Jackman Falls on Jackman Brook

It was cloudy with a chance of rain, perfect weather for photographing waterfalls.  It had been a dry winter and we didn’t receive much rain for the spring, so I knew water levels would be low, but we still like to explore brooks and find waterfalls.  Jackman Falls, on Jackman Brook was next on our list, so we gathered the gear and packed the food.  There isn’t a trail, so most likely no one else would be there. We took two of our dogs with us on the chance they could be off leash and not get tangled. Jackman Brook is in Woodstock, NH.  It flows down from one of the ravines between Mt Blue and Mt Cushman.  It crosses under Rte 118, flows out into the woods and then loops back to 118 and parallels it as it travels east and flows into Moosilauke Brook at the Lost River Rd connection.   We parked on the side of Rte 118 near where the brook rejoins it and walked straight into the woods to start our trek.  Our first view of the brook was a picturesque flat sandy pool that looked like a great swimming area.  A rope crossed over the brook, we don’t know what it was for, maybe kayakers or a rope to hold onto while crossing above the slide.

Sandy Pool

We remained on the left (North) side of the brook and proceeded to bushwack downstream.  Shortly we came to our first cascade.

First Cascade

We scrambled through lots of Moose Maple, up and down small hills, and had to watch our footing as the ground was loaded with moss and leaf covered holes that would swallow a leg. This is normal for areas that don’t see many visitors. One of our dogs is three legged, so we had to pay extra attention to where he would follow us.  The next waterfall we came upon is a uniquely shaped boulder in the center of the brook that had water cascading on three sides.  We named it Jackman’s Cap since we thought it resembled a baseball cap.

Jackman’s Cap

From here the terrain steepened as it descended to the brook. We had to assist our dog since he is missing his right hind leg, this put him off balance. Soon, looking down we could see a mini gorge. Two very large boulders were tossed haphazardly and awkwardly positioned in this gorge, probably relocated from the rapid high water years back, looking up to the right, you can see some debris sticking out that was left behind which shows how high the water flowed at one point. The brook flowed under these boulders and gushed between the granite walls flanking both sides.

Mini gorge

More bushwhacking brings us to another cascade which still isn’t Jackman Falls.

Jack Cascade

A few more leg traps later, we came upon on a wide open area that is a wide ledge. This must be Jackman Falls.  Over the years the brook has split and become separated creating 2 different falls and then merging together again flowing over one last granite ledge.  The water fans out over rocks on one side of the brook and a narrow flume on the other side.  A nice flat median covered in ferns sits between.  I think this would be an impressive series of falls during high water after spring snow melt. Below is a pano image of the open area.

 

The Flume section of Jackman Falls (2 views above)

The Fan section of Jackman Falls (above)

The last ledge section wasn’t a photographic one.  Steep on both sides and a large boulder blocks the front of the falls so I took a photo from above just to show it.   (below)  

This was where we ended our day, just in time too since it started to rain.  We bushwhacked back to the road and walked up hill back to our car.  Our 3 legged dog, Drewfie, by now was very tired, and did not appreciate the trek back up. That one leg gets a workout.   It was a good day for all of us, even though we were now soaking wet.  I am sure this brook would be a sight to see with more rainfall.

Our hiking companions for the day.