View source for White Mountains (New England)

{{Short description|Mountain range in New Hampshire and Maine, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
<!-- *** Name section *** -->
| name              = White Mountains
| native_name       = 
| other_name        = 
| etymology         = 
| nickname          = 
<!-- *** Image *** -->
| photo             = White_Mountains2010-08-20.JPG
| photo_size        = 350
| photo_caption     = From left to right: [[Mount Clay]], [[Mount Jefferson (New Hampshire)|Mount Jefferson]], [[Mount Adams (New Hampshire)|Mount Adams]], and [[Mount Madison]] viewed from [[Mount Washington]]
<!-- *** Country etc. *** -->
| country           = United States
| subdivision1_type = States
| subdivision1      = {{hlist|[[New Hampshire]]|[[Maine]]}}
| subdivision2_type = Region
| subdivision2      = [[New England]]
| parent            = [[Appalachian Mountains]]
<!-- *** Locations *** -->
| location          = 
| elevation         = 
| highest           = [[Mount Washington]]
| elevation_ft      = 6288
| range_coordinates = {{coord|44.271|N|71.305|W|type:mountain_scale:300000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates       = {{coord|44|16|15|N|71|18|12.5|W|type:mountain_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline}}
<!-- *** Map section *** -->
| map_image         = NortheastAppalachiansMap.gif
| map_size          = 305
| map_caption       = Map of the main regions of the northeast Appalachians
}}
The '''White Mountains''' are a [[mountain range]] covering about a quarter of the state of [[New Hampshire]] and a small portion of western [[Maine]] in the [[United States]]. They are a [[List of subranges of the Appalachian Mountains|subrange]] of the northern [[Appalachian Mountains]] and the most rugged mountains in [[New England]]. Several of the higher peaks contain an [[Alpine tundra]]. The range is heavily visited due to its proximity to [[Boston]], [[New York City]], and [[Montreal]].

Most of the area is public land, including the [[White Mountain National Forest]] and a number of [[List of New Hampshire state parks|state parks]]. Its most famous mountain is {{convert|6288|ft|adj=on}} [[Mount Washington]], which is the highest peak in the Northeastern U.S. and for 76 years held the record for fastest surface wind gust in the world ({{convert|231|mph}} in 1934). Mount Washington is part of a line of summits, the [[Presidential Range]], that are named after U.S. presidents and other prominent Americans.

The White Mountains also include the [[Franconia Range]], [[Sandwich Range]], [[Carter-Moriah Range]] and [[Kinsman Range]] in New Hampshire, and the [[Mahoosuc Range]] straddling the border between it and Maine. In all, there are 48 peaks within New Hampshire as well as one ([[Old Speck Mountain]]) in Maine over {{convert|4000|ft}}, known as the [[four-thousand footers]].

The Whites are known for a system of [[High Huts of the White Mountains|alpine huts]] for hikers operated by the [[Appalachian Mountain Club]]. The [[Appalachian Trail]] crosses the area from southwest to northeast.

==Etymology==
It is not clear where the name "White Mountains" came from. There is no record of what Native Americans called the range, although pre-Colonial names for many individual peaks are known.<ref>[http://www.outdoors.org/publications/outdoors/2011/features/how-the-white-mountains-were-named.cfm AMC: "How the White Mountains Were Named"]</ref> The name and similar ones such as "White Hills" or "Wine Hills" are found in literature from Colonial times. According to tradition, the mountains were first sighted from shipboard off the coast near the [[Piscataqua River|Piscataqua estuary]].  The highest peaks would often be snow-capped, appearing white. An alternate theory is that the [[mica]]-laden [[granite]] of the summits looked white to observers.

==Geology and physiography==
The White Mountains are a [[Physiographic regions of the world|physiographic section]] of the larger [[New England province]], which in turn is part of the larger [[Appalachian Highlands]] physiographic division.<ref name="USGS-Water">{{cite web |title=Physiographic divisions of the conterminous U. S. |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |url=https://water.usgs.gov/GIS/metadata/usgswrd/XML/physio.xml |access-date=2007-12-06 }}</ref>

The [[magma]] [[intrusion]]s forming the White Mountains today were created 124 to 100 million years ago as the [[North American Plate]] moved westward over the [[New England hotspot]].

