Sandwich Range Wilderness
Located in the southeastern corner of the White Mountains, the bold peaks and long ridgelines of the Sandwich Range form a rugged series of valleys, glacial cirques, and high mountain passes. The terrain is broken by steep, boulder-strewn streams tumbling over cascades and through calm pools. Dense spruce-fir vegetation dominates at upper elevations, with northern hardwoods on the lower slopes and valley bottoms. Flat Mountain and Black Mountain Ponds attract moose and other pond-loving wildlife, while peregrine falcons nest on the steep cliff face of Square Ledge. Several hiking trails access the range, and approximately 57 miles of these typically steep and direct routes are within the Wilderness itself.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | New Hampshire |
| Size | 35,301 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 43.93° N, 71.43° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10) |
Boundary map
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.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 12 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site inside this wilderness, among them 1 dispersed camping. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 2 miFlat Mountain Pond Shelter ↗Dispersed camping
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
46 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 132 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Livermore Trail ↗ | 7.6 | |
| Flat Mtn Pond Snomo ↗ | 6.6 | |
| Bolles Snomo ↗ | 6 | |
| Bolles Trail ↗ | 5.7 | |
| Flat Mountain Pond Trail ↗ | 5.7 | |
| Downes Brook Trail ↗ | 5.2 | |
| Smarts Brook ↗ | 5.1 | |
| Sabbaday Brook Trail ↗ | 4.9 | |
| McCrillis Trail ↗ | 4.5 | |
| Oliverian Brook Trail | 4.4 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- WildfireCoffee Pond Fire
47 mi from the center point · 10 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
- 1.6 miRussell--Colbath House ↗Albany, NH
- 3 miNorth Sandwich Meeting House ↗Sandwich, NH
- 3.4 miDurgin Bridge ↗Sandwich, NH
- 4.4 miHansen's Annex ↗Center Sandwich, NH
- 4.4 miTown Hall ↗Center Sandwich, NH
- 4.8 miCook Memorial Library ↗Tamworth, NH
- 7.1 miChocorua Island Chapel ↗Holderness, NH
- 7.6 miBartlett Roundhouse ↗Bartlett, NH
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for New Hampshire
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Sandwich Range Wilderness?
35,301 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Sandwich Range Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Sandwich Range Wilderness in?
New Hampshire.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Sandwich Range Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Sandwich Range Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Sandwich Range Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 43.931° N, 71.431° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Sandwich Range Wilderness right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Coffee Pond Fire at 47 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Sandwich Range Wilderness?
The National Register has 39 listings within 15 miles, including Russell--Colbath House and North Sandwich Meeting House.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- 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.