Mount Pemigewasset

Last updated
Mount Pemigewasset
Indian Head.jpg
Mount Pemigewasset with its distinct head profile
Highest point
Elevation 2,530 ft (770 m) [1]
Coordinates 44°5′52″N71°41′56″W / 44.09778°N 71.69889°W / 44.09778; -71.69889 [1]
Geography
USA New Hampshire relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Location in New Hampshire
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Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Location in the United States
Location
Parent range Kinsman Range
Climbing
Easiest route Hike

Mount Pemigewasset, or Indian Head, is a mountain in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. It lies near the town of Lincoln. [1] [2] [3]

The mountain is known for the distinctive cliff along the southern side of its summit, which resembles the profile of a Native American head. Such shapes are formed when water enters cracks in the granite. Over time, the water freezes and expands, which further shapes and cracks the rock. [3] [4] The "face" measures 98 feet (30 m) from chin to forehead, [5] and the mountain itself has an elevation of 2,530 feet (770 m). [1]

The head shape has been noted since the early 19th century. It was partly hidden by trees near the chin, but a 1901 forest fire revealed the full profile. [6] [7] The mountain received more attention after a better-known rock formation in the White Mountains, the Old Man of the Mountain, collapsed in 2003. The "Indian Head" will eventually lose its shape as well. [8] [4]

Pemigewasset is an Abenaki Indian word meaning "rapidly moving", and it also names the nearby Pemigewasset River. The Native American Pemigewasset tribe lived in the area in the 17th and 18th centuries, [9] and a legend of the Abenaki people tells that Chief Pemigewasset spied for enemies from the top of the mountain. [5] [7]

According to an 1898 guidebook, "The view on a moonlight night from the top of this vast cliff is awe inspiring." [10] The Indian Head Resort, a more than one-hundred-year-old tourist facility, has a view over the mountain as well as a viewing tower. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franconia, New Hampshire</span> Town in New Hampshire, United States

Franconia is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,083 at the 2020 census. Set in the White Mountains, Franconia is home to the northern half of Franconia Notch State Park. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the eastern and southern portions of the town. The Appalachian Trail crosses the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Mountains (New England)</span> Mountain range in New Hampshire and Maine, United States

The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. They are a subrange of the northern Appalachian Mountains and the most rugged mountains in New England. Several of the higher peaks contain an Alpine tundra. The range is heavily visited due to its proximity to Boston, New York City, and Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Man of the Mountain</span> Former rock formation in New Hampshire, United States

The Old Man of the Mountain, also called the Great Stone Face and the Profile, was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States, that appeared to be the jagged profile of a human face when viewed from the north. The rock formation, 1,200 feet (370 m) above Profile Lake, was 40 feet (12 m) tall and 25 feet (7.6 m) wide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franconia Notch State Park</span> State park in New Hampshire, United States

Franconia Notch State Park is a public recreation area and nature preserve that straddles eight miles (13 km) of Interstate 93 as it passes through Franconia Notch, a mountain pass between the Kinsman Range and Franconia Range in the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire, United States. The northern part of the park, including Cannon Mountain and Echo and Profile lakes, is in the town of Franconia, and the southern part, including Lonesome Lake and the Flume, is in Lincoln. Attractions in the state park include the Flume Gorge and visitor center, the Old Man of the Mountain historical site, fishing in Echo Lake and Profile Lake, and miles of hiking, biking and ski trails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franconia Notch</span> Mountain pass in New Hampshire, USA

Franconia Notch is a major mountain pass through the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Dominated by Cannon Mountain to the west and Mount Lafayette to the east, it lies principally within Franconia Notch State Park and is traversed by the Franconia Notch Parkway. The parkway required a special act of Congress to sidestep design standards for the Interstate highway system because it is only one lane in each direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lincoln (New Hampshire)</span>

Mount Lincoln is a 5,089-foot-high (1,551 m) mountain within the Franconia Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Lincoln is located between Little Haystack and Mount Lafayette. All three overlook Franconia Notch. The west side of Lincoln drains into the main stem of the Pemigewasset River. The east side drains into Lincoln Brook, thence into the Franconia Branch of the Pemigewasset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannon Mountain (New Hampshire)</span>

Cannon Mountain is a 4,080-foot (1,240 m) peak in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is known for both its technical rock and ice climbing on its cliff face and skiing at Cannon Mountain Ski Area. It was also home to the Old Man of the Mountain, until that formation collapsed on May 3, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Flume</span>

Mount Flume is a 4,328-foot (1,319 m) mountain at the southern end of the Franconia Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. Mount Flume is the lowest in elevation of the peaks in the Franconia Range that are accessible by official hiking trails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinkham Notch</span> Mountain pass in New Hampshire

Pinkham Notch is a mountain pass in the White Mountains of north-central New Hampshire, United States. The notch is a result of extensive erosion by the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Wisconsinian ice age. Pinkham Notch was eroded into a glacial U-shaped valley whose walls are formed by the Presidential, Wildcat, and Carter-Moriah ranges. Due to the volatility of the area's climate and rugged character of the terrain, a number of rare or endemic ecosystems have developed throughout the notch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Carrigain</span> Mountain in the state of New Hampshire