Widespread evidence of [[Laurentide Ice Sheet|glaciation]] may be seen in the [[valley#Glacial valleys|U-shaped]] form of various notches, or [[mountain pass]]es. Glacial [[cirque]]s form the heads of [[Tuckerman Ravine]] on Mt. Washington and King Ravine on [[Mount Adams (New Hampshire)|Mt. Adams]]. [[Glacial striation]]s are visible at numerous locations, including on the exposed rocks at the summit of Pine Mountain in [[Gorham, New Hampshire|Gorham]].

The [[Red Hill Syenite]], a rock unit of the White Mountains, found in central New Hampshire, is of interest to researchers due to the fact that it contains feldspathoids as well as quartz-bearing rocks.

==Attractions==
The [[White Mountain National Forest]], formed in 1911 after passage of the [[Weeks Act]], includes most of the mountain range and now covers {{convert|800000|acre|sqkm}} in New Hampshire and western Maine.<ref name=WMNF>{{Cite web|title=White Mountain National Forest|url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5262234.pdf#:~:text=The%20White%20Mountain%20National%20Forest%20was%20established%20by,country%20with%20upwards%20of%206%20million%20visitors%20annually|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223223250/https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5262234.pdf#:~:text=The%20White%20Mountain%20National%20Forest%20was%20established%20by,country%20with%20upwards%20of%206%20million%20visitors%20annually|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 23, 2017}}</ref> The [[Mount Washington Auto Road]] and [[Mount Washington Cog Railway]] ascend the range's highest peak, which hosts a visitor center and [[Mount Washington Observatory|weather observatory]]. Heavily visited [[Arethusa Falls]], the second tallest waterfall in New Hampshire, lies on a southwest flank of Crawford Notch. The [[Old Man of the Mountain]], a rock formation on [[Cannon Mountain (New Hampshire)|Cannon Mountain]] that resembled the craggy profile of a man's face, was a White Mountain landmark until it fell in May 2003. It remains the state symbol of New Hampshire. The range also includes a natural feature dubbed "The Basin", consisting of a granite bowl, {{convert|20|ft|0}} in diameter, fed by a waterfall, worn smooth by the [[Pemigewasset River]]. The areas around The Basin are popular spots for swimming in the cold water.

The range is crossed north–south by [[U.S. Route 3]] and [[Interstate 93]] through [[Franconia Notch]] and [[New Hampshire Route 16]] through [[Pinkham Notch]], and east–west by the [[Kancamagus Highway]] (part of [[New Hampshire Route 112]]) through Kancamagus Pass and [[U.S. Route 302]] through [[Crawford Notch]]. Many of these highways are designated as [[scenic route]]s.

Several amusement parks lie in or near the White Mountains, including [[Story Land]], [[Santa's Village (Jefferson, New Hampshire)|Santa's Village]], [[Whale's Tale Water Park]] and [[Clark's Trading Post]].  The White Mountains region is also home to numerous hiking attractions through the various river gorges, ravines, and caves in the area. The [[Flume Gorge]], [[Lost River Reservation]] and [[Polar Caves Park]] all provide moderate hikes that one can complete in a few hours.  Skiing is a popular attraction in the area.  [[Cannon Mountain Ski Area]], [[Loon Mountain Ski Resort]], [[Attitash Mountain Resort]], [[Wildcat Mountain Ski Area]], [[Bretton Woods Mountain Resort]], and [[Waterville Valley Resort]] are all popular winter ski resorts, and many of them provide year-round outdoor activities such as [[bridle path]]s, hiking trails, [[alpine slide]]s, and the like.  The [[Mount Washington Hotel]] located in Bretton Woods was the site of the [[Bretton Woods Conference]] following [[World War II]], and today remains one of the few early twentieth century [[Hotel|grand hotel]]s still in use. An estimated six million visitors visit the region yearly.<ref name=WMNF/>

