| Mount Kearsarge | |
|---|---|
Kearsarge North as seen from South Baldface |
|
| Elevation | 996 m (3,268 ft) |
| Prominence | 536 m (1,759 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location | Carroll County, New Hampshire, USA |
| Topo map | USGS North Conway East |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike Kearsarge North Trail from Hurricane Mtn Road. |
Mount Kearsarge is a mountain located about 4 miles (6 km) northeast of North Conway, Carroll County, New Hampshire. The mountain's Abenaki name is Pequawket. On topographic maps, the mountain is referred to as "Kearsarge North", to avoid confusion with another Mount Kearsarge in central New Hampshire, about 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Concord.
Kearsarge is located in the eastern fringe of the White Mountains. It is drained by various brooks into the Saco River.
There are two hiking routes up Kearsarge. The first, and most popular, is the 3.1-mile (5.0 km) Mount Kearsarge North Trail, which ascends 2,600 feet (790 m) from the North Conway side of Hurricane Mountain Road, near Intervale. The Weeks Brook Trail, a much less-used 4.7-mile (7.6 km) route, approaches Kearsarge from the east, from a trailhead on Forest Road 317 in Chatham.[1]
An inn was built on the summit, only to be twice destroyed by storms. In 1909, the Appalachian Mountain Club granted the New Hampshire Forestry Commission use of the destroyed hotel for a fire lookout.[2] A fire tower was built and staffed by the state and the US Forest Service until 1960. In 1991, the fire tower was added to the National Historic Lookout Register, and is open to visitors to the summit of Kearsarge North.