Thompson Falls is a 130-foot tiered waterfall on Thompson Brook in Coos County, New Hampshire, on the slopes of Wildcat Mountain in Pinkham Notch. A short trail from the Wildcat Mountain ski area on NH 16 leads to a chain of five cascades in the White Mountain National Forest.
The falls
The World Waterfall Database, which surveyed the falls in person, counts five tiers of tiered horsetails. From the bottom they measure 40, 37, 19, 12 and 22 feet: a horsetail over a broad, clamshell-shaped overhanging ledge with a pool below, a lightning-bolt-shaped horsetail, a sheer plunge into a box-shaped grotto, a small cascade and a final horsetail. Earlier surveys listed 150 feet. The brook drains only about 1.1 square miles, so the flow is modest, around 5 cubic feet per second at its high.
Getting there
Park in the main lot of the Wildcat Mountain ski area on NH 16, 9.7 miles south of Gorham and 0.8 mile north of Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. The route starts on the Wildcat Nature Trail to the left of the base lodge and branches left toward the falls, crossing a ski-area service road. The walk is about 0.7 mile one way (1.2 to 1.4 miles round trip) on dirt and ledge with 131 feet of gain, rated easy to moderate. The trail is managed by the Androscoggin Ranger District.
When to go
Water flows all year, strongest for about seven months. May to October is the recommended season. The trail is listed for hiking year-round, weather permitting.
On site
Most visitors stop at the lower falls. Swimming occurs in the pools at the lower and upper falls, while swimming at the middle falls is prohibited; the upper pool gets little sun and is usually frigid. Above the lower falls the trail climbs a steep granite face and crosses the brook, where it is easy to lose; follow the yellow blazes. The upper tiers are reached by scramble paths. Dogs are allowed on a leash. The trail isn't wheelchair accessible.
History and name
Nineteenth-century stereoviews by John P. Soule gave individual tiers their own names, including Soule's Delight, The Bath (or Major Rogers Bath) and Grinnell's Fall, and the falls have also been called Eastmans Falls.
Nearby
Emerald Pool on the Peabody River is about 0.9 mile away, and Chudacoff Falls about 1.2 miles. Crystal Cascade, above Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, is about 1.4 miles off, and Glen Ellis Falls about 1.9 miles.
Distances are straight-line.