The Great Gulf is a glacial cirque

Cirque (landform)

thumb|250 px|Two cirques with semi-permanent snowpatches in [[Abisko National Park]], [[Sweden]].A cirque or corrie is an amphitheatre-like valley head, formed at the head of a valley glacier by erosion...

, or amphitheater-like valley head formed from a glacier by erosion, located 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...

. The cirque's walls are formed, from south to north, by the mountainsides of Mount Washington

Mount Washington (New Hampshire)

Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at , famous for dangerously erratic weather. For 76 years, a weather observatory on the summit held the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, , on the afternoon of April 12, 1934...

 (6,288 ft/1917 m), Mount Clay

Mount Clay

Mount Clay is a peak located in Thompson and Meserve's Purchase in Coos County in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire...

 (5,533 ft/1686 m), Mount Jefferson

Mount Jefferson (New Hampshire)

Mount Jefferson is located in Coos County, New Hampshire, and is the third highest mountain in the state. The mountain is named after Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, and is part of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains...

 (5,716 ft/1742 m), Mount Adams

Mount Adams (New Hampshire)

Mount Adams, elevation above sea level, is a mountain in New Hampshire, the second highest peak in the Northeast United States after its nearby neighbor, Mt. Washington. Located in the northern Presidential Range, Mount Adams was named after John Adams, the second president of the United States....

 (5,799 ft/1768 m), and Mount Madison

Mount Madison

Mount Madison is a mountain in the Presidential Range of New Hampshire in the United States. It is named after the fourth U.S. President, James Madison....

 (5,366 ft/1636 m). It is drained by the West Branch

West Branch Peabody River

The West Branch of the Peabody River is a 5.8 mile long river in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Peabody River, which flows into the Androscoggin River, which in turn flows south and east into Maine, joining the Kennebec River near the Atlantic...

 of the Peabody River

Peabody River

The Peabody River is a 12.9 mile long river in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Androscoggin River, which flows south and east into Maine, joining the Kennebec River near the Atlantic Ocean....

.

The Great Gulf Wilderness is a protected wilderness area encompassing the cirque of the Great Gulf, and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System

National Wilderness Preservation System

The National Wilderness Preservation System of the United States protects federally managed land areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. It was established by the Wilderness Act upon the signature of President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964...

. Established in 1964, Great Gulf is New Hampshire's oldest and smallest wilderness area, comprising just 5552 acres (22.5 km²).

External links

• Great Gulf Wilderness - Wilderness.net
• The Great Gulf Wilderness - GORP