Diana’s Baths: Nature’s Cascading Pools

If covered bridges are the Valley’s quiet historians, Diana’s Baths is its natural playground — and it has a history all its own. The falls are named after the Roman goddess Diana, protector of forests and streams. In the 1800s, this wasn’t just a beautiful spot — it was a worksite. The Lucy family, early settlers in the area, built a sawmill here powered by the same water that now tumbles over granite ledges. Remnants of stone foundations from that mill still sit along the falls, hiding in plain sight for sharp-eyed visitors.

The trail in is short — just 0.6 miles — but it’s like stepping into a different world. You start in a shaded pine forest, the ground soft with needles, the air carrying that unmistakable scent of sap and earth. The sound of rushing water builds gradually until the forest opens and you see it: a series of cascades stretching over 300 feet, water spilling in ribbons into smooth rock pools.

Back in the Victorian era, guests from the grand hotels of North Conway would take carriages out here for picnics and a “refreshing dip.” The falls haven’t changed much since — though now it’s hikers in quick-dry clothes instead of visitors in Sunday dress.

📍 Trailhead: 3725 West Side Rd, Bartlett, NH 03812
📞 White Mountain National Forest Info: (603) 447-5448

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