The Basin
Franconia Notch Parkway (I-93)
Franconia Notch State Park, NH
A perfectly smooth granite bowl, scoured out over thousands of years by a whirlpool of meltwater and grinding stone at the foot of a Pemigewasset waterfall.
The Basin is one of Franconia Notch's most beloved natural curiosities, a large, almost perfectly smooth granite bowl set at the foot of a small waterfall on the Pemigewasset River. The water tumbles down a chute and swirls around and around inside the bowl, and it is that ceaseless whirlpool, armed with sand and stones, that ground the granite into its round, polished shape over thousands of years.
It has drawn admirers for a very long time. Henry David Thoreau came to see it and marveled at it, and generations of travelers through the notch have made the short walk to look down into the churning bowl. Because the walk is so easy and the setting so dramatic, the Basin is one of the most popular quick stops in the White Mountains.
What Guests Love
- A flawlessly smooth granite bowl carved by swirling water
- A very short, easy walk from the parkway
- The rushing chute and waterworn rock of the Pemigewasset River
- A quick, rewarding stop in the middle of Franconia Notch
Worth Knowing
- The walk from the parking area is short and easy, on the Franconia Notch bike path
- The wet granite is extremely slick, so stay behind the railings and off the rock
- It is a very popular stop, so parking fills on summer and fall weekends
- Combine it with other Franconia Notch stops for a full day in the notch
Details
Franconia Notch State Park, NH
Learn about The Basin
How the bowl was carved
The Basin is a giant pothole, a shape that forms where fast, falling water traps sand, gravel, and stones and spins them in a tight circle against the bedrock. Over enormous spans of time that swirling grit acts like a slow drill, grinding a round, smooth hollow into solid granite. The result at Franconia Notch is a bowl roughly thirty feet across with walls polished nearly glassy by the abrasion.
Geologists trace its beginnings to the end of the last ice age, when torrents of meltwater from the retreating glacier poured through the notch with tremendous force. The Pemigewasset River has kept the process going ever since, so the Basin is both an ice-age relic and a feature still being shaped by the water running through it today.
The walk and the water
Reaching the Basin could hardly be simpler. A short, mostly level path leads from the parking area along the Franconia Notch bike path to viewpoints and railings around the bowl, making it accessible to almost everyone, including families with small children.
From the railings you look down into the smooth granite bowl as the river pours in through a narrow chute above and spins in the pool below before continuing downstream over more waterworn ledges. The rock is beautiful but treacherously slick when wet, which is why the viewing areas keep visitors safely back from the water.
In the heart of Franconia Notch
The Basin sits in Franconia Notch State Park, a spectacular mountain pass squeezed between the Franconia Range and Cannon Mountain and threaded by a parkway. The notch is one of the scenic anchors of the White Mountains, and it packs an unusual number of natural attractions into a short stretch of road.
That makes the Basin a natural part of a larger day. Within the notch you can also visit the Flume Gorge, ride the tramway up Cannon Mountain, and remember the fallen Old Man of the Mountain, the granite profile that was the state's emblem until it collapsed in 2003. Strung together, they make Franconia Notch one of the great outings in New England.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Profile Motel & Cottages
Honorable Mention391 Styles Bridges Highway, Lincoln, NH
1 miles away|Learn More ›
Things to Do Near Franconia Notch
The Flume Gorge
About 3 miles, a 8 minute drive
A natural granite gorge with a boardwalk that leads between towering mossy walls beside a rushing brook.
Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway
About 3 miles, a 8 minute drive
A cable car to the summit of Cannon Mountain for sweeping views over the notch and the Franconia Range.
Old Man of the Mountain memorial
About 3 miles, a 8 minute drive
A lakeside plaza honoring the famous granite profile that was the symbol of New Hampshire until it fell in 2003.