White Mountains ( New Hampshire ) - wikipedia White Mountains ( New Hampshire ) White Mountains Looking south on the Franconia Ridge Trail towards Mount Flume ( left ) and Mount Liberty ( center ) Highest point Peak Mount Washington Elevation 6,288 ft ( 1,917 m ) Coordinates 44 ° 16 ′ 15 '' N 71 ° 18 ′ 12.5 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 44.27083 ° N 71.303472 ° W ﻿ / 44.27083 ; - 71.303472 Geography Country United States States New Hampshire and Maine Region New England Range coordinates 44 ° 16 ′ 16 '' N 71 ° 18 ′ 18 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 44.271 ° N 71.305 ° W ﻿ / 44.271 ; - 71.305 Coordinates : 44 ° 16 ′ 16 '' N 71 ° 18 ′ 18 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 44.271 ° N 71.305 ° W ﻿ / 44.271 ; - 71.305 Parent range Appalachian Mountains 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 part of the northern Appalachian Mountains and the most rugged mountains in New England. The range is heavily visited due to its proximity to Boston and, to a lesser extent, New York City and Montreal. Most of the area is public land, including the White Mountain National Forest and a number of state parks. Its most famous mountain is 6,288 - foot ( 1,917 m ) Mount Washington, which is the highest peak in the Northeastern U.S. and for 76 years held the record for fastest surface wind gust in the world ( 231 miles per hour ( 372 km / h ) in 1934 ). Mount Washington is part of a line of summits, the Presidential Range, that are named after U.S. presidents and other prominent Americans. The White Mountains also include the Franconia Range, Sandwich Range, Carter - Moriah Range and Kinsman Range in New Hampshire, and the Mahoosuc Range straddling the border between it and Maine. In all, there are 48 peaks within New Hampshire as well as one ( Old Speck Mountain ) in Maine over 4,000 feet ( 1,200 m ), known as the Four - thousand footers. The Whites are known for a system of alpine huts for hikers operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club. The Appalachian Trail crosses the area from southwest to northeast. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Geology and physiography 3 Attractions 4 Mapping 5 Art 6 In literature and drama 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Etymology It is not clear where the name `` White Mountains '' came from. There is no record of what Native Americans called the range, although pre-Colonial names for many individual peaks are known. The name and similar ones such as `` White Hills '' or `` Wine Hills '' are found in literature from Colonial times. According to tradition, the mountains were first sighted from shipboard off the coast near the Piscataqua estuary. The highest peaks would often be snow - capped, appearing white. An alternate theory is that the mica - laden granite of the summits looked white to observers. Geology and physiography Map of the main regions of the northeast Appalachians. The White Mountains are a physiographic section of the larger New England province, which in turn is part of the larger Appalachian physiographic division. The magma intrusions forming the White Mountains today were created 124 to 100 million years ago as the North American Plate moved westward over the New England hotspot. Widespread evidence of glaciation may be seen in the U-shaped form of various notches, or mountain passes. Glacial cirques form the heads of Tuckerman Ravine on Mt. Washington and King Ravine on Mt. Adams. Glacial striations are visible at numerous locations, including on the exposed rocks at the summit of Pine Mountain in Gorham. Attractions Tourists take in the Flume Gorge, part of Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains. The Mount Washington Auto Road and the historic Mount Washington Cog Railway ascend the range 's highest peak. Heavily visited Arethusa Falls, the second tallest waterfall in New Hampshire, lies on a southwest flank of Crawford Notch. The Old Man of the Mountain, a rock formation on Cannon Mountain that resembled the craggy profile of a man 's face, was a White Mountain landmark