Purgatory Falls is a 30-foot waterfall on Purgatory Brook in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, in the Northeastern Highlands region. It lies about 1.8 miles west of Mont Vernon and roughly 14.8 miles northwest of Nashua as the crow flies.
At 30 feet it is taller than the typical New Hampshire waterfall of about 30 feet, ranking 55th of 115 with a recorded height. The tallest single drop is 15 feet. By form it is a tiered waterfall, falling in several distinct steps one after another. It falls in 3 drops.
The Northeastern Highlands are the mountains of northern New England and the Adirondacks, with spruce-fir on the summits and northern hardwood forest of maple, beech and birch below, and countless lakes and boulder-strewn brooks. Fast mountain streams drop over granite and gneiss ledges in chains of falls and pools. Purgatory Brook carries 2 recorded waterfalls, and Purgatory Falls is the tallest of them.
Hillsborough County holds 15 recorded waterfalls, and several are close by. Lower Purgatory Falls, a fan waterfall, is about 2 miles away. Horseshoe Falls, a cascade waterfall, is about 3.7 miles away. Cram Falls, a cascade waterfall, is about 3.9 miles away.
Purgatory Falls is located at 42.8871° N, 71.7083° W. The listing is based on the World Waterfall Database, one of the sources compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in its inventory of waterfalls and rapids of the conterminous United States. The creek name is confirmed against the federal Geographic Names Information System. The exact position has not yet been verified on aerial imagery, so treat the map pin as approximate. Details on trails, parking and access have not been documented for this waterfall yet.