==Mapping==
[[File:Franklin Leavitt map 1871.jpg|thumb|right|Map of the White Mountains, Franklin Leavitt, 1871]]
Some of the earliest maps of the White Mountains were produced as tourist maps and not topographical maps. One of the first two tourist maps of the mountains was that produced by Franklin Leavitt, a self-taught artist born near [[Lancaster, New Hampshire]] in 1824.<ref>[http://whitemountainhistory.org/1852_Franklin_Leavitt_Map.html Franklin Leavitt, Map of the White Mountains, New Hampshire, WhiteMountainHistory.org]</ref> Leavitt's hand-drawn map, today in the collection of [[Harvard University]], is largely [[folk art]], but does convey some of the region's features.<ref>[http://whitemountainhistory.org/uploads/1852_leavitt__nh_pdf.pdf Franklin Leavitt White Mountains Map, Harvard University]</ref> Leavitt drew several versions of his map, beginning in 1852. The fourth version, printed in 1871, was printed at Boston and carried a retail price of one dollar.<ref>[http://whitemountainhistory.org/1871_Franklin_Leavitt_Map.html 1871 Franklin Leavitt Map, WhiteMountainHistory.org]</ref> Other early maps of the region were drawn by H. Conant and by [[Harvard College|Harvard]] astronomer [[George Phillips Bond]], who published the first topographical map of the region in 1853.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://whitemountainhistory.org/1853_Bond_Map.html |title=George P. Bond: Map of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, WhiteMountainHistory.org |access-date=February 23, 2010 |archive-date=April 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412031251/http://whitemountainhistory.org/1853_Bond_Map.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Art==
{{Main|White Mountain art}}
The White Mountains drew hundreds of painters during the 19th century.  This group of artists is sometimes referred to as belonging to the "White Mountain school" of art.  Others dispute the notion that these painters were a "school", since they did not all paint in the same style as, for example, those artists of the [[Hudson River School]].

{{wide image|Loon Panorama annotated.jpg|1032px|Peaks of the Franconia Range of the White Mountains as viewed from [[Loon Mountain]] resort after an October snowfall, looking to the north.}}

==In literature and drama==
{{unreferenced section|date=April 2022}}
[[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] chose the White Mountains as the setting for his [[short story]] "[[The Great Carbuncle]]". Other White Mountain tales by Hawthorne include "[[The Ambitious Guest]]", "Sketches from Memory" and "The Great Stone Face". The White Mountain region also figures prominently in the writings of [[Louisa May Alcott]], including the novel ''[[Eight Cousins]]'' and its sequel, ''[[Rose in Bloom]]''.

==See also==
{{portal|New Hampshire}}
*[[List of mountain passes in New Hampshire]]
*[[List of mountains of New Hampshire]]
*[[List of subranges of the Appalachian Mountains]]
*[[White Mountains Region]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
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== External links ==
{{Commons category|White Mountains (New Hampshire)}}
* [https://www.wilderlist.app/park/62128a0347aa88d4192b8423 Interactive map of the White Mountains National Forest]
* [http://whitemountainhistory.org/uploads/Hotels_enh.pdf The Grand Hotels, The Glory and The Conflagration, Randall E. Spalding, WhiteMountainHistory.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728220847/http://whitemountainhistory.org/uploads/Hotels_enh.pdf |date=2019-07-28 }}
* {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=White Mountains |short=x}}

{{Mountains of New Hampshire}}
{{Mountains of Maine}}
{{NE 4k ft}}
{{Androscoggin River}}
{{Saco River}}
{{Merrimack River}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:White Mountains (New Hampshire)| ]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Maine]]
[[Category:Subranges of the Appalachian Mountains]]
[[Category:White Mountain National Forest]]
[[Category:Geography of New England]]
[[Category:Cretaceous magmatism]]
[[Category:Igneous petrology of New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Physiographic sections]]