until it fell in May 2003. It remains the state symbol of New Hampshire. The range also includes a natural feature dubbed `` The Basin '', consisting of a granite bowl, 20 feet ( 6 m ) in diameter, fed by a waterfall, worn smooth by the Pemigewasset River. The areas around The Basin are popular spots for swimming in the ice - cold mountain - fed water. The range is crossed north -- south by U.S. Route 3 and Interstate 93 through Franconia Notch and New Hampshire Route 16 through Pinkham Notch, and east -- west by the Kancamagus Highway ( part of New Hampshire Route 112 ) through Kancamagus Pass and U.S. Route 302 through Crawford Notch. Mapping Map of the White Mountains, Franklin Leavitt, 1871 Some of the earliest maps of the White Mountains were produced as tourist maps and not topographical maps. One of the first two tourist maps of the mountains was that produced by Franklin Leavitt, a self - taught artist born near Lancaster, New Hampshire in 1824. Leavitt 's hand - drawn map, today in the collection of Harvard University, is largely folk art, but does convey some of the region 's features. Leavitt drew several versions of his map, beginning in 1852. The fourth version, printed in 1871, was printed at Boston and carried a retail price of one dollar. Other early maps of the region were drawn by H. Conant and by Harvard astronomer George Phillips Bond, who published the first topographical map of the region in 1853. Art Main article : White Mountain art As the most ruggedly picturesque area in the northeast U.S., the White Mountains drew hundreds of painters during the 19th century. This group of artists is sometimes referred to as belonging to the `` White Mountain school '' of art. Others dispute the notion that these painters were a `` school '', since they did not all paint in the same style as, for example, those artists of the Hudson River School. Peaks of the Franconia Range of the White Mountains as viewed from Loon Mountain resort after an October snowfall, looking to the north. In literature and drama Nathaniel Hawthorne chose the White Mountains as the setting for his short story, `` The Great Carbuncle ''. Other White Mountain tales by Hawthorne include `` The Ambitious Guest '', `` Sketches from Memory '' and `` The Great Stone Face ''. The White Mountain region also figures prominently in the writings of Louisa May Alcott, including the novel Eight Cousins and its sequel, Rose in Bloom. See also Four - thousand footers High Huts of the White Mountains List of mountain passes in New Hampshire List of mountains of New Hampshire White Mountains Region References Jump up ^ AMC : `` How the White Mountains Were Named '' Jump up ^ `` Physiographic divisions of the conterminous U.S. ''. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2007 - 12 - 06. Jump up ^ Franklin Leavitt, Map of the White Mountains, New Hampshire, WhiteMountainHistory.org Jump up ^ Franklin Leavitt White Mountains Map, Harvard University Jump up ^ 1871 Franklin Leavitt Map, WhiteMountainHistory.org Jump up ^ George P. Bond : Map of the White Mountains of New Hampshire, WhiteMountainHistory.org External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to White Mountains ( New Hampshire ). The Grand Hotels, The Glory and The Conflagration, Randall E. Spalding, WhiteMountainHistory.org `` White Mountains ''. The American Cyclopædia. 1879. Mountains of New Hampshire Belknap Mountains Belknap Mountain Gunstock Mountain Mount Major Mount Rowe Ossipee Mountains Bayle Mountain Larcom Mountain Mount Roberts Mount Shaw Mount Whittier Nickerson Mountain Turtleback Mountain Wapack Range Barrett Mountain Kidder Mountain New Ipswich Mountain North Pack Monadnock Pack Monadnock Pratt Mountain Temple Mountain White Mountains Baldface - Royce Range Eastman Mountain Mount Meader North Baldface South Baldface Carter - Moriah Range Carter Dome Imp Mountain Middle Carter Mountain Middle Moriah Mountain Mount Hight Mount Moriah North Baldface North Carter Mountain Shelburne Moriah Mountain South Carter Mountain Wildcat Mountain Crescent Range Black Crescent Mountain Mount Crescent