Franconia Notch State Park is a public recreation area and nature preserve that straddles eight miles (13 km) ofInterstate 93 as it passes throughFranconia Notch, amountain pass between the KinsmanRange andFranconia Range in theWhite Mountains of northernNew Hampshire,United States. The northern part of the park, including Cannon Mountain and Echo and Profile lakes, is in the town ofFranconia, and the southern part, including Lonesome Lake and the Flume, is inLincoln. Attractions in thestate park include theFlume Gorge^[4] and visitor center,^[5] theOld Man of the Mountain historical site,^[6] fishing inEcho Lake andProfile Lake, and miles of hiking, biking and ski trails.^[7]

Franconia Notch State Park
A composite image of the Franconia Notch State Park's famousOld Man of the Mountain, created from images taken before and after its collapse
Location	Lincoln andFranconia, Grafton County,New Hampshire,United States
Coordinates	44°08′58″N71°41′12″W / 44.14944°N 71.68667°W /44.14944; -71.68667[1]
Area	6,692.8 acres (2,708.5 ha)[2]
Elevation	2,067 feet (630 m)[1]
Established	1928[3]
Administered by	New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation
Designation	New Hampshire state park
Website	Franconia Notch State Park

The park is home toCannon Mountain, astate-owned ski resort started in the 1930s. The mountain is named for a rock formation in the shape of a cannon found on the summit, but the "Old Man of the Mountain" formation was by far the more famous; it collapsed in May 2003. Cannon is also famous for being one of the most challenging hills in New England. It boasts anaerial tram, which runs year-round, ferrying sightseers to the summit in the summer time and skiers in the winter.^[8] At the base of the tramway is theNew England Ski Museum, with exhibits on the history of alpine skiing in New England and America.^[9]

On the west side of the notch, halfway up the side of Cannon Mountain, isLonesome Lake, an easy day hike up the Lonesome Lake Trail from the state park's Lafayette Place campground. TheLonesome Lake Hut, one of numerous well-kept huts throughout the White Mountains that are maintained by theAppalachian Mountain Club, is found at the southwest end of the lake, near its outlet. Huts offer meals and lodging (reservations are recommended).

Opposite Cannon Mountain, on the east side of the notch, are the Eagle Cliffs, so named for the eagles that sometimes roost there. The Greenleaf Trail, a hiking trail, winds around the south side of the cliff and up toGreenleaf Hut, another AMC hut. East of Greenleaf Hut and outside the state park is the 5,249-foot (1,600 m) summit ofMount Lafayette and theFranconia Ridge Trail (also theAppalachian Trail). The Appalachian Trail continues north toMount Washington and eventually toMount Katahdin in Maine.

Beneath awaterfall in thePemigewasset River is agranitepothole about 20 feet (6 m) across known simply as "the Basin". It was scrubbed out by stones dragged (and eventually deposited) by the retreatingNorth American ice sheet, and since made smooth by 15 millennia of rapidly whirling pebbles and grit. Below the Basin is "Old Man's Foot", a distinctively shapedrock formation, also the natural result of Pemigewasset'serosive energy.^[10]

• Profile House
• List of mountain passes in New Hampshire

• Franconia Notch State Park New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
• Cannon Mountain New Hampshire Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
• Paintings of Franconia Notch White Mountain Art & Artists