The Winnipesaukee River is a river that connects

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 & ...

with the Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers in

Franklin, New Hampshire Franklin is a city in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 8,741, the least of New Hampshire's 13 cities. Franklin includes the village of West Franklin. History Situated at the confluence of the ...

. The river is in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire. The river's drainage area is approximately . The river has two distinct sections. The upstream section consists of a series of river courses connecting a chain of lakes, beginning with Lake Winnipesaukee. From the dam at the outlet of Lake Winnipesaukee in the Lakeport section of

Laconia Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...

, the river almost immediately enters

Opechee Bay Opechee Bay is a New Hampshire GRANIT database
lake located in Lake Winnisquam Lake Winnisquam is in Belknap County in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire, United States, in the communities of Meredith, Laconia, Sanbornton, Belmont, and Tilton. At , it is the fourth-largest lake entirely in New Hampshire. The lak ...

, the fourth-largest lake in New Hampshire. A stretch across Winnisquam leads to the dam at the lake's outlet and a short descent to Silver Lake. The river's lower section begins at the natural outlet of Silver Lake, on the boundary between Belmont and

Tilton, New Hampshire Tilton is a town on the Winnipesaukee River in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,962 at the 2020 census, up from 3,567 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Tilton and Lochmere and part of the village ...

. The river passes through the center of the twin towns of Tilton and

Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connec ...

, then descends through a narrow valley to

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

where additional small dams use the river's power. From Tilton to Franklin, the river has a drop of up to , with challenging rapids for sport boaters who put in at Cross Mill Bridge and take out at the

U.S. Route 3 U.S. Route 3 (US 3) is a United States highway running from Cambridge, Massachusetts, through New Hampshire, to the Canada–US border near Third Connecticut Lake, where it connects to Quebec Route 257. Massachusetts Route 3 connects to ...

Sanborn Bridge in downtown Franklin. A USGS water gage is in Tilton. The Winnipesaukee River joins the Pemigewasset River just downstream from the center of Franklin, forming the Merrimack River.

References

External links

American Whitewater information on running the river

Lake Winnipesaukee Live
* {{authority control Tributaries of the Merrimack River Rivers of New Hampshire Rivers of Merrimack County, New Hampshire New Hampshire placenames of Native American origin

See also

References

External links