White Mt. NF--Mountain Pond, Chatham

White Mt. NF--Mountain Pond, Chatham

Town Hall Road Glen, New Hampshire 03838

Mountain Pond Trail (AllTrails) webpage
White Mountain National Forest Official Website

About this Location

Mountain Pond is a scenic and secluded lake in the White Mountain National Forest. The pond is surrounded by dense forests and rugged mountains. The pond is accessible by a 4.4-mile round-trip hike on the Mountain Pond Trail, which follows an old logging road along the edge of the water. The trail is moderately easy, with some rocky and muddy sections, but no steep climbs. Along the way, hikers can enjoy views of the pond and the nearby peaks, such as Baldface Mountain and South Baldface. The pond has a primitive campground with six sites, available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is no fee or reservation required to camp at the pond, but campers must follow the leave-no-trace principles and pack out all their trash.

In winter this road is only plowed to 3.5 miles; beyond this point, it is used as a snowmobile trail. 

About White Mountain National Forest

See all hotspots at White Mountain National Forest

In the decades prior to 1911, the unregulated logging practices of private timber companies in the White Mountains had resulted in a damaged landscape susceptible to both fire and flood. Fires had burned thousands of acres, and flash floods affected the water power necessary to the mills of major industrial centers downstream, such as Manchester, New Hampshire, and Lowell, Massachusetts. Concerns over losses to industry, business, and tourism, and the growing conservation movement led to citizen action. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) spearheaded an effort to ensure the permanent protection of the White Mountains from further depredation. After years of lobbying and intense public pressure, Senator John Weeks of Massachusetts, a native of Lancaster, New Hampshire, introduced legislation that became known as the Weeks Act. The Weeks Act was passed by Congress in 1911, appropriating 9 million dollars to purchase 6 million acres of land in the Eastern U.S. In turn, this led to the creation of the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) in 1918, and twenty-one other national forests throughout the north and southeast. Many of the groups who were instrumental in the passage of the Weeks Act, including the SPNHF and the AMC, are still active today, and the WMNF has grown from 7,000 acres to almost 800,000. Today, the reforested mountains and hillsides supply forest products and provide magnificent recreational opportunities while maintaining healthy watersheds and ecosystems.

Notable Trails

The Trail Finder website and the  AllTrails website have descriptions and maps of hikes to Mountain Pond.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from White Mountain National Forest Official Website

Last updated November 15, 2023