Date of Hike: 9/1/13
Gale River Trail: 2.2 miles / Bushwhack: 1.5 miles / Garfield Ridge Trail: 1.0 miles / Garfield Trail: 4.0 miles / Ski mobile trail and Gale River Loop Road: 1.3 miles
Total Miles: 10.0 miles (2,900 feet elevation gain)
Trip Report
- Hawthorne Falls is a secluded waterfall and is a hidden gem of the White Mountains. The waterfall used to be reached by the original route of the Gale Rive Trail, which branched off the present day trail at the Garfield Stream crossing 2.2 miles from the trailhead. The original trail followed the stream to Hawthorne Falls and eventually topped off in the col below the summit of Mount Garfield on the Garfield Ridge Trail.
- For some reason, unknown to me, the original trail was abandoned and the trail was re-routed to the present day boringness that brings you to the Garfield Ridge Trail just over a half mile from the Galehead Hut.
- The bushwhack starts off really tame and believe it or not the old trail corridor can be followed here and there for the first few tenths of a mile. There are mini waterfalls and beautiful slabs with cascades just out of site which can be reached by a quick side trip down the banks into Garfield Stream.
- The original trail moved away from the stream a little bit but I stayed close to the stream so I could keep dropping down to check out if I could see Hawthorne Falls. However I would not catch a glimpse of it until I made it to the bottom of the falls.
- The going was slow and gnarly. Other than the usual bushwhacking obstacles; blowdowns, branches, fir waves, I ran into 'moss traps,' I made sure to be careful that I was stepping on moss that was over a rock and not a gaping hole which could have lead to a badly twisted ankle.
- I kept dropping down to the stream, then climbed my way back up the bank of the river and pushed ahead until I heard a loud volume of water and dropped down and was at the bottom of Hawthorne Falls. The site was incredible, the waterfall drops through a gorge with a beautiful ledge wall on the right, a gem pool in front, with some nice rock viewing points below all of it. What a special place!
- Hawthorne Falls is about thirty-five feet to forty feet high if I had to guess and was well worth the pain in the butt bushwhack at times to reach it.
- After taking a long break to admire the falls I continued on, making another stop above the falls before pushing through the woods for another half hour and popping out on the Garfield Ridge Trail.
- From here I went to the summit of Mount Garfield where I ran into Tim who was doing a Pemi Loop with two friends. Views from the summit were great as usual and I lounged around on the rocks for about twenty minutes before booking it down the Garfield Trail.
- At the lower end of the trail I hooked onto ski mobile trails back to Gale River Loop Road before making it back to my car.
- Hiking to Hawthorne Falls was a great adventure and I enjoyed it a lot. I wish I knew the reason as to why they stopped using this route to the Garfield Ridge Trail, it's too bad because the Garfield Stream has many beautiful spots along the way.
Gale River Trail: 2.2 miles / Bushwhack: 1.5 miles / Garfield Ridge Trail: 1.0 miles / Garfield Trail: 4.0 miles / Ski mobile trail and Gale River Loop Road: 1.3 miles
Total Miles: 10.0 miles (2,900 feet elevation gain)
Trip Report
- Hawthorne Falls is a secluded waterfall and is a hidden gem of the White Mountains. The waterfall used to be reached by the original route of the Gale Rive Trail, which branched off the present day trail at the Garfield Stream crossing 2.2 miles from the trailhead. The original trail followed the stream to Hawthorne Falls and eventually topped off in the col below the summit of Mount Garfield on the Garfield Ridge Trail.
- For some reason, unknown to me, the original trail was abandoned and the trail was re-routed to the present day boringness that brings you to the Garfield Ridge Trail just over a half mile from the Galehead Hut.
- The bushwhack starts off really tame and believe it or not the old trail corridor can be followed here and there for the first few tenths of a mile. There are mini waterfalls and beautiful slabs with cascades just out of site which can be reached by a quick side trip down the banks into Garfield Stream.
- The original trail moved away from the stream a little bit but I stayed close to the stream so I could keep dropping down to check out if I could see Hawthorne Falls. However I would not catch a glimpse of it until I made it to the bottom of the falls.
- The going was slow and gnarly. Other than the usual bushwhacking obstacles; blowdowns, branches, fir waves, I ran into 'moss traps,' I made sure to be careful that I was stepping on moss that was over a rock and not a gaping hole which could have lead to a badly twisted ankle.
- I kept dropping down to the stream, then climbed my way back up the bank of the river and pushed ahead until I heard a loud volume of water and dropped down and was at the bottom of Hawthorne Falls. The site was incredible, the waterfall drops through a gorge with a beautiful ledge wall on the right, a gem pool in front, with some nice rock viewing points below all of it. What a special place!
- Hawthorne Falls is about thirty-five feet to forty feet high if I had to guess and was well worth the pain in the butt bushwhack at times to reach it.
- After taking a long break to admire the falls I continued on, making another stop above the falls before pushing through the woods for another half hour and popping out on the Garfield Ridge Trail.