Mount Carrigain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is named after Phillip Carrigain, NH Secretary of State (1805–10), and is on the south side of the Pemigewasset Wilderness, the source of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River in the heart of the White Mountains, between Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch. Carrigain is flanked to the northeast beyond Carrigain's Vose Spur by Mount Anderson and Mount Lowell across Carrigain Notch, and to the southwest by Mount Hancock. It has a fire tower at the summit, providing 360 degree views of the surrounding wilderness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Hancock (New Hampshire)</span>

Mount Hancock is a mountain in Grafton County, New Hampshire, named after John Hancock (1737–1793), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinsman Notch</span>

Kinsman Notch is a mountain pass located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. It is the westernmost of the major notches through the White Mountains. To the southeast, the valley of the notch is drained by the Lost River, leading to the Pemigewasset River, and ultimately the Merrimack, flowing into the Gulf of Maine. The northwest half of the notch is drained by Beaver Brook and the Wild Ammonoosuc River, part of the Connecticut River watershed leading to Long Island Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Zealand</span> Mountain in New Hampshire

Mount Zealand, or Zealand Mountain, is a mountain located in the White Mountains, in Grafton County, New Hampshire. Zealand stands on a spur ridge northeast of Mount Guyot, and facing Whitewall Mountain to the east across Zealand Notch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Garfield (New Hampshire)</span> Mountain in the state of New Hampshire

Mount Garfield is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the White Mountains. Mt. Garfield is flanked to the east by South Twin Mountain, and to the southwest along Garfield Ridge by Mount Lafayette.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonesome Lake (New Hampshire)</span>

Lonesome Lake is a 12.2-acre (49,000 m2) water body located in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, south of Cannon Mountain. The lake is reachable by hiking trails from the Franconia Notch Parkway, including the Lafayette Place Campground, and takes approximately 2–3 hours. It features an Appalachian Mountain Club hut, which first opened in 1930, on its southwest shore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinsman Mountain</span>

Kinsman Mountain is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. It is named after Nathan Kinsman, an early resident of Easton, New Hampshire, and is part of the Kinsman Range of the White Mountains. To the northeast, Kinsman is connected by The Cannon Balls ridge to Cannon Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pemigewasset Wilderness</span> Wilderness in the state of New Hampshire

The Pemigewasset Wilderness is a 45,000-acre (182 km2) federally designated Wilderness Area in the heart of New Hampshire's White Mountains. It is a part of the White Mountain National Forest. It is New Hampshire's largest wilderness area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franconia Range</span>

The Franconia Range is a mountain range located in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is the second-highest range of peaks in the White Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Range</span> Mountain range in the state of New Hampshire

The Twin Range is a mountain range within the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinsman Range</span>

The Kinsman Range, also known as the Cannon–Kinsman Range, is a north–south range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. Its highest point is 4,358-foot-high (1,328 m) Kinsman Mountain, followed by the 4,293-foot (1,309 m) North Peak of Kinsman, and 4,080-foot (1,240 m) Cannon Mountain, one of the richest in rock climbing routes in the Whites. All are official "Four-thousand footers". 3,478-foot (1,060 m) Mount Wolf is on the crest of the range south of Kinsman Mountain. Rounding out the range are 2,470-foot (750 m) Bald Peak on the west side of Kinsman Mountain and 2,530-foot (770 m) Mount Pemigewasset on the east side, overlooking Franconia Notch.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mount Pemigewasset". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  2. Densmore Ballard, Lisa (2020). Hiking the White Mountains : a guide to New Hampshire's best hiking adventures (Second ed.). Guilford, Connecticut: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 53. ISBN   9781493043330.
  3. 1 2 Feinberg Densmore, Lisa (2005). Best hikes with dogs. New Hampshire & Vermont (First ed.). Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books. pp. 126–128. ISBN   9781594852367.
  4. 1 2 Buchsbaum, Robert (2000). Nature hikes in the White Mountains (2nd ed.). Boston, Mass.: Appalachian Mountain Club Books. pp. 64–69. ISBN   9781878239723.
  5. 1 2 Heald, Bruce D. (2014). A history of the New Hampshire Abenaki. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   9781625849656.
  6. 1 2 "Indian Head Resort | The Center for Land Use Interpretation". Center for Land Use Interpretation . Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  7. 1 2 Anderson, John; Morse, Stearns (1930). The Book Of The White Mountains. New York: Minton, Balch & Company. pp. 45–46.
  8. "Four years after Old Man's fall, another N.H. rocky profile gets attention". Associated Press. May 10, 2007. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2021 via USA Today.
  9. Monkman, Jerry; Monkman, Marcy (2009). Discover the White Mountains : AMC's guide to the best hiking, biking, and paddling (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Appalachian Mountain Club. p. 44. ISBN   9781934028223.
  10. Carpenter, Frank Oliver (1898). Guide Book to the Franconia Notch and the Pemigewasset Valley. A. Moore. p. 112.