Arethusa Falls

Arethusa Falls was discovered by Edward Tuckerman and named by Professor Huntington and Moses Sweetser in 1875. The name comes from the Percy Bysshe Shelley poem describing the story of a nymph named Arethusa who was turned into a fountain to avoid being the love conquest of the river god Alpheus. Arethusa Falls is a well-signed side road off of Route 302 about halfway between Bartlett and the Gates of the Notch. Park in the lot and the falls are about 1.6 miles and 800' vertical feet away, at least that's what the old trail did. The recently rerouted trail picks up another 100 or so vertical feet and another 1/10 of a mile or so. Shortly after you leave the parking log, you'll see a trail junction leading towards Bemis Brook. Here, you will encounter Fawn Pool, Coliseum Falls and Bemis Brook Falls on the parallel trail.