The East Branch of the Saco River is a 13.2 mile long (21.3 km) river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the White Mountains

White Mountains (New Hampshire)

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. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...

 of New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Saco River

Saco River

The Saco River is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States. It drains a rural area of of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Saco Bay, from its source. It supplies drinking water to roughly 250,000...

, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 in Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

.

The East Branch rises near the northern boundary of Jackson, New Hampshire

Jackson, New Hampshire

Jackson is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 816 at the 2010 census. Jackson is an elegant resort area in the White Mountains. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the west, north and east...

 in an area just south of the Wild River

Wild River (Androscoggin River)

The Wild River is a river in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Maine in the United States. It is a tributary of the Androscoggin River, which flows east and south to the Kennebec River near the Atlantic Ocean.-Route:...

, east of Black Mountain

Black Mountain Ski Area (New Hampshire)

Black Mountain is an alpine ski area located in Jackson, New Hampshire.Black Mountain offers terrain for all abilities, including slopes for novices, cruising trails for intermediates, and black diamond trails for experts...

, and southwest of the Baldface

Baldface-Royce Range

The Baldface-Royce Range is a range of mountains in western Maine and eastern New Hampshire. They are located in the town of Chatham, New Hampshire and the townships of Bean's Purchase, New Hampshire and Batchelders Grant, Maine, in the eastern part of the White Mountains.-Mountains in the...

 mountains. The river flows south through the White Mountain National Forest

White Mountain National Forest

The White Mountain National Forest is a federally-managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had already begun in 1914. It has a total area of...

 in an area that is devoted more to logging than other portions of the forest. Leaving the forest, the river enters the town of Bartlett

Bartlett, New Hampshire

Bartlett is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,788 at the 2010 census. Bartlett includes the villages of Glen, Lower Bartlett and Intervale. It is set in the White Mountains, surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest...

, reaching the Saco River at Lower Bartlett village, just downstream of the Ellis River confluence with the Saco.