Crawford Notch Photography

There are several notches through the White Mountains of New Hampshire and this post will give you a pictorial introduction to one of the most famous, Crawford Notch.  This small collection of Crawford Notch photos is from a photo shoot one day in mid-October of 2025.

These notches that wind between the New Hampshire mountains serve as routes scenic highways, hiking trails, and also as locations for some great photos.

I started my photography just a few miles north of the small town of Bartlett, New Hampshire at the Arethusa Trail.

If you're hiking in Crawford Notch State Park, don't just rush directly to the famous Arethusa Falls! Take a short detour from The Arethusa Trail onto the Bemis Brook Trail to discover the charming cascades of Coliseum Falls and Bemis Falls before continuing on to Arethusa.

1. COLISEUM FALLS

The first photo I took during my visit to Crawford Notch was the short, but enchanting Coliseum Falls. Coliseum Falls has a total height of about 12 feet That includes of multiple cascades. The upper section is an 8–10 foot drop, while the middle section, which gives the falls its name, is a shorter 2–3 foot horseshoe-shaped cascade.

2. BEMIS BROOK FALLS

Bemis Falls is only about 8 feet tall, but has three distinct drops which makes it a great subject for a photograph.

Although the water flow in the brook was quite tame I still managed to get a few keepers. In the photo below I "tested" the power of technology of my Canon R6 Mark II and its advanced image stabilization (IS).

Getting the creamy blurred effect of the cascading water while maintaining the sharpens in the rest of the image used to be impossible without using a tripod. I used the IS with a 0.5 second exposure and got the results I wanted.

Now it's achievable to shoot longer exposures using only hand held only support for the camera rather than using a tripod.

3. ARETHUSA FALLS

After the Coliseum Falls and Bemis Brook Falls, discover the  gem of the hike, Arethusa Falls in New Hampshire's White Mountains! Earlier in the day would have been better timing for the best lighting for the photo below, but I was able to even out the exposure with Photoshop. 

Arethusa Falls is approximately 150 feet tall, with many people claiming that it's New Hampshire's tallest single-drop waterfall. The falls are fed by Bemis Brook.

4. Willey POND, Crawford Notch

Just 3.5 miles north of the Arethusa Trail and its 3 photogenic waterfalls is Willey House and Willey Pond. It's not a huge area, but still has plenty of opportunities to take some good photos. The mountains and the pond combination make for plenty of opportunities for good photography.

I photographed the sign for Willey House twice, about 1 hour apart. I liked the cloud formations in this one better.

The photo of Willey Pond below was taken from the bridge that crosses the water on the south end of the pond. If you're lucky with the timing of your visit, this location is perfect for shooting a reflection photography of the nearby mountains in the pond.

I liked the composition below a little more than the one above. This was taken at the beginning of the Willey Pond Loop Trail, a 1/4 mile flat loop on the east side of the pond. This angle puts less emphasis on the water and more visual immpact from the mountains.

I zoomed my lens in with view #2 below, from slightly farther along on the Willey Pond Loop Trail to eliminate the sky. I like the four layers of foreground, water, trees, and base of the mountain with a single splotch of red to add a little more visual interest.

5. SAM WILLEY TRAIL

Another easy path to take from Willey Pond is the Sam Willey Trail. Just cross over the pedestrian bridge and slant to the right. It loosely follows the Saco River and has no significant elevation gains or losses.

I took the photo below from that path.

From this view you have no idea that the Saco River winds its way on the other side of these grasses.

Again I was intrigued by the four different layers in the scene that was presented in front of me. Starting with the shaded grass, the sun-drenched grass, the mountains and ending with the blue sky.

---

Thanks for coming along on my visual journey of the Crawford Notch area in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I've been blessed to have snow skied in the area for over 30 years, but never visited the notch and Kancamagus highway in the Fall.

---

---