Diana's Baths — Upper Falls (Past the Crowds)
A series of upper granite cascades and pools above the main Diana's Baths tourist area, reached by continuing past the point where 95% of visitors turn around. The lower baths draw hundreds daily in summer. The upper falls, a quarter-mile further upstream, hold deeper pools, better slides, and almost no people.
Diana's Baths is Conway's most visited attraction — and locals avoid the lower section entirely in summer. But they still come here, because the upper falls above the main cascade area are genuinely worth the visit. Most tourists photograph the lower tiered falls and leave. Locals walk upstream past the obvious stopping point where the trail gets rougher and the rock slides get better.
From North Conway, take West Side Road past Cathedral Ledge. Diana's Baths parking lot is clearly signed on the right. WMNF parking pass required ($5/day or $30/year). Walk the flat gravel path 0.6 miles to the lower baths. DO NOT STOP HERE. Continue upstream on the rougher trail along the north bank for another quarter-mile to reach the upper cascades and deeper pools.
Packing Checklist
- ☐ Water shoes with real grip
- ☐ Quick-dry towel
- ☐ Dry bag for electronics
- ☐ Sunscreen (waterproof)
- ☐ Change of clothes
- ☐ First aid kit
- ☐ Snacks and water
Diana’s Baths is the most popular attraction in the Mount Washington Valley. On a July Saturday, the parking lot overflows, the trail becomes a procession, and the lower cascades hold more people than a community pool. Locals avoid it completely — from the front.
But they come in from the back. Past the main cascade area where everyone takes their Instagram photo, the trail gets rougher and the crowds vanish. A quarter-mile upstream, deeper pools sit beneath taller drops. The rock slides here are longer and smoother than the lower ones, worn by centuries of water over granite. The trees close in tighter and the noise from below fades to nothing.
The key is to not stop where everyone else stops. When the main trail opens onto the iconic tiered cascades and you see fifty people spread across the rocks, keep walking upstream on the north bank trail. Within five minutes the crowd disappears and the better swimming starts.