About a year ago someone shared a link with me on Facebook about New Hampshire’s Sculptured Rocks Natural Area aka New Hampshire’s Grand Canyon. Naturally I was curious about how such a place alluded me in the state that I live in. However anytime I made plans to go with friends to check it out, stuff came up or other adventures were going on.
Finally the opportunity came up about a month ago when I finished up camping with my good friends and decided to go exploring on my own. I packed up the campsite, grabbed myself a coffee and set out on an adventure to find this Mini Grand Canyon.
After about 50 minutes of driving on the winding roads of the White Mountains I arrived at my destination in the small town of Groton. As I was gathering my camera gear I was lucky enough to witness two younger kids get their massively lifted truck stuck on a rock in the parking lot. Once I was finished getting in a nice chuckle from those kids I made my way up the trail. The trail lead me to a dirt road that kept going up and up and up.
As I walked I began to realized that I wasn’t running into anyone coming or going, which was strange since the parking lot was full of cars and there were people that should have been catching up to me because I stop and take a lot of pictures (really I’m just slow because I’m not in the best shape.) This prompted me to pull out my phone and look at Google Maps satellite view. I was going the wrong direction. Even more embarrassingly was the fact that the spot I was looking for was literally across the street from the parking lot, no hiking required at all.
Back down the hill I went, back to the parking lot and crossed the street. I made it! There I was. The Grand Canyon of New Hampshire. I couldn’t believe my eyes. This place was… completely underwhelming. Yup! I said it. I knew I couldn’t compare this experience to seeing the actual Grand Canyon, but DAMN! There isn’t even a lot to write about. All the post and articles I can find about it fluff it up like it is truly something Grand, kind of like when Clark Kent writes about Superman.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s a cute little scenic spot with some nifty looking rocks that have been carved out by flowing water over a very long time. If you are already in the area and aren’t looking for any hiking, then stop on by. However I would not recommend going out of your way to visiting this spot. There are WAY better spots in the White Mountains area than this, that in my opinion would be better qualified to be called a mini Grand Canyon. Example: The Flume Gorge, Sabbaday Falls, Rocky Gorge just to name a few.
So I am going to have to rate this little fella as a trap. (Sorry) Please just stick to your real name: Sculptured Rocks Natural Area.
