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White Mountain National Forest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) is a forest contained within the White Mountains. It was initially established in 1918. Most of the WMNF is in New Hampshire; a small part crosses the border into Maine. While often casually referred to as a park, this is a National Forest, used not only for hiking, camping, and skiing, but for logging and other limited commercial purposes. The WMNF is the only National Forest located in either New Hampshire or Maine. Most of the major peaks over 4,000 feet high for peak-bagging in New Hampshire are located in the National Forest. Over 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail traverses the White Mountain National Forest.
The Forest Supervisor's office is currently located in Laconia and there are three ranger districts: the Pemigewasset District, with offices in Bethlehem and Plymouth; the Androscoggin District, based in Gorham; and the Saco District, based in Conway. There are plans to move the Supervisor to the Plymouth area. Furthermore, there are several visitor centers, including those located at Lincoln, Campton (off Interstate 93), and Lincoln Woods (on the Kancamagus Highway), and the Evans Notch Information Center, located in Bethel, Maine.
The National Forest consists of three discontinuous areas. The area to the west of Franconia Notch (a narrow north-south valley primarily within a state park) consists of the regions surrounding Cannon Mountain, Mt. Kinsman, and Mt. Moosilauke (though the majority of Moosilauke is privately owned). The main body of the National Forest includes the Presidential Range and many other ranges - most notably, the Franconia, Twin, Bond, Sandwich, Willey, and Carter-Moriah Ranges. An exclave of the Forest lies to the north of the Presidential Range in Stark and Randolph, New Hampshire.
Five designated Federal Wilderness Areas exist within the Forest: the Presidential Range/Dry River Wilderness 27,380 acres (110 km²), the Great Gulf Wilderness 5,552 acres (22.5 km²), the Sandwich Range Wilderness 25,000 acres (100 km²), the Caribou/Speckled Mountain Wilderness 12,000 acres (49 km²), and the Pemigewasset Wilderness 45,000 acres (180 km²). These areas are protected from logging and commercial industries and are used solely for recreational and scientific purposes. They were formed under the Federal Wilderness Protection Act of 1984, and its amendments. The New England Wilderness Protection Act of 2006, enacted December 1, designates an additional 10,800 acres for the Sandwich Range Wilderness and creates a new 23,700 acre wilderness in the Wild River area.
Because of its beauty, its proximity to major metropolitan areas, its 1,200 miles of hiking trails, 23 campgrounds, and the presence of a large number of ski areas within or near its boundaries, the WMNF is one of the most visited national sites (including national parks) in the United States. With over six million visitors a year (WMNF 2005 Forest Plan), the WMNF draws more visitors than any U.S. national park except for the Great Smoky Mountains. Comparative visitation figures are not available for other national forests.
- John W. Weeks, sponsor of original WMNF legislation