Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Parking Lot Shoeprints
Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38
Black Rocks of Pungo Andongo
Abandoned Observatory of the Pioneer Palace
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Two suitcases in an empty airport hall.
AO Mailbag: Is It Normal to Share a Checked Bag With Your Boyfriend?
Kolaches
How Texas Became an Unlikely Epicenter for Czech Pastries
What I Found Driving Across Northern Michigan
What I Found Driving Down Highway 61

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New Hampshire Franconia Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza
AO Edited

Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza

A serene plaza that commemorates one of the Granite State's most iconic figures.

Franconia, New Hampshire

Added By
bakedinthehole
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The metal pillars aligned to form the Old Man’s face   bakedinthehole / Atlas Obscura User
The Plaza, facing east   bakedinthehole / Atlas Obscura User
Follow for an adventure!   bakedinthehole / Atlas Obscura User
The former site of the Old Man’s face   bakedinthehole / Atlas Obscura User
The Old Man of the Mountain before its collapse   Jeffrey Joseph
  nicolab / Atlas Obscura User
Profile Lake  
The beams that make up the recreated Old Man   Gary Brownell
  Gary Brownell
  rachel redux / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The state of New Hampshire is known for its "Live Free or Die" mentality (it is, in fact, the state's motto) and beautiful foliage, so tourists and newcomers may be confused to see the profile of a rather chiseled-looking man adorning the state's highway signs, license plates, driver's licenses, and even the state's coin. Few are aware that this man was once one of the most-visited attractions in all of the northeastern United States—and that it’s not really a man at all.

In the early 1800s, a group of surveyors in the Franconia Notch region came across a weathered face emerging from the side of Cannon Mountain. Formed from the same granite the state was known for, the rock formation became known as the “Old Man of the Mountain.” It gained notoriety through writers like Daniel Webster and Nathaniel Hawthorne, who incorporated it in their works. In 1945, the Old Man of the Mountain became the state emblem of New Hampshire, causing its likeness to be reproduced extensively. But trouble was brewing. 

Northern New Hampshire’s turbulent and often harsh climate, mixed with the Old Man's high elevation, exposed the great face to nature's wrath. In the mid-1920s, the state used chains to mend a large fissure in the Old Man's forehead, and by 1957, the state had passed legislation to actively repair the granite face on a yearly basis.

On May 3, 2003, New Hampshirites awoke to see that, sometime during the early morning hours, the great stone face had collapsed, the rocks tumbling into the forest and lake below, unrecognizable amongst the other stones. State rangers and legislators initially wanted to replace it with a replica, but out of respect for the Old Man’s legacy, those plans were abandoned. Cannon Mountain became just another one of the Granite State’s many ski resorts.

Today a beautiful plaza sits at the base of the mountain, overlooking Profile Lake and the former location of the Old Man. Completed in 2011, the site includes a viewing area, one of the original turnbuckles used to help preserve the Old Man (recovered from the wreckage), and a series of steel beams. Though they may seem unremarkable, if you stand behind the metal pillars so at their correct height the beams create the illusion of the Old Man of the Mountain, sitting high above Franconia Notch once again. 

The Granite State will always be proud of their fallen icon. A man who sits, watching all, bracing the snow, sleet, and harsh conditions of the New Hampshire climate and still keeping his composure. That's the spirit of a New Hampshirite.

Related Tags

Natural Wonders Geological Oddities Geology Monuments Nature

Know Before You Go

Take exit 34B off of US-3 (Styles Bridges Highway), and head towards Cannon Mountain. Follow the signage!

Community Contributors

Added By

bakedinthehole

Edited By

gassyjake5, nicolab, Michelle Cassidy, rachel redux...

  • gassyjake5
  • nicolab
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • rachel redux
  • MilesToExplore

Published

December 4, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.cannonmt.com/things-to-do/activities/old-man-of-the-mountain
  • http://www.oldmanofthemountainlegacyfund.org/about/historical-timeline.aspx
  • https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/benchmarks-may-3-2003-new-hampshires-old-man-mountain-falls
Old Man of the Mountain Profiler Plaza
Franconia, New Hampshire, 03580
United States
44.165629, -71.678651
Visit Website

Nearby Places

Betty and Barney Hill Memorials

Lincoln, New Hampshire

miles away

New England Ski Museum

Franconia, New Hampshire

miles away

The Basin

Lincoln, New Hampshire

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Franconia

Franconia

New Hampshire

Places 3

Nearby Places

Betty and Barney Hill Memorials

Lincoln, New Hampshire

miles away

New England Ski Museum

Franconia, New Hampshire

miles away

The Basin

Lincoln, New Hampshire

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Franconia

Franconia

New Hampshire

Places 3

Related Places

  • Chained Rock

    Pineville, Kentucky

    Chained Rock

    This boulder stays on its mountain thanks to a huge chain and on the map due to local legend.

  • Totnes, England

    The Brutus Stone

    One could not be blamed for literally walking all over this supposed landmark.

  • The Calder Stones. (Geograph)

    Liverpool, England

    The Calderstones

    Six neolithic sandstone boulders remaining from a dolmen.

  • Winona, Missouri

    Rocky Falls

    A 40-foot waterfall flows into this unique natural swimming hole.

  • Slumgullion mass wasting area

    Lake City, Colorado

    Slumgullion Earthflow

    This National Natural Landmark is one of the best examples of a “mass wasting” in the world.

  • Looking Glass Rock seen from the Looking Glass Rock Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

    Brevard, North Carolina

    Looking Glass Rock

    This granite rock face is named for the magnificent reflection that occurs when the sun hits it just right.

  • Sasso Menicante on Monte Cimino

    Soriano nel Cimino, Italy

    Sasso Menicante (Trembling Stone)

    This massive rock balanced for thousands of years being tossed here during a volcanic eruption.

  • Macquarie Island lengthwise, the research station at center.

    Australia

    Macquarie Island

    One of the only places where Earth’s mantle lies above water.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.