- From here I went to the summit of Mount Garfield where I ran into Tim who was doing a Pemi Loop with two friends. Views from the summit were great as usual and I lounged around on the rocks for about twenty minutes before booking it down the Garfield Trail.
- At the lower end of the trail I hooked onto ski mobile trails back to Gale River Loop Road before making it back to my car.
- Hiking to Hawthorne Falls was a great adventure and I enjoyed it a lot. I wish I knew the reason as to why they stopped using this route to the Garfield Ridge Trail, it's too bad because the Garfield Stream has many beautiful spots along the way.
From the 1922 Guide Paths to the White Mountains
1937 National Geographic Map
Garfield Stream crossing on the Gale River Trail
Old Gale River Trail
Old Gale River Trail corridor
Garfield Stream Staircase Falls
Staircase Falls, a few tenths of a mile into the bushwhack
The falls has a nice shallow pool below it
A nice volume of water running over the falls
Staircase Falls
Staircase Falls
A nice cascade leading into a shallow pool on Garfield Stream
Another view of the small cascade and a very old moss covered blowdown
Top of the cascade
View from the top of the cascade
Looking down to two levels of pools
Another mini waterfall
The beautiful Garfield Stream
Garfield Stream
Looking down to 'Commandment' rock
Commandment Rock
Garfield Stream
Lil' Hawthorne Falls
Lil' Hawthorne Falls
Garfield Stream
Hawthorne Falls
Hawthorne Falls
Hawthorne Falls
Hawthorne Falls with a deep pool in front of it.
Looking up to the top ledge above Hawthorne Falls
Hawthorne Falls
The ledges of Hawthrone Falls
Below Hawthorne Falls
At Hawthorne Falls
Hawthorne Falls
Hawthorne Falls
Above Hawthorne Falls
Garfield Stream
Garfield Stream Gem Pool
Garfield Stream
Bushwhack!
Garfield Ridge Trail
Galehead Mountain from Garfield Ridge Trail
Owl's Head
The Bonds
Galehead, the hut, and the Twin Range
Galehead and the Twin Range
North Twin
Franconia Ridge
Mount Truman and Lincoln
Looking down into the valley where Hawthorne Falls is
Mount Garfield Summit
Franconia Ridge
Owl's Head
Galehead Hut
Owl's Head, Mount Liberty and Flume Mountain
Owl's Head
Pemigewasset Wilderness
Looking towards the Bonds
High Clouds above the White Mountains
Bondcliff
Bondcliff
West Bond and Bondcliff
Galehead and the Twin Range
Franconia Ridge
Garfield Trail
Garfield Trail
Garfield Trail
Old ski mobile Trail
Ski Mobile Trail
Following a ski mobile Trail
Old roads off of the Gale River Loop Road
An open field off the Gale River Loop Road
???
Beautiful day in the Whites
Old road that the snow mobilers use
Road restriction sign off Gale River Loop Road
Gale River Loop Road
Gale River Trailhead
Terrific report, Chris! Loved the insertion of the page from the 1922 guidebook. And most of all, I loved the part of your trek that involved the bushwhack to Hawthorne Falls. That is such a beautiful spot. On one of my whacks to that destination a few years ago, I met two guys sitting on a rock in the middle of the brook. They had bushwhacked down to the falls from Garfield Ridge. Wonder what the odds are of this happening? :-)
ReplyDeleteJohn
Thanks John! It must have been a beautiful trail back in the day, Garfield Stream is one of the most picturesque streams I've ever come across, a real gem leading up to the beautiful Hawthorne Falls!
DeleteSome photos seem to show you on the left side of Garfield Stream and some on the right. Did you stick to one side when bushwhacking or did you cross from time to time ?
ReplyDeleteHi Ben,
DeleteI stuck to the left side of the stream for almost all of it. If I remember correctly there was one short section I went to the right of the stream but should have stuck to the left. There were a lot of times I dropped back down into the stream to take pictures in the middle of the stream as it was a warm summer day and the water levels were low so that's why it looks like I was on both sides from the pics.
FYI - That field is used by the AMC to stage their helicopter flies up to Galehead Hut in May, September, and October. Those green barrels are extra empty "crapper barrels", which are used to transport human waste (what remains after a year or two in the Clivus composting system) on its journey out of the hut via helicopter and to a sewage treatment facility.
ReplyDeleteGood to know! I'm happy I stayed away from the "crapper barrels" and just took pictures of it :)
DeleteI just read recently that the trail to Hawthorne Falls was abandoned after the 1938 hurricane pretty much obliterated it. It would be nice if it would re-open but I guess until it does I'll have to bushwhack and get to the falls that way.
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, glad to know when and why the trail was abandoned, it's too bad as it's a great spot to have a trail pass by. Unfortunately there's no way it would ever be re-opened, the AMC and forest service never creates new trails in places where they have others close by, (Gale River and Garfield Trail). However the adventure trying to whack to the falls is quite the experience, hope you can attempt it and are successful!
Delete