Mount Carrigain is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

located in Grafton County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. The mountain is named after Phillip Carrigain, NH Secretary of State (1805–10), and is on the south side of the

Pemigewasset Wilderness The Pemigewasset Wilderness is a federally designated Wilderness Area in the heart of New Hampshire's White Mountains. It is a part of the White Mountain National Forest. It is New Hampshire's largest wilderness area. The Wilderness Area consi ...

, the source of the East Branch of the

Pemigewasset River The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately . The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word ''bemijijoase ...

in the heart of the White Mountains, between

Franconia Notch Franconia Notch (elev. ) is a major mountain pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Dominated by Cannon Mountain to the west and Mount Lafayette to the east, it lies principally within Franconia Notch State Park and is traversed by ...

and

Crawford Notch Crawford Notch is a major pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, located in Hart's Location. Roughly half of that town is contained in Crawford Notch State Park. The high point of the notch, at approximately above sea level, is at ...

. Carrigain is flanked to the northeast beyond Carrigain's Vose Spur by Mount Anderson and Mount Lowell across Carrigain Notch, and to the southwest by Mount Hancock. It has a

fire tower A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a " fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or ...

at the summit, providing 360 degree views of the surrounding wilderness.

Geography

The south side of Mount Carrigain drains into the

Sawyer River The Sawyer 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. The Sawyer River rises in the unincorporated township of Livermore, New Ha ...

, thence into the

Saco River The Saco River (Abenaki: ''Sαkóhki'') 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 ...

, which drains into the

Gulf of Maine , image = , alt = , caption = , image_bathymetry = GulfofMaine2.jpg , alt_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = Major features of the Gulf of Maine , location = Northeast coast of the ...

Saco, Maine Saco is a city in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General ...

. The east side of Mt. Carrigain drains into Carrigain Brook, thence into the Sawyer River. The north side of Carrigain drains into the East Branch of the

, a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the

Merrimack River The Merrimack River (or Merrimac River, an occasional earlier spelling) is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into M ...

, which drains into the Gulf of Maine at Newburyport, Massachusetts. The west side of Carrigain drains into the Carrigain Branch of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset.

Vose Spur

Vose Spur is a subpeak of Mount Carrigain, named after George L. Vose. The summit is densely wooded. It is officially trailless and counts as one of New England's one hundred highest summits. Several different approaches are possible. A talus field on the eastern slope, can be reached by bushwhacking from the Carrigain Notch Trail and offers outstanding views into Carrigain Notch and over to Mount Lowell.

References

External links

"Mount Carrigain"
Appalachian Mountain Club. *

HikeTheWhites.com. * *

Hike-NewEngland.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Carrigain, Mount Mountains of New Hampshire Mountains of Grafton County, New Hampshire New England Four-thousand footers

Geography

Vose Spur

See also

References

External links