One of the most popular destinations in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire is Diana's Bath.

Diana's Bath is beautiful, no denying that. The well-maintained trail is just over half a mile, and brings you to various small waterfalls, swimming holes, and "baths" to refresh in. Simply put, it is a major tourist attraction.

SO, how do you go enjoy this 'must-see' tourist attraction?

You don't.

What? Why? How could you say no to seeing this beauty?

Diana’s Bath - White Mountains NH
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Let me explain, and hear me out.

Fridays through Mondays, the parking lot is jam-packed by 8 AM. I mean, you will wait in a ridiculous line like an amusement park just to drive around a small dirt parking lot to find that there are no spots open.

If you are able to find a spot, the walk is beautiful; however, when you get to the actual area of Diana's Bath, you will likely be in shock at how many people are there, how loud it is, and how many kids are running around. Likely you will be frustrated for going, because you tried to go to the White Mountains to disconnect from that type of stuff and reconnect with yourself, your family, or a loved one.

So how do you enjoy Diana's Bath?

This question is easy to answer with a follow-up question: why are you going to Diana's Bath?

If the answer is because you have never seen it/the area, you should go. You should certainly see it once in your life and play in the touristy area of the Whites, but then go off-course.

If the answer is to get outside with your partner to connect, hang with family, take a dip on a hot day, spend time near water, etc, AVOID DIANA'S BATH AT ALL COSTS.

Last year, I found out that my wife had never been to Diana's Bath, even though we spend a lot of time up north. We hardly pulled into the last spot and made our way through the trail to the prime real estate of Diana's Bath.

It was mobbed. Instead of hanging out with hundreds of tourists, we walked down alongside Lucy Brook (the source of water for Diana's Bath).

Logan Sherwood, Town Square Media
Logan Sherwood, Town Square Media
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This is where we posted up for the day. Our spot was downstream, probably a three-minute walk down, away from the crowd.

This is what it looked and sounded like.

No, it was not extreme, and did not have rock slides; however, we did not care about that.

We wanted to see Diana's Bath without hanging out with dozens of large families. More importantly, we discussed what we wanted in the day: quietness, peace, water to sit in/let our dogs play in, and a place to talk and spend the day.

That is exactly what we got. Our spot, heading downhill from Diana's Bath, had sun on the small rocks and in the water, with some shade as an option to the side.

When you get to Diana's Bath and you want full sun, head up the hill.

Autumn at Dianas Bath, New Hampshire
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Similar to us walking three to five minutes downward, if you want 10-15 minutes upstream, away from the crowd, you will find the same thing as we did: peace, quiet, small pools to bath in, and a gorgeous area to disconnect from the busy world.

Heading up the hill, again away from the crowd, will bring you to large rock formations. These are great to spend the day on, and are certainly full of sun.

Diana's Bath is a New Hampshire novelty. If you want to go, go! If you want some peace, family time, and connection to nature, stay away or hike up/downstream.

More tips to exploring the Whites are coming, so be on the lookout!

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