Mount Passaconaway
Encyclopedia
Mount Passaconaway is a mountain in the Sandwich Range
Wilderness of the White Mountain National Forest
near the eastern boundary of Waterville Valley
. It is named after Passaconaway
, a 16th century sachem
of the Pennacook
tribe, whose name was also attached to a small village in Albany
, where the northern trailhead is now located.
It is ranked 42d in elevation on the list of 48 White Mountains
four-thousand footers
. On the original 1931 list of 4000-footers, it was ranked 26th, with an elevation of 4,116 feet, although the 1931 topographic map shows it as 4,060 feet. The 1987 USGS topographic map indicates it is 4,043, while the elevation recorded in the USGS Geographic Names Information System is 4,019 ft.
The thickly wooded, unmarked summit may be approached from trailheads to the north (on the Kancamagus Highway) or from Wonalancet
to the south. Old maps show a "Passaconaway Lodge" or "shelter" on the southeast aspect of the mountain, and the 4,000-footer guidebook mentions that it was built in 1891. It was rebuilt several times, evolving into the Wonalancet Out Door Club's Camp Rich. After its collapse in 2000 it was removed, consistent with Wilderness regulations.
Sandwich Range
The Sandwich Range is located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States, north of the Lakes Region and south of the Kancamagus Highway...
Wilderness of 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...
near the eastern boundary of Waterville Valley
Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
Waterville Valley is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 247 at the 2010 census.Waterville Valley attracts many visitors in the winter months with alpine skiing at Waterville Valley Resort and many miles of trails for cross-country skiing. During the summer,...
. It is named after Passaconaway
Passaconaway
Passaconaway, a name which translates to "Child of the Bear", was a chieftain in the Pennacook tribe.-Life:One of the key native figures in the colonial history of New Hampshire, Passaconaway was believed to have been born between 1550 and 1570, and is said to have died in 1679...
, a 16th century sachem
Sachem
A sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
of the Pennacook
Pennacook
The Pennacook, also known by the names Merrimack and Pawtucket, were a North American people that primarily inhabited the Merrimack River valley of present-day New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as portions of southern Maine...
tribe, whose name was also attached to a small village in Albany
Albany, New Hampshire
Albany is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 735 at the 2010 census.Albany includes Mount Chocorua and Mount Paugus, as well as the southeastern corner of the White Mountain National Forest. Albany is the entrance to the Mount Washington Valley, and features...
, where the northern trailhead is now located.
It is ranked 42d in elevation on the list of 48 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...
four-thousand footers
Four-thousand footers
The term Four-Thousand Footers refers to a group of forty-eight mountains in New Hampshire at least 4,000 feet above sea level...
. On the original 1931 list of 4000-footers, it was ranked 26th, with an elevation of 4,116 feet, although the 1931 topographic map shows it as 4,060 feet. The 1987 USGS topographic map indicates it is 4,043, while the elevation recorded in the USGS Geographic Names Information System is 4,019 ft.
The thickly wooded, unmarked summit may be approached from trailheads to the north (on the Kancamagus Highway) or from Wonalancet
Wonalancet, New Hampshire
Wonalancet is a village in the northwestern corner of the town of Tamworth in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. Many popular hiking trails into the Sandwich Range of the White Mountains have trailheads in the area, particularly in the locale known as Ferncroft, up a short spur road...
to the south. Old maps show a "Passaconaway Lodge" or "shelter" on the southeast aspect of the mountain, and the 4,000-footer guidebook mentions that it was built in 1891. It was rebuilt several times, evolving into the Wonalancet Out Door Club's Camp Rich. After its collapse in 2000 it was removed, consistent with Wilderness regulations.