PRINT: Climbing in The Flume (Franconia Notch), * NH Ice and Mixed

The Flume (Franconia Notch)

New Hampshire > NH Ice & Mixed > - Franconia Notch

Description

"From interstate 93 northbound, take exit 34A (inside Franconia Notch) onto route 3 northbound. In less than half a mile you'll see the huge sign and parking lot for the Flume Gorge Visitor Center. Park here. Watch out for snowmobiles in the parking lot.

Make your way around the visitors' center (there should be at least one herdpath, just watch out for possible thin ice on the trout basins by the entrance). From behind the visitors' center a road and trail make their way northerly and downhill to a red covered bridge. Cross the bridge and continue following the road and trail uphill to a white building, which in summer is the terminus of a shuttle bus. Follow the very obvious trail past the white building and alongside the stream. (Ignore some side trails for now. One of them is the return leg of the trail, which runs along the top of the north side of the Gorge. Another leads away to the Pool, which is worth a visit but not the subject of this page.) Stay on the trail until the boardwalk abruptly ends at the west end of the Gorge. Revel in the glow of flashbulbs (no kidding - even in winter there will be car-tourists) as you ignore the "stop" sign and lower yourself a couple of feet onto the frozen stream. Walk through the gorge until you find a climb that's not already occupied." summitpost.org/the-flume-go…

Getting There

See above.

Photos [Hide ALL Photos]

Another shot of Bill Phillips climbing in Flume Gorge 1967.(from Super-8 movie film)

A happy Bill Philips close to topping out 1967 (from super-8 movie film)

Entry to the Flume

Laps at the Flume

Comments [Hide ALL Comments]

Ryan Barber
Rumney, NH

I know there is a lot of popular mixed climbing here (M4-M6), but I havn't found any good sources for route descriptions. Jan 25, 2013

E thatcher
Plymouth/ North Conway (NH)

I would think twice about mixed climbing here, Ryan. This is a very very popular tourist attraction that brings tourists right along side of the rock walls. I don't think they are coming here to see scratches from errant picks and poons. There's plenty of crappy rock elsewhere to scrap up that tourists don't walk by thousands of time each summer. The ice here is rad. We should keep it to that and be stoked Feb 24, 2013

M Sprague
New England

Brian, thanks for making the entry, but do you have permission from the Summit Post author to use their writing? If not, you should probably try to use your own prose, at least for part. Feb 25, 2013

Ryan Barber
Rumney, NH

That's fine Eric, I was just inquiring on the descriptions in the Sykes and Wilcox guidebooks. One of the routes is listed as WI 4 M 7 or something, but I wasn't exactly sure about its exact location from the description. I guess its towards the back side of the george. There is one route about halfway down the George before you get to the second set of stairs which requires a few drytool moves to gain entry, and then another 50 feet or so of fantastic technical thin ice to a bulgy chimney roof at the end. There's not a lot of first class protection, but its great for topropping, and I found it to be one of the most enjoyable single pitch climbs of the season. It seems to be a well travelled route as there are a lot of old tool placements that you can hook through the veirglass sections.

There was another fantastic 5+ solid free hanging pillar just left of the above route but that also required (at least this year) some delicate faceclimbing to reach it.

I was going to put some pictures up and add a few route descriptions on this page, but I won't bother if you think it might promote scratching of the area. It is easy enough to chose your own adventure one you get into the gorge and either toprope or lead some of the fatter sections of blue ice.

On a side note I love crappy rock in the winter. Must be a Scottish thing. Mar 22, 2013