The best historic waterfalls in New Hampshire are Great Falls, Georgiana Falls, Gordon Falls and 7 more. Falls with a written record: a USGS naming history, a gazetteer description or older recorded names.
See every waterfall on the New Hampshire waterfalls page or the New Hampshire waterfall map, or browse by town: Alstead, Woodstock, Tamworth, Gorham, Merrimack, East Concord.
How we picked: We took the 13 publicly accessible New Hampshire waterfalls that have a written record in the USGS Geographic Names Information System (a naming history, a gazetteer description, or older variant names) and ranked them by how much of that record exists, then by Google review volume.
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1. Great Falls
Great Falls is a named waterfall about 4.1 miles west of Alstead. USGS notes: 30 ft. high; located along the Connecticut River at Bellows Falls. Note: the falls are primarily in NH, but since the NH-VT state boundary is the low water mark, part of the falls is within Vermont whenever the water is high
Cheshire County, NH (GPS 43.1355, -72.4403)
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The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 30 ft. high; located along the Connecticut River at Bellows Falls. Note: the falls are primarily in NH, but since the NH-VT state boundary is the low water mark, part of the falls is within Vermont whenever the water is high. Name history: Kitchee Pontegu is an Abenaki name for the falls and reportedly means “great falls.”. Older records also call it Kitchee Pontegu and Bellows Falls. The nearest town is Alstead, about 4.1 miles to the east. The nearest other named waterfall is Twin Falls, about 1.5 miles to the southwest.
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2. Georgiana Falls
Georgiana Falls, near Woodstock, is next up, rated 4.7 out of 5 from 31 reviews.
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Older records also call it Harvard Cascade and Harvard Fall. Visitors rate it 4.7 stars across 31 Google reviews. The nearest town is Woodstock, about 6.9 miles to the south. The nearest other named waterfall is Gordon Falls, about 2.7 miles to the southwest.
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3. Gordon Falls
Gordon Falls, near Woodstock, is next up, rated 5.0 out of 5 from 1 review.
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Older records also call it Ripple Falls and Gordon Fall. Visitors rate it 5.0 stars across 1 Google review. The nearest town is Woodstock, about 6.3 miles to the southeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Georgiana Falls, about 2.7 miles to the northeast.
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4. Sabbaday Falls
Sabbaday Falls near Tamworth rounds out this stretch of the list, rated 4.8 out of 5 from 420 reviews.
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Older records also call it Church Falls. Visitors rate it 4.8 stars across 420 Google reviews. The nearest town is Tamworth, about 11 miles to the southeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Norway Rapids, about 4.8 miles to the west.
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5. Glen Ellis Falls
Glen Ellis Falls near Gorham is another strong option, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 240 reviews.
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Older records also call it Pitcher Falls. Visitors rate it 4.9 stars across 240 Google reviews. The nearest town is Gorham, about 11 miles to the north. The nearest other named waterfall is Winniweta Falls, about 4.5 miles to the south.
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6. Wildcat Falls
Wildcat Falls near Merrimack rounds out this stretch of the list, rated 4.4 out of 5 from 44 reviews.
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Older records also call it Atherton Falls. Visitors rate it 4.4 stars across 44 Google reviews. The nearest town is Merrimack, about 0.9 miles to the northeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Amoskeag Falls, about 10.3 miles to the north.
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7. Sewalls Falls
Sewalls Falls near East Concord is worth the drive, rated 4.2 out of 5 from 25 reviews.
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Older records also call it Sewall's Falls. Visitors rate it 4.2 stars across 25 Google reviews. The nearest town is East Concord, about 1.5 miles to the southeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Garvin Falls, about 6.9 miles to the south.
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8. Bridalveil Falls
Head to Bridalveil Falls near Deerfield, rated 4.8 out of 5 from 21 reviews.
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Older records also call it Bridal Veil Falls. Visitors rate it 4.8 stars across 21 Google reviews. The nearest town is Deerfield, about 7.2 miles to the northeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Georgiana Falls, about 5.8 miles to the south.
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9. Thirteen Falls
Thirteen Falls near Deerfield rounds out this stretch of the list, rated 4.4 out of 5 from 9 reviews.
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Older records also call it Number Thirteen Falls. Visitors rate it 4.4 stars across 9 Google reviews. The nearest town is Deerfield, about 4.7 miles to the north. The nearest other named waterfall is Hawthorne Falls, about 2.1 miles to the north.
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10. Packers Falls
Packers Falls near Newmarket rounds out this stretch of the list, rated 4.2 out of 5 from 5 reviews.
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Older records also call it Packer's Falls. Visitors rate it 4.2 stars across 5 Google reviews. The nearest town is Newmarket, about 1.7 miles to the southeast. The nearest other named waterfall is Hampton Falls, about 14.0 miles to the south.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best historic waterfall in New Hampshire?
Great Falls tops our 2026 list. The USGS gazetteer describes it as: 30 ft. high; located along the Connecticut River at Bellows Falls. Note: the falls are primarily in NH, but since the NH-VT state boundary is the low water mark, part of the falls is within Vermont whenever the water is high. It is near Alstead in Cheshire County.
How many historic waterfalls are in New Hampshire?
13 of the 51 waterfalls we track in New Hampshire qualify. This page ranks the top 10; every waterfall in the state is on the New Hampshire waterfalls page.
How was this list made?
We took the 13 publicly accessible New Hampshire waterfalls that have a written record in the USGS Geographic Names Information System (a naming history, a gazetteer description, or older variant names) and ranked them by how much of that record exists, then by Google review volume.
Which counties are they in?
The 10 on this list are in Cheshire County, Grafton County, Coos County, Hillsborough County, Merrimack County, and Strafford County.
More New Hampshire Waterfalls by Type
- 10 Best Hidden Gem Waterfalls in New Hampshire 2026
- 7 Best Waterfall Hiking Locations in New Hampshire
- 10 Most Beautiful Waterfalls in New Hampshire
- 5 Most Visited Waterfalls in New Hampshire
- 5 Must-See Waterfalls in New Hampshire
Or browse every type on the historic waterfalls by state page and the waterfall types hub.