Franconia Range Little Haystack Mountain Mount Flume Mount Lafayette Mount Liberty Mount Lincoln Kinsman Range The Cannon Balls Cannon Mountain Kinsman Mountain Mahoosuc Range Mount Success North Bald Cap Pilot Range The Bulge The Horn Mount Cabot Presidential Range Boott Spur Mount Adams Mount Clay Mount Davis Mount Eisenhower Mount Franklin Mount Isolation Mount Jackson Mount Jefferson Mount Madison Mount Monroe Mount Pierce Mount Washington Mount Webster Sandwich Range Mount Chocorua Mount Passaconaway Mount Tripyramid Mount Whiteface Sandwich Mountain The Sleepers Twin Range Galehead Mountain Mount Bond Mount Guyot Mount Hale North Twin Mountain Nubble Peak South Twin Mountain Twin Mountains Others ( White Mtns. ) Bartlett Haystack Bear Mountain Black Cap Dartmouth Range Dickey Mountain East Peak Mount Osceola Jericho Mountain Kearsarge North Loon Mountain Mount Avalon Mount Blue Mount Carrigain Mount Doublehead Mount Field Mount Forest Mount Garfield Mount Hancock Mount Moosilauke Mount Nancy Mount Osceola Mount Rosebrook Mount Starr King Mount Tecumseh Mount Tom Mount Tremont Mount Waumbek Mount Weeks Mount Willard Mount Willey Mount Zealand North Moat Mountain Owl 's Head ( Carroll ) Owl 's Head ( Franconia ) Scar Ridge South Weeks Others Blue Job Mountain Crotched Mountain Gap Mountain Little Monadnock Mountain Lovewell Mountain Moose Mountain Mount Assurance Mount Cardigan Mount Kearsarge Mount Kelsey Mount Magalloway Mount Monadnock Mount Sunapee Pitcher Mountain Potanipo Hill Ragged Mountain Skatutakee Mountain Smarts Mountain Tenney Mountain Thumb Mountain Uncanoonuc Mountains Mountains of Maine Longfellow Mountains Boundary Peak White Mountains Mahoosuc Range Baldpate Mountain Goose Eye Mountain Old Speck Mountain Puzzle Mountain Sunday River Whitecap Others Speckled Mountain Others Baker Mountain Bauneg Beg Mountain Big Moose Mountain Big Spencer Mountain Black Cap Mountain Black Nubble Blueberry Mountain Borestone Mountain Boundary Bald Mountain Bradbury Mountain Cadillac Mountain Caribou Mountain Catherine Mountain Clark Mountain Coburn Mountain Crocker Mountain Crotch Hill Doubletop Mountain Douglas Mountain East Kennebago Mountain Eaton Mountain Elephant Mountain ( Oxford County ) Elephant Mountain ( Piscataquis County ) Fort Mountain Great Pond Mountain Greenwood Mountain Hamlin Peak High Peaks Kennebago Divide Kibby Mountain Lead Mountain Mars Hill Mount Abraham Mount Bigelow Mount Blue Mount Coe Mount Jefferson Mount Katahdin Mount Kineo Mount Redington Mount Tire 'm Mount Waldo Moxie Mountain North Brother Noyes Mountain Pleasant Mountain Rollins Mountain Saddleback Horn Saddleback Junior Saddleback Mountain ( Franklin County ) Saddleback Mountain ( Piscataquis County ) Sandy Bay Mountain Shutdown Mountain Snow Mountain ( Franklin County ) Snow Mountain ( Oxford County ) South Brother South Crocker Mountain Spaulding Mountain Stetson Mountain Sugarloaf Mountain Titcomb Mountain Traveler Mountain Tumbledown Mountain West Kennebago Mountain Western Maine Mountains White Cap Mountain ( Franklin County ) White Cap Mountain ( Piscataquis County ) 4000 - foot mountains of New England Maine Baxter State Park Katahdin ( Baxter ) Katahdin ( Hamlin ) North Brother High Peaks Abraham Crocker Redington Saddleback Saddleback, The Horn South Crocker Spaulding Sugarloaf Bigelow Range Bigelow ( Avery ) Bigelow ( West ) Eastern White Mountains Old Speck New Hampshire Northern ranges Cabot Waumbek Carter - Moriah Range Carter Dome Middle Carter Moriah South Carter Wildcat ( A ) Wildcat ( D ) Presidential Range Adams Eisenhower Isolation Jackson Jefferson Madison Monroe Pierce Washington Crawford Notch area Field Tom Willey Twin Range Bond Bond ( West ) Bondcliff Galehead Hale North Twin South Twin Zealand Pemigewasset Wilderness Carrigain Hancock ( North ) Hancock ( South ) Owl 's Head Sandwich Range Osceola Osceola ( East ) Tripyramid ( Middle ) Tripyramid ( North ) Passaconaway Tecumseh Whiteface Franconia Range Flume Garfield Lafayette Liberty Lincoln Western White Mountains Cannon Kinsman ( North ) Kinsman ( South ) Moosilauke Vermont Green Mountains