The Lost River is a
stream
A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...
in the
White Mountains 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 ...
. It is 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 drainage ...
of
Moosilauke Brook
Moosilauke Brook is a stream in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is the downstream continuation of the Lost River and is a tributary of the Pemigewasset River, part of the Merrimack River watershed.
Moosilauke Bro ...
, part 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 ...
watershed
Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to:
Hydrology
* Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins
* Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...
leading to 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 ...
.
The Lost River begins on the eastern slopes of
Mount Moosilauke
Mount Moosilauke is a mountain at the southwestern end of the White Mountains in the town of Benton, New Hampshire, United States. It is the tenth highest and most southwesterly of the 4,000 foot summits in the White Mountains.
Moosilauke i ...
below the peak of Mount Jim and above
Kinsman Notch
Kinsman Notch (elev. ) is a mountain pass located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. It is the westernmost of the major notches through the White Mountains (the others being Franconia Notch, Crawford Notch, and Pinkham Notch ...
, one of the major
passes through the White Mountains. As it flows through the notch, it passes through
Lost River Gorge, an area where enormous boulders falling off the flanking walls of the notch at the close of the last
Ice Age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
have covered the river, creating a network of boulder caves. The gorge is owned by the
Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) is a private, non-profit, land conservation and sustainable forestry organization based in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It purchases or is given easements on property, or obtains ou ...
and is operated as a tourist attraction, with trails and ladders accessing many of the caves.
The river flows southeast from Kinsman Notch to Jackman Brook, where the two streams form Moosilauke Brook, which continues northeast through the granite gorge of
Agassiz Basin and joins the Pemigewasset River in the village of
North Woodstock.
New Hampshire Route 112
New Hampshire Route 112 (abbreviated NH 112) is a east–west state highway in northern New Hampshire. The highway winds across the state, connecting Bath to Conway through the heart of the scenic and mountainous White Mountain National Forest.
...
follows the Lost River from Kinsman Notch to Moosilauke Brook.
See also
*
List of rivers of New Hampshire
This is a list of rivers and significant streams in the U.S. state of New Hampshire.
All watercourses named "River" (freshwater or tidal) are listed here, as well as other streams which are either subject to thNew Hampshire Comprehensive Shoreland ...
References
External links
Lost River Gorge & Boulder Caves website
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Tributaries of the Merrimack River
Rivers of New Hampshire
Rivers of Grafton County, New Hampshire