White Mountain National Forest

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The White Mountain National Forest ( WMNF ) is a forest in the White Mountains of the northeastern United States . It was founded in early 1918 and has a total area of ​​3175 km². Most of it is in New Hampshire ; a small portion (approximately 5.65 percent of the forest) is in the neighboring state of Maine . Although it is often viewed as a park, it is a national forest that is used not only by hikers, campers, and skiers, but also for overnight stays and limited commercial interests. The WMNF is the only national forest located in both New Hampshire and Maine. Most of the four-thousand footers for peak bagging in New Hampshire are in the National Forest. Over 160 km of the Appalachian Trail runs through the White Mountain National Forest. In descending order, the forest is located in parts of Grafton County , Coos County , Carroll County and Oxford County (Maine) .

The forest rangers office is currently in Laconia and there are three ranger districts: the Pemigewasset District (offices in Bethlehem and Plymouth ), the Androscoggin District (office in Gorham ) and the Saco District (office in Conway ). There are plans to move the overseer's office to the Plymouth area. There are also several visitor centers, including those in Lincoln , Campton (on Interstate 93 ), and Lincoln Woods (on Kancamagus Highway ), and the Evans Notch Information Center in Bethel .

The National Forest comprises three separate areas. The area west of the Franconia Pass includes the region surrounding Cannon Mountain and Mount Kinsman and Mount Moosilauke (although most of Mount Moosilauke is privately owned). The main part of the National Forest includes the Presidential Range and many other mountain ranges - the most important are: the Franconia Range, the Twin Mountains , the Bond Range, the Sandwich Range , the Willey Range, and the Carter-Moriah Range . An exclave of the forest lies north of the Presidential Range in Stark and Randolph .

Location map of the White Mountain National Forests

There are five designated Federal Wilderness Areas in the forest: the Presidential Range / Dry River Wilderness (110 km²), the Great Gulf Wilderness (22.5 km²), the Sandwich Range Wilderness (100 km²), the Caribou / Speckled Mountain Wilderness (49 km² ) and the Pemigewasset Wilderness (180 km²). These areas are protected from overnight stays and commercial industry and are used solely for recreational and scientific purposes. They were established by the Federal Wilderness Protection Act and its amendments in 1984. The New England Wilderness Protection Act of December 1, 2006 established an additional 44 km² area for the Sandwich Range Wilderness and a new wilderness (96 km²) in the area of ​​the Wild River.

Because of its beauty, its proximity to the main metro areas, its 1,900 km of hiking trails and 23 campsites, and the presence of a large number of winter sports areas within or near its borders, the WMNF is one of the most visited national sites . With over six million visitors a year, the WMNF has more visitors than any other US national park (exception: Great Smoky Mountains National Park ). Comparable numbers of visits to other National Forests are not available.

Panoramic picture with Mount Liberty and Mount Flume, parts of the Pemigewasset Wilderness and parts of Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ [1]
  2. ↑ (WMNF 2005 Forest Plan)

Web links

Coordinates: 44 ° 8 ′  N , 71 ° 22 ′  W