Mount Whiteface
Encyclopedia
Mount Whiteface is a mountain
located in Grafton County
, New Hampshire
. The mountain is part of the Sandwich Range
of the White Mountains
. Whiteface is flanked to the northwest by Mount Tripyramid
, and to the northeast by Mount Passaconaway
. Whiteface is on the eastern border of the Sandwich Range Wilderness. To the east, between Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Mt. Wonalancet, lies The Bowl natural area, an unlogged cirque
.
Mt. Whiteface lies within the watershed
of the Saco River
, which reaches the Gulf of Maine
at Saco, Maine
. The south side of Whiteface is drained by the Whiteface River, thence into the Cold River
, Bearcamp River
, Ossipee River
, and the Saco River. The east side is drained by the Wonalancet River
, thence into Swift River
, and Bearcamp River. The north side is drained by Downes Brook, thence into another Swift River
, and the Saco River.
The summit of Mt. Whiteface is in a wooded area along the Rollins Trail, approximately 0.3 mile (0.482802 km) north of the top of the massive granite cliff for which the mountain is named. Many hikers reach the open area at the top of the cliff and do not realize the true summit is farther to the north.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
located in Grafton County
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Grafton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2010 census, the population was 89,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, which is a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices were located in downtown Woodsville, a...
, 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 mountain is part of the Sandwich Range
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...
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...
. Whiteface is flanked to the northwest by Mount Tripyramid
Mount Tripyramid (New Hampshire)
Mount Tripyramid is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain, so-called because of the three distinct peaks along its mile-long summit ridge, is part of the Sandwich Range of the White Mountains. Scaur Peak and The Fool Killer are subsidiary peaks to the northwest and...
, and to the northeast by Mount Passaconaway
Mount Passaconaway
Mount Passaconaway is a mountain in the Sandwich Range Wilderness of the White Mountain National Forest near the eastern boundary of Waterville Valley...
. Whiteface is on the eastern border of the Sandwich Range Wilderness. To the east, between Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Mt. Wonalancet, lies The Bowl natural area, an unlogged 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...
.
Mt. Whiteface lies within the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, 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 reaches 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...
at Saco, Maine
Saco, Maine
Saco is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,482 at the 2010 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General Dynamics Armament Systems , a subsidiary of the defense contractor General Dynamics...
. The south side of Whiteface is drained by the Whiteface River, thence into the Cold River
Cold River (Bearcamp River)
The Cold River is an 11.9 mile long river located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Bearcamp River, part of the Ossipee River and Saco River watersheds...
, Bearcamp River
Bearcamp River
The Bearcamp River is a 26.3 mile long river at the southern edge of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the United States. It is the largest tributary of Ossipee Lake, part of the Saco River watershed leading to the Atlantic Ocean....
, Ossipee River
Ossipee River
The Ossipee River is an river in eastern New Hampshire and western Maine in the United States. It is a tributary of the Saco River, which flows southeast to the Atlantic Ocean at Saco, Maine....
, and the Saco River. The east side is drained by the Wonalancet River
Wonalancet River
The Wonalancet River is a 7.6-mile long river located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the southern Swift River, part of the Bearcamp River / Ossipee Lake / Saco River watershed leading to the Atlantic Ocean.The Wonalancet River rises in the heart...
, thence into Swift River
Swift River (Bearcamp River)
The Swift River is an 8.3 mile long river located in eastern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Bearcamp River, part of the Ossipee Lake / Saco River watershed leading to the Atlantic Ocean...
, and Bearcamp River. The north side is drained by Downes Brook, thence into another Swift River
Swift River (Saco River)
The Swift River is a river in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Saco River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean in Maine....
, and the Saco River.
The summit of Mt. Whiteface is in a wooded area along the Rollins Trail, approximately 0.3 mile (0.482802 km) north of the top of the massive granite cliff for which the mountain is named. Many hikers reach the open area at the top of the cliff and do not realize the true summit is farther to the north.