White Mt. NF--Square Ledge Trail, Pinkham Notch

White Mt. NF--Square Ledge Trail, Pinkham Notch

Pinkhams Grant, New Hampshire 03846

Official Website
White Mountain National Forest Official Website

About this Location

Square Ledge Trail is a moderately challenging hike in the White Mountain National Forest. The trail offers views of Mount Washington and the Presidential Range from the top of a rocky ledge. The trail is 1.1 miles long and gains 334 feet in elevation. The trailhead is located near the Appalachian Mountain Club's Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, across NH-16. 

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 AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike using the Square Ledge Trail.

Square Ledge in Pinkham Notch is a 0.8-mile out-and-back trail located near Gorham, New Hampshire that offers scenic views and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking and rock climbing and is best used from April until November.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Official Website and White Mountain National Forest Official Website

Last updated November 22, 2023