Whiteface Intervale is a scenic valley surrounded by the peaks of the Sandwich Range Wilderness. The valley is named after Mount Whiteface, a 4020-foot mountain with south-facing cliffs and ledges that offer panoramic views of the lakes and mountains. The Whiteface River flows through the intervale, originating from the area between Mount Whiteface and Flat Mountain. The river passes by the historic site of Henry Weed's mills, which were built in the 1780s and operated until the 1930s. Several trails lead to Mount Whiteface and other nearby summits, including Mount Passaconaway and the Tripyramids. One of the most challenging trails is the Blueberry Ledge Trail, which ascends steeply over rocky ledges to the false summit of Mount Whiteface. The true summit is reached by following the Rollins Trail for about 0.3 miles north. Another trail that reaches the intervale is the Flat Mountain Pond Trail, which starts from Intervale Road and leads to a remote pond and shelter in 5.3 miles.

In the decades prior to 1911, the unregulated logging practices of private timber companies in the White Mountains had resulted in a damaged landscape susceptible to both fire and flood. Fires had burned thousