Old Man of the Mountain Profile Plaza

Old Man of the Mountain Profile Plaza is a lakeside memorial beneath Cannon Cliff in Franconia Notch. The famous natural profile is gone: five granite ledges that once looked like a face collapsed overnight on May 2–3, 2003. Today, seven steel profilers let you picture the old outline from a marked spot. Come for the story and the lakeside setting, not to see the rock face itself; if you’re curious about New Hampshire’s best-known lost landmark, it’s a worthwhile short stop.

Follow the paved path from the Profile building down to Profile Lake, then find the viewing marker. From there, the seven steel pieces line up against Cannon Cliff to recreate the profile. It’s easy to miss the effect if you look from the wrong place. For a photo, keep the profilers and the cliff together in frame; that shows both the reconstruction and where the old face stood.

The Old Man was a set of five granite ledges, about 40 feet high and 25 feet wide, suspended roughly 1,200 feet above Profile Lake. Early road surveyors Francis Whitcomb and Luke Brooks made the first written record by white settlers in 1805. The formation later became known as New Hampshire’s Great Stone Face, recognizable from the north side of the notch.

Cannon Mountain’s Conway Granite began as magma about 180 million years ago. Glaciers carved the notch, and much later freezing and thawing split the granite into ledges. The face was a lucky arrangement of those blocks, visible from one particular angle. As the lower ledges weakened, added rods and turnbuckles couldn’t keep the formation in place.

Look down as well as out: hundreds of engraved pavers carry personal messages and tributes from people in New Hampshire and beyond. The plaza was dedicated in June 2011, eight years after the collapse, and has become part viewing point, part community memorial.

The lake below the former face is also called the Old Man’s Washbowl. It’s known for brook trout, and fishing here is fly-fishing only. Even if you’re just passing through, the water and surrounding mountains are a big part of why this stop feels like more than a roadside plaque.

From I-93, take Exit 34B toward the aerial tramway, then follow the signed road to the Historic Site parking area. Walk around the Profile building to reach the lake. The route is paved and short, but the slope is noticeable before it eases, so don’t mistake “short” for flat. Seasonal restrooms are in the Profile building; the Old Man museum is a separate stop at the Aerial Tramway Base Station.