Step Falls Preserve, plus other Grafton Notch waterfalls

Step Falls trail in blue.

Along Route 26, you can make several stops to check out glorious falls. The first one, Step Falls, is the most famous and popular, and could be quite crowded on hot summer days. The stream runs over smoothed, wide rocks into deep green pools for a little less than half the length of the 0.5-mile trail.

Although there is a place for handicap parking here, the trail is not accessible. It’s rooty and steep in places, but thankfully short as eager children will be racing toward the shoots and pools. The trail ends at a fence marking private property.

Farther west along Route 26, you can take a short walk (0.25-mile) at Screw Augur Falls and another at Moose Cove. Mother Walker Falls is in between the two — and is not quite as impressive as the other spots. At Moose Cove, the short trail is wide and easy, with steps, boardwalks, and overlooks.

Directions: Going west on Route 26 toward the state park, you’ll see the preserve parking lot on the right, just before Wight Brook, about eight miles from Route 2. It’l the second preserve you’ll pass — the first is for Stewart Family Preserve and Grafton Loop Trail. The preserve is ten miles from the New Hampshire border, 14 miles northwest of Bethel and one-half mile southeast of Grafton Notch State Park.
While most of my pics depict Step Falls, the slideshow include two shots from Screw Augur and Moose Cove.