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 (topography), summit area, and ...

located about 4 miles (6 km) northeast of

North Conway North Conway is a census-designated place (CDP) and village in eastern Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,116 at the 2020 census. A year-round resort area, North Conway is the second-largest village within the town ...

, Carroll County,

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 ...

. The

U.S. Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal govern ...

accepted the name "Pequawket Mountain" in 1915 but it was renamed Kearsarge North in 1957. The

Pequawket The Pequawket (also Pigwacket and many other spelling variants, from Eastern Abenaki The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-spea ...

are a subdivision of the

Abenaki people The Abenaki (Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predom ...

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

. 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 Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

. 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 in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., with 12 chapters stretching from Ma ...

granted the

New Hampshire Forestry Commission New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

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 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

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

National Historic Lookout Register The National Historic Lookout Register is a program administered by the United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national fores ...

, 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