USFS · National forest · New Hampshire, Maine

White Mountain National Forest

The White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) is a federally managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had already begun in 1914. It has a total area of 750,852 acres (303,859 ha). Most of the WMNF is in New Hampshire; a small part is in the neighboring state of Maine. Conservationist and community activist Katherine Sleeper Walden was instrumental in securing at-risk land for the forest, including thousands of acres in the region surrounding the locally famous Bowl near Wonalancet.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest946,821 acresUSFSNHME27 campgrounds within 10 mi272 Forest Service sites
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1fire
active
Tnc W Branch 3 Rx (prescribed burn) · 23 mi from the center · 59 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-09-17
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesNew Hampshire, Maine
Size946,821 acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0922, region 09
Center point44.1476, -71.3993
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10)

Boundary map

7 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

25 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 2 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Barnes Field Campground
Reservable11 sites
FS · Inside
Basin Campground
Reservable21 sites
FS · Inside
Big Rock
Reservable28 sites
FS · Inside
Black Mountain Cabin
Reservable1 site
FS · Inside
Blackberry Crossing Campground
First-come26 sites
FS · Inside
Campton Campground
Reservable91 sites
FS · Inside
Cold River
Reservable14 sites
FS · Inside
Covered Bridge
Reservable50 sites
Show 4 more

15 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 272

The Forest Service lists 272 recreation sites in this forest, among them 157 day hikings, 36 dispersed campings, 22 campgrounds, 13 picnic areas. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 60

The 60 closest to the center point are listed; 212 more are on the Forest Service site.

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-17
  • Prescribed
    Tnc W Branch 3 Rx

    23 mi from the center point · 59 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historical Park · 13 mi
Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park
National Historical Park · 14 mi
Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 346 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is White Mountain National Forest?

946,821 acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages White Mountain National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is White Mountain National Forest in?

The boundary crosses New Hampshire and Maine.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at White Mountain National Forest?

25 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Barnes Field Campground, Basin Campground and Big Rock. 27 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in White Mountain National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 272 recreation sites here, including 157 day hikings, 36 dispersed campgrounds and 22 campground campgrounds. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to White Mountain National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 44.148, -71.399. Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park is 13 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near White Mountain National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Tnc W Branch 3 Rx at 23 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at White Mountain National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 10 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near White Mountain National Forest?

Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller National Historical Park (13 mi) and Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park (14 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near White Mountain National Forest?

346 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Brickett Place and Crawford Depot.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: White Mountain National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.