The other other White Mountains
They're not just a New Hampshire thing
In New England, you’re never too far from the White Mountains—geographically or culturally. As one of the most thrillingly crumpled stretches of topography in the northeast, the White Mountain National Forest is mythic. It’s a stony, pine-scented gateway to black fly bites and above-treeline sunburns for countless New England travelers. And contrary to what many visitors believe, the White Mountains are not simply contained within New Hampshire’s borders. They spill into Maine as well.
Last July, I paid an immersive visit to the northernmost clump of White Mountains—remote and tucked away from the region’s well-known peaks, at the doorstep of New Hampshire’s Great North Woods. And this week, I’d like to introduce you to the small but sublime share of White Mountains on the edge of western Maine. While these peaks might appear modest in the shadow of the Presidential Range—a sort of transitional zone between windy summits and sleepy farmlands—Maine’s White Mountains are the epitome of size doesn’t matter, with their vistas, ponds, falls, and deep quietude.
