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 (1,225 sq mi). Most of the WMNF is in
New Hampshire; a small part (about 5.65% of the forest) is in the neighboring state of
Maine. While often casually referred to as a park, this is a
National Forest, used not only for hiking, camping, and skiing, but for logging and other limited commercial purposes. The WMNF is the only National Forest located in either New Hampshire or Maine. Most of the
major peaks over 4,000 feet high for
peak-bagging in New Hampshire are located in the National Forest. Over of the
Appalachian Trail traverses the White Mountain National Forest. In descending order of land area the forest lies in parts of
Grafton,
Coos, and
Carroll counties in New Hampshire, and
Oxford County in Maine.