The Lost River Gorge is located in Woodstock New Hampshire and is a classic attraction perfect for families visiting the White Mountains/Franconia Notch area.
This has been one of my favorite parks to visit since I was a child, but this time we visited in the rain! I was a bit worried it might not be as enjoyable, and 2 of the caves were closed, but the rain not only made the waterfalls bigger, it scared away the crowds!! I would go back here in the rain in a heartbeat... i would just wear better cloths as we absolutely got soaked in the worst places.
Tickets are comparable to other activities in the area and ran $20 per person. You enter through the gift shop, of course, and then you're on your way. A small hike through the woods and then down 300 feet of stairs leads you to the bottom of the gorge. You then work your way back up the gorge ascending the 300 feet back to the gift shop. During the health crisis the entire park is a one way path, with ample hand sanitizer distributed by the caves and a 2 hour time limit on your stay.
Other then the many little waterfalls, the primary attraction is the caves. two were closed due to the water level but all the others were just as cool as I remember from my childhood. The only difference is that they're much harder to navigate fully grown and with a camera in my hand! All the caves that were open are shown in our video walk through of the park. There are many helpful information boards describing not only the caves but also the other natural features of the gorge and environment as well.
Mid way up the gorge is a stairway up.. and up and up it goes. Take the long ascent to a viewing platform looking over the valley. Even in a cloudy day like we had the view is worth it!
The children's area and nature path are now a part of the one way loop, along with a giant eagles nest you can use as an observation platform. There's not only a covered bridge but also a suspension bridge near the end of the route as well. For those with younger children, they also have a gold panning experience for an upcharge outside the main building.
All in all we spent close to our 2 hour limit here enjoying the park without the crowds. Don't be discouraged by some rain, it was a really awesome experience. Make sure to check out the video, we recorded just over a half hour of footage here and it's one of those parks that can't be properly summed up in words!
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