not mandatory. The rocks were remarkably free of the usual layer of slippery slime that can build up in natural pools.
Some of the older kids and adults we encountered were disappointed that they couldn't slide down the waterfall though. Directly below the falls sit two gigantic flat boulders, with only about a foot of water covering them - and I doubt the water level ever rises enough to make sliding down safe.
Overall, this was an awesome spot to cool off, and I'd recommend for kids 18 months and up (ie: strong walkers).
After we cooled off a bit, we decided to explore some of the surrounding trails - and I'm so glad we did!
We stumbled upon a gorgeous spot filled with mini waterfalls. (Note: I think the trail sign we followed said "Lower Falls", but I forgot to take a picture of it because we were having too much fun exploring!)
The water just barely covers this huge rocky area, but the rushing strength of it is still enough (in some spots) to help tiny bums slide down. There was even one 7 foot long "waterslide" that I was able to ride, ending in a big splash into a tiny pool about eighteen inches deep. My son and I both loved it!
If you keep climbing down, you'll find a larger, deeper pool at the bottom. My four year old can't swim yet, and was having too much fun sliding, so we didn't bother going in. Judging by the darkness of the water here, I'd say it was about 5 feet deep. I should also note that this pool rests at the bottom of this very large, rocky waterfall. The climb down was easy - even barefoot - but the first few feet back up was a bit challenging for my Munchkin, and I had to hoist him up a few times. So, if you're coming with a 2 year old, I wouldn't bother climbing down farther than about halfway, where our favorite waterslide was (you can see the Munchkin riding it below).
We played here for a couple hours before I had to tear my son away so we could set up camp at Whit's End Campground (about 30 minutes away) before dark.
Oh, and that group of guys I mentioned earlier? It turns out they were part of a wedding party, and just making a quick stop before meeting up with the rest of the family.
When we first reached the bottom of the Beede Falls trail, one of the guys had found a large, perfectly-flat boulder to change his baby on, before heading into the waterfall's pool. :)
Wanderer's Tip: *There are NO bathrooms here (aside from Nature's toilet), so plan accordingly.
*If you visit mid-late July, you'll find wild blueberries along the trails surrounding the Lower Falls area.
תגובות