Abraham Camel 's Hump Ellen Killington Mansfield Androscoggin River watershed Tributaries Alder River Bear River Cathance River Chickwolnepy Stream Clear Stream Concord River Cupsuptic River Dead Cambridge River Dead Diamond River Dead River ( ME ) Dead River ( NH ) Dead River ( Sabattus ) East Branch Cupsuptic River East Branch Dead Diamond River East Branch Nezinscot River East Branch Pleasant River East Branch Swift River Ellis River First East Branch Magalloway River Kennebago River Little Androscoggin River Little Dead Diamond River Little East Branch Cupsuptic River Little Magalloway River Little River Magalloway River Middle Branch Dead Diamond River Middle Branch Little Magalloway River Mollidgewock Brook Moose Brook Moose River Muddy River Nezinscot River Peabody River Pleasant River Rangeley River Rapid River Rattle River Sabattus River Sanborn River Second East Branch Magalloway River South Branch Little Dead Diamond River South Branch Sunday River Sunday River Swift Cambridge River Swift Diamond River Swift River Third East Branch Magalloway River Webb River West Branch Dead Diamond River West Branch Ellis River West Branch Little Dead Diamond River West Branch Little Magalloway River West Branch Magalloway River West Branch Nezinscot River West Branch Peabody River West Branch Pleasant River West Branch Swift River Wild River Lakes Akers Pond Androscoggin Lake Lake Auburn Aziscohos Lake Echo Lake Greenough Pond Kennebago Lake Mooselookmeguntic Lake Parker Pond Parmachenee Lake Pontook Reservoir Range Ponds Rangeley Lake Richardson Lakes Sabattus Pond Success Pond Thompson Lake Tripp Pond Umbagog Lake Webb Lake Towns Albany Andover Auburn Berlin Bethel Bowdoin Brunswick Buckfield Byron Cambridge Canton Carthage Chesterville Dixfield Dummer Durham Errol Fayette Gilead Gorham Greene Greenwood Hanover Hartford Hebron Jay Leeds Lewiston Lisbon Livermore Livermore Falls Mechanic Falls Mexico Minot Monmouth Mount Vernon Newry Norway Otisfield Oxford Paris Peru Pittsburg Poland Randolph Rangeley Readfield Roxbury Rumford Sabattus Shelburne Sumner Topsham Turner Upton Vienna Wales Wayne Weld Wentworth 's Location West Paris Woodstock Landmarks Brown Company Maine Central Railroad Old Speck Mountain Range Ponds State Park Rumford Mill St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad White Mountains Saco River watershed Tributaries Bearcamp River Beech River Charles River Chocorua River Cold River Cold River ( Bearcamp ) Cutler River Dan Hole River Deer River Dry River East Branch Saco River East Branch Whiteface River East Fork East Branch Saco River Ellis River Hancock Brook Kezar River Little Cold River Little Ossipee River Little River Little Saco River Lovell River Mad River Middle Branch Mad River Mill Brook New River Old Course Saco River Ossipee River Pequawket Brook Pine River Rocky Branch Sawyer River Shepards River South Branch Mad River South River Swift River Swift River ( Bearcamp ) Tenmile River West Branch West Branch Tenmile River Whiteface River Wildcat Brook Wonalancet River Lakes Lake Arrowhead Balch Pond Barker Pond Broad Bay Chocorua Lake Conway Lake Dan Hole Pond Echo Lake Hancock Pond Kezar Lake Lovewell Pond Moose Pond Ossipee Lake Pine River Pond Province Lake Sand Pond Silver Lake Skelton Dam Towns Acton Arundel Baldwin Bartlett Biddeford Bridgton Brownfield Buxton Chocorua Conway Cornish Dayton Denmark Eaton Effingham Freedom Fryeburg Hart 's Location Hiram Hollis Limerick Limington Lovell Lyman Madison Newfield Ossipee Parsonsfield Porter Saco Sebago Shapleigh Standish Stoneham Stow Sweden Tamworth Waterboro Waterford Landmarks Crawford Notch Maine Central Railroad U.S. Route 302 White Mountains Merrimack River watershed Tributaries Artichoke River Assabet River Baboosic Brook Back River Baker River Bear Brook Beards Brook Beaver Brook Beebe River Big River Black Brook Blackwater River Cochichewick River Cockermouth River Cohas Brook Concord River Contoocook River East Branch Baker River East Branch Pemigewasset River Fowler River Frazier Brook Gridley River Gunstock River Lane River Little Massabesic Brook - Sucker