Upper Falls
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Your visit at a glance
- Waterfall height
- Not recorded
- Location
- Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
- Access status
- Conservation area trails to a gorge waterfall
- The walk
- About 2.6 miles return by Old Dow Road, or about 5.1 miles return by the Brook Trail
- Ground & access
- Mostly easy trails that become uneven with rocks and roots near the Upper Falls. Minor rock scrambles to get close. Swimming is not possible.
Upper Falls here is Upper Purgatory Falls, a two-tier cascade through a narrow gorge on Purgatory Brook in the Purgatory Falls conservation lands on the Mont Vernon and Lyndeborough line. The Old Dow Road route starts at the large lot at the end of paved Dow Road and follows the old rocky road down to the brook, reaching Middle Falls and then Upper Falls. The unsigned start may need a map. The Brook Trail from Purgatory Road passes Lower and Middle Falls on the way.
Plan your visit
Dow Road parking in Mont Vernon, Old Dow Road route to Middle and Upper Purgatory Falls; or the Brook Trail from Purgatory Road
Trailspotting gives 2.6 miles out and back for the Old Dow Road route and 5.1 miles out and back for the Brook Trail from Purgatory Road. A shorter 0.5-mile Upper Falls Trail exists from a small trailhead at the end of a dirt road that the source does not name.
Mostly easy trails that become uneven with rocks and roots near the Upper Falls. Minor rock scrambles to get close. Swimming is not possible.
Where to start
Large parking lot at the end of paved Dow Road in Mont Vernon, or the gravel Purgatory Road trailhead with space for about six vehicles. Park only in designated spaces.
Timing & water
The route description dates from 2022. Best after wet weather; expect ice in winter.
Before you go
Trailspotting lists free parking.
Visitor informationVisit sources
More waterfalls nearby
Within 40 straight-line miles. Road and trail distances will differ.
- Middle FallsConservation land trail beside the brookHillsborough County, NH0.2 miS
- Purgatory Lower FallsConserved land trail; short walk; roadside parking restrictedHillsborough County, NH1.9 miS
- Senter FallsLand trust loop trail; very small roadside parkingHillsborough County, NH3.8 miNW
- Bonner FallsHillsborough County, NH7.1 miW
- Brennan FallsConservation reserve trail; easy walkHillsborough County, NH9.6 miNW
- Wildcat FallsTown conservation area trail; short easy walk from the main lotHillsborough County, NH10 miE
- The FallsPartial guide: the exact trail and distance to the falls are not published5 ft (1.5 m) · Hillsborough County, NH11 miSE
- Trap FallsShort walk in a state forest; parking spot and fees unconfirmed10 ft (3 m) · Middlesex County, MA15 miS
- Gleason FallsPartial: roadside falls on private land; public welcome per source, current permission not confirmedHillsborough County, NH22 miNW