When I moved to Nashua, NH for college I greatly missed living near the lakes and woods of Northern Maine. My first summer spent in Nashua, my now husband wanted to show me his favorites outdoor spots. We spent most of our free time in the North Conway/White Mountains area. One of the places that we visited frequently was the Lower Falls along the Kancamagus Highway. We loved swimming along the falls and in the cool river.
We have not been there in many years, I would say at least ten. Recently we were visiting Storyland and decided to stop to cool off on our way home. It has changed A LOT since we last visited.
My daughter and I went into the restroom to change and I was horrified by the condition. Trash, toilet paper and dirty feminine products were all over the bathroom. I felt so gross changing in there, that when we were done we changed in our car.
There is a small cost of $5 to park and visit the area. A positive change is that they have put in a boardwalk overlooking the falls area. There are also nice walking baths on the side of the river along with picnic tables. There are plenty of opportunities for a picnic. I did notice there was a lot of trash laying around. There was an information booth, but I did not see anyone in it.
As for the river and falls itself, it was still a lot of fun to swim and play around. My daughter enjoyed sliding down the rocks and swimming up under the waterfall. I also found it very relaxing to sit under the waterfall. The day we visited it was not very busy, but I can imagine that on hot days it can be a very popular and crowded place. As much as I love waterfalls and being able to swim I feel there are a lot better places to swim and relax in the White Mountains than the Lower Falls .