Winnipesaukee River

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Winnipesaukee River in 1907, Franklin, New Hampshire

The Winnipesaukee River is a 10.5 mile long (17.0 km) river that connects Lake Winnipesaukee with the Pemigewasset and Merrimack rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire. The river is located in the Lakes Region of central New Hampshire. The total drainage area of the river is approximately 488 square miles.

There are two distinct sections of the river. The upstream section consists of a series of river courses connecting a chain of lakes, beginning with Lake Winnipesaukee. From the dam at the outlet of Lake Winnipesaukee in the Lakeport section of Laconia, the river almost immediately enters Opechee Bay. One mile down the lake, the river exits over a dam and drops through the center of Laconia, its banks lined by industrial buildings from the 19th century that were constructed to take advantage of the river's power. The one-mile section through Laconia ends at Winnisquam Lake, the third-largest lake in New Hampshire after Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake. A five-mile stretch across Winnisquam leads to the dam at the lake's outlet and a short descent to Silver Lake.

The lower section of the river begins at the natural outlet of Silver Lake, on the boundary between Belmont and Tilton, New Hampshire. The river passes through the center of the twin towns of Tilton and Northfield, then descends through a narrow valley to Franklin, where additional small dams use the river's power. From Tilton to Franklin, the river has a drop of up to 90 feet per mile, with challenging rapids for sport boaters who put in at Cross Mill Bridge and take out at the U.S. Highway 3 bridge in Franklin.

The Winnipesaukee River joins the Pemigewasset River just downstream from the center of Franklin, forming the Merrimack River.