Grafton Notch is a notch, or mountain pass

Mountain pass

A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...

, located in Oxford County

Oxford County, Maine

Oxford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine with a population of 57,833 as of the 2010 U.S. census. Its county seat is Paris.Part of Oxford County is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, metropolitan New England City and Town Area while a different part of Oxford County is...

, 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 notch demarks the northeastern end the Mahoosuc Range, and thus of 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...

.

North of the height of land, the notch drains into the Swift Cambridge River

Swift Cambridge River

The Swift Cambridge River is a river in northwestern Maine. It rises near the New Hampshire border, north of Grafton Notch, and flows north to the Dead Cambridge River, a tributary of Umbagog Lake. The Androscoggin River flows from Umbagog to the tidal Kennebec River in Maine.-References:**...

, thence into the Dead Cambridge River

Dead Cambridge River

The Dead Cambridge River is a river in northwestern Maine. It is a tributary of Lake Umbagog, the outflow of which is the Androscoggin River, flowing to the tidal Kennebec River and the Atlantic Ocean.-References:**...

 and Umbagog Lake, the source of the Androscoggin River

Androscoggin River

The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is in area...

, which drains into Merrymeeting Bay

Merrymeeting Bay

Merrymeeting Bay is a large freshwater tidal bay in Sagadahoc, Lincoln, and Cumberland counties, in the U.S. state of Maine. Merrymeeting Bay's unusual geography defies common landform terms. It is not what is usually meant by the word bay. It is somewhat like an estuary except for being fresh...

, the estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

 of the Kennebec River

Kennebec River

The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...

, and thence into the Gulf of Maine

Gulf of Maine

The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...

.
To the south, the notch drains into the Bear River

Bear River (Androscoggin River)

The Bear River is a tributary of the Androscoggin River in the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Grafton Notch at the northeastern end of the Mahoosuc Range and flows southeast, joining the Androscoggin in the town of Newry. Maine Route 26 follows the entire course of the river.-References:**...

, thence into the Androscoggin.

Maine's Grafton Notch State Park includes the land along the bottom of the notch, and extends as far south as the summit of Old Speck Mountain

Old Speck Mountain

Old Speck Mountain is a mountain located in Oxford County, Maine. The mountain, the fourth-highest in the state, is the northeasternmost and highest of the Mahoosuc Range, the northeasternmost part of the White Mountains...

 on the southwest side of the notch. On the northeast side, it includes the lowest slopes of Baldpate Mountain

Baldpate Mountain (Maine)

Baldpate Mountain is a mountain located in Oxford County, Maine. Baldpate has two prominent peaks; West Peak has of elevation, and stands above the col between them....

.
The Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...

, a 2,170-mile (3,500-km) National Scenic Trail

National Scenic Trail

National Scenic Trail is a designation for protected areas in the United States that consist of trails of particular natural beauty.National Scenic Trails were authorized under the National Trails System Act of 1968 along with National Historic Trails and National Recreation Trails...

 from Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 to 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...

, crosses the notch between Old Speck and Baldpate.