White Mountain National Forest
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The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) is a forest contained within the White Mountains. Most of the WMNF is in New Hampshire; a small part crosses the border into Maine. While often casually referred to as a park, this is a National Forest, used not only for hiking, camping, and skiing, but for logging and other limited commercial purposes. The WMNF is the only National Forest located in either New Hampshire or Maine.
The National Forest consists of three discontinous areas. The area to the west of Franconia Notch (a narrow north-south valley containing a state park at its northern end) consists of the regions surrounding Cannon Mountain, Mt. Kinsman, and Mt. Moosilauke (though the majority of Moosilauke is privately owned). The main body of the National Forest includes the Presidential Range and many other ranges - most notably, the Franconia, Twin, Bond, Sandwich, Willey, and Carter Ranges. An exclave of the Forest lies to the north of the Presidential Range in Stark and Randolph, New Hampshire.
Four designated Federal Wilderness Areas exist within the Forest: the Presidential Range/Dry River Wilderness, the Sandwich Range Wilderness, the Caribou/Speckled Mountain Wilderness, and the Pemigewasset Wilderness. These areas are protected from logging and commercial industries and are used solely for recreational and scientific purposes. They were formed under a Federal Wilderness Protection Act of 1984.
Because of its beauty, its proximity to major metropolitan areas, and the presence of a large number of ski areas within or near its boundaries, the WMNF is one of the most visited national sites (including national parks) in the United States. With over six million visitors a year [(WMNF 2005 Forest Plan)], the WMNF draws more visitors than any U.S. national park except for the Great Smoky Mountains. Comparative visitation figures are not available for other national forests.
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