Kearsarge North 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 higher t ...

located about 4 miles (6 km) northeast of North Conway, Carroll County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, United States. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names accepted the name "Pequawket Mountain" in 1915 but it was renamed Kearsarge North in 1957. The

Pequawket The Pequawket were a Native American band of Abenaki people. In the 18th century, they lived in New Hampshire and Maine. Territory The Pequawket lived near the headwaters of the Saco River and near what is now Carroll County, New Hampshire a ...

are a subdivision of the

Abenaki people The Abenaki (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian languages, Algonquian-speaki ...

who formerly lived in the area. It is sometimes referred to as Mount Kearsarge, a name officially assigned to a mountain in

Merrimack County Merrimack County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 153,808, making it the third most populous county in New Hampshire. Its county seat is Concord, the state capital. The county was orga ...

. Kearsarge North is located on the eastern fringe of the White Mountains. It is drained by various brooks 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 O ...

. There are two hiking routes up Kearsarge. The first, and most popular, is the Mount Kearsarge North Trail, which ascends from the North Conway side of Hurricane Mountain Road, near Intervale. The Weeks Brook Trail, a much less-used route, approaches Kearsarge from the east, from a trailhead on Forest Road 317 in Chatham. It has a slightly higher vertical gain at approximately 2,740 feet. An inn was built on the summit, only to be twice destroyed by storms. In 1909, the

Appalachian Mountain Club Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is the oldest outdoor group in the United States. Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains (New Hampshire), White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., wit ...

granted the New Hampshire Forestry Commission use of the destroyed hotel for a fire lookout.

Pequawket Fire Tower

The Pequawket Fire Tower was built in 1913 and staffed by the state and the

US Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering of land. The major divisions of the agency are the Chief's ...

until 1960. In 1991, the fire tower was added to the

National Historic Lookout Register Established in 1990, the National Historic Lookout Register is a program administered by the United States Forest Service, the Forest Fire Lookout Association, the , the National Forestry Association, state forestry departments and United States ...

, and is open to visitors to the summit of Kearsarge North.

References

External links

"Mount Kearsarge Gallery"
. White Mountain Art & Artists.
"Kearsarge North Mountain Hiking Guide"
FranklinSites.com. * Mountains of New Hampshire Mountains of Carroll County, New Hampshire New Hampshire placenames of Native American origin {{NewHampshire-geo-stub

Pequawket Fire Tower

See also

References

External links