Brook Little River ( Barnstead ) Little River ( Haverhill ) Little Suncook River Lost River Mad River Melvin River Merrymeeting River Middle Branch Piscataquog River Nashua River Newfound River Nissitissit River North Branch Contoocook River North Fork East Branch Pemigewasset River North Nashua River Nubanusit Brook Pemigewasset River Phillips Brook Piscataquog River Powwow River Purgatory Brook Quinapoxet River Red Hill River Salmon Brook Shawsheen River Shedd Brook Smith River Soucook River Souhegan River South Branch Baker River South Branch Piscataquog River South Branch Souhegan River South Nashua River Spicket River Squam River Squannacook River Stillwater River Stony Brook Sudbury River Suncook River Tioga River Trout Brook Turkey River Vine Brook Warner River West Branch Mad River West Branch Souhegan River West Branch Warner River Whitman River Winnipesaukee River Lakes Arlington Mill Reservoir Lake Attitash Ayers Island Reservoir Baboosic Lake Lake Boon Canobie Lake Cobbetts Pond Lake Cochichewick Lake Cochituate Contoocook Lake Country Pond Crystal Lake ( Gilmanton ) Crystal Lake ( Manchester ) Deering Reservoir Franklin Pierce Lake Great Pond Haggetts Pond Halfmoon Lake Harrisville Pond Highland Lake Hopkins Pond ( Adder Pond ) Island Pond ( Derry ) Island Pond ( Stoddard ) Jenness Pond Lake Kanasatka Little Squam Lake Locke Lake Lonesome Lake Lost Lake Massabesic Lake Lake Massasecum Merrymeeting Lake Mirror Lake Newfound Lake Northwood Lake Nubanusit Lake Opechee Bay Paugus Bay Pemigewasset Lake Penacook Lake Pleasant Lake ( Deerfield ) Pleasant Lake ( New London ) Potanipo Pond Powder Mill Pond Powwow Pond Profile Lake Lake Saltonstall Sebbins Pond Silver Lake ( Hollis ) Skatutakee Lake Lake Solitude Squam Lake Stinson Lake Suncook Lakes Sunset Lake Thorndike Pond Turkey Ponds Tuxbury Pond Wachusett Reservoir Walden Pond Lake Waukewan Weare Reservoir Webster Lake Lake Wentworth White Oak Pond Wickwas Lake Willard Pond Lake Winnipesaukee Winnisquam Lake Towns Acton Allenstown Amesbury Amherst Andover Ashland MA Ashland NH Atkinson Bedford MA Bedford NH Belmont Billerica Boscawen Bow Bridgewater Bristol Burlington Campton Canterbury Chelmsford Clinton Concord MA Concord NH Derry Dracut Fitchburg Framingham Franklin Gilford Goffstown Groton Groveland Hampstead Haverhill Hill Hillsborough Holderness Hollis Hooksett Hopkinton MA Hopkinton NH Hudson MA Hudson NH Kingston Laconia Lawrence Leominster Lexington Lincoln Litchfield Londonderry Lowell Lunenburg Manchester Marlborough Maynard Meredith Merrimac Merrimack Methuen Milford Nashua New Hampton Newburyport North Andover Northborough Northfield Pelham Pembroke Penacook Pepperell Peterborough Plaistow Plymouth Salem Salisbury Sanbornton Sudbury Suncook Tewksbury Thornton Tilton Tyngsborough Weare West Newbury Westborough Westford Windham Wolfeboro Woodstock Landmarks Amoskeag Falls Bear Brook State Park Belknap Mountains Blackwater Dam Cedar Hill Egg Rock Franconia Notch State Park Franklin Falls Dam Gunstock Mountain Hannah Duston Memorial Hobo Railroad Lakes Region Lost River Reservation Middlesex Canal Minute Man National Historical Park Mount Major Mount Monadnock Mount Rowe Pawtucket Falls Pemigewasset Wilderness Sculptured Rocks Natural Area Wellington State Park White Mountains Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White_Mountains_(New_Hampshire)&oldid=806131749 '' Categories : White Mountains ( New Hampshire ) Mountain ranges of New Hampshire Mountain ranges of Maine Subranges of the Appalachian Mountains White Mountain National Forest Geography of New England Cretaceous volcanism Hotspot volcanism Volcanism of New Hampshire Physiographic sections Hidden categories : Coordinates on Wikidata All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017 Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The American Cyclopaedia Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from The American 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Question: what are the white mountains in new hampshire
Answer: a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States