The Belknap Mountains are a small

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in the Lakes Region of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, 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 t ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The range lies in the towns of Gilford, Gilmanton, and

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

in Belknap County. The highest peak,

Belknap Mountain Belknap Mountain is a mountain located in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States, south of Lake Winnipesaukee. Like the county, the mountain and the associated surrounding Belknap Mountains are named after Jeremy Belknap (1744–1798), a ...

, with an elevation of above sea level, is the highest point in Belknap County.

Belknap Mountain State Forest Belknap Mountain State Forest is a state forest in central New Hampshire within the Belknap Mountains. The forest contains the summit and surrounding slopes of Belknap Mountain, the highest point in Belknap County, as well as lands to the east ...

covers the central part of the range, including the summit and slopes of Belknap Mountain. The range extends for approximately in an arc that begins at New Hampshire Route 11A in Gilford and runs south, then curves east through the northern end of Gilmanton, before ending in the town of Alton, where it overlooks Alton Bay of

Lake Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...

. The named summits in the range, from northwest to southeast, are

Mount Rowe Mount Rowe, elevation , is a mountain located north of Gunstock Mountain in the Belknap Range, Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. It has been home to multiple alpine ski operations, including the original Gunstock Mountain Resort single ...

(),

Gunstock Mountain Gunstock Mountain is the second highest peak in the Belknap Mountains of central New Hampshire with an elevation greater than 2240 feet (683 m). It is located north of Belknap Mountain, the highest point in the range. It is home to the Gunsto ...

(), Belknap Mountain, Straightback Mountain (), and

Mount Major Mount Major is a mountain located in Alton, New Hampshire, south of Lake Winnipesaukee and northeast of Straightback Mountain in the Belknap Range. The scenic, rocky summit is a popular hiking destination, accessible by multiple trails including ...

(). A cluster of several unofficially named summits with elevations ranging from are on the main crest of the range between Belknap Mountain and Straightback Mountain, surrounding Round Pond, itself located near the crest of the range at above sea level. A secondary ridge extends southwest from Belknap Mountain to the Gilford/Gilmanton line, containing, from north to south, the summits of Piper Mountain () and Whiteface Mountain (). The range is entirely in 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 Mas ...

watershed. The northeast side of the range drains via several small brooks to

, the outlet of which is the

Winnipesaukee River The Winnipesaukee River is a river that connects Lake Winnipesaukee with the Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire. The river is in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire. The river's drainage area is approximately . ...

, which drains westward to form the Merrimack. The west side of the range drains via the

Gunstock River The Gunstock River is a river in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of Lake Winnipesaukee, part of the Merrimack River watershed. The Gunstock River is entirely within the town of Gilford. It rise ...

into Lake Winnipesaukee, and the extreme southwest end of the range, near Whiteface Mountain, drains west via the Tioga River to the Winnipesaukee River. The south side of the range, including Round Pond, drains south via the Suncook River to the Merrimack. Mount Rowe and Gunstock Mountain form the slopes of

Gunstock Mountain Resort Gunstock Mountain Resort, originally known as Belknap Mountain Recreation Area, is an outdoor recreation complex located on Gunstock Mountain in Gilford, New Hampshire. Constructed by the Works Progress Administration, it was completed in 1937 a ...

, a major ski area for central New Hampshire.

References

External links

Belknap Range Trails
(hiking map)

(land ownership map and data) {{Merrimack River Landforms of Belknap County, New Hampshire Mountain ranges of New Hampshire