I finally understand what all the hype is about. Because I've finally made it to Bash Bish Falls State Park in Mt. Washington. Not only is this a perfect family-friendly hiking spot, this park showcases the largest single-drop waterfall in the state. Be-au-ti-ful.
Located at 3 East Street in Mt. Washington, Bash Bish borders New York state. In fact, if you want to prolong your hiking experience, drive down the road about three-quarters of a mile from this MA park entrance, and park at the New York entrance (this is also a good tip as the parking area shown above can fill up quickly on a nice day. There is no on street parking allowed.) Parking at the MA entrance leads to a trail head down a set of steps and a steep decline to the waterfall viewing area. This is a good fit for older kids.
However, if you are hiking with littles, the New York trail head leads to easier terrain. It is a 3/4 mile hike along a sloping, slightly rocky path from the parking lot to the falls. It was a little challenging; however, all the kids kept up fine and I saw plenty of folks trekking up to the falls in flip-flops.
I did this path with a jogging stroller; however, I wouldn't recommend it. I think using a carrier would be much easier. One bonus to hiking this path is that there are little spots along the way where you can hop off the trail and cool your tootsies in the stream leading from the waterfall. There are calm, shallow spots for kids of all ages to enjoy, and beautiful rocks to collect.
The other win for hiking from the New York side is that you literally hike from New York to Massachusetts. There is a fun trail marker along the path letting you know when you've reached MA. Of course, the kids get a huge thrill out of having one foot in NY and one in MA and of celebrating the fact that they've hiked two states.
There is no fee to park at either entrance, making for a free day out. There is no food or water on site, so be sure to pack plenty of both. Also be sure to pack a change of clothes and maybe water shoes if you will be splashing in the stream. Once you reach the waterfall there are many large rocks you can picnic on. You can scrabble down the gorge and splash around in the water here as well. There are "no swimming" signs posted; however, there are no notices to stay out of the water completely.
With four kids ranging in age from three to nine, we parked in New York, hiked the trail, climbed down to the gorge, ate a picnic lunch, cooled our tootsies in the very cold water, and hiked back in just about two hours. When we arrived at 10 a.m. there was hardly anyone else there, however, by the time we hiked out a lunchtime there were streams of folks hiking in and both parking lots were overfull.
Bash Bish is one of the stamp parks on the MA Parks Passport Western Region program. Visiting Bash Bish on a warm summer day was lovely. I can only imagine how beautiful the park is during foliage season. I've also heard the waterfall is stunning in the spring after the winter melt-off. We can't wait to return. Hope to see you there!
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