Beaver Brook Falls is a 112-foot tiered waterfall on Beaver Brook in Coos County, New Hampshire, falling beside Route 145 just north of Colebrook. It sits in a small state wayside with a picnic lawn, and the World Waterfall Database, which has surveyed it in person, calls it one of the best waterfalls in the state.
The falls
The brook comes down in three tiers in quick succession. A sliding cascade of about 15 feet at the top is visible only from near the parking area. Below it the main tier spreads into a 50-foot veil up to 60 feet wide, splitting into hundreds of rivulets over a moss-draped cliff. The water then gathers and drops another 45 feet down the lowest tier, pushed to the left along sloping bedrock, so the falls never line up in a clean head-on view. Other accounts describe it as an 80-foot cascade or cite 75-foot ledges.
Getting there
Beaver Brook Falls Wayside, run by New Hampshire State Parks, is at 432 Route 145, about 2.4 miles northeast of the center of Colebrook on the right-hand side; parking is at the roadside. The falls are in full view from the road across the picnic area. Walking paths form a 0.3-mile network, rated easy, on packed earth, grass and boardwalk, with no admission fee. The park is open for recreation unless closed by posting, but it is not staffed in the off-season and the restrooms are closed then.
When to go
The falls are worth seeing all year. Beaver Brook is a small stream, and in summer and autumn without steady rain the flow drops sharply, which suits the middle veil best until it thins to a dribble. The spring freshet turns the falls into a roaring mass of spray that makes close-up views difficult, though the roadside view still works.
On site
A short boardwalk leads from the road to a viewing area at the base, and access trails on both banks of the brook give closer views. The wayside has picnic tables, a small picnic shelter, a group-use area, benches and toilets. Pets are allowed on a leash. Drones may not take off or land in state parks, geocaching isn't allowed, and the park is carry-in, carry-out.
History and name
The local Kiwanis Club has maintained the picnic area for many years.
Nearby
Gloriette Falls is about 8.4 miles away. Huntingdon Cascades and Dixville Flume are each about 9.6 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.