Mt. Whiteface, Waterville Valley

About this Location

Mount Whiteface is a 4,042-foot mountain in the White Mountains. It is sandwiched between Mount Tripyramid and Mount Passaconaway.

It is situated in the Sandwich Range of the White Mountains along with 6 other 4,000-footer mountains: Mount Osceola, East Osceola Mountain, Middle Tripyramid Mountain, North Tripyramid Mountain, Mount Tecumseh, and Mount Passaconway. 5 other mountains in this mountain range are not 4,000 footers: Mount Chocorua, Mount Kancamagus, Mount Paugus, The Sleepers, Sandwich Mountain

The summit of Mount Whiteface lies on the Rollins Trail roughly 0.3 miles north of the top of a massive granite cliff, for which the mountain is named. The summit is heavily wooded with no summit sign.

Mount Whiteface lies within the watershed of the Saco River, which reaches the Gulf of Maine at Saco, Maine. The south side of Whiteface is drained by the Whiteface River, then into the Cold River, Bearcamp River, Ossipee River, and the Saco River. The east side is drained by the Wonalancet River, then into Swift River and Bearcamp River. The north side is drained by Downes Brook, then into another Swift River, and the Saco River.

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.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Mount Whiteface (4000Footers) webpage and White Mountain National Forest Official Website

Last updated November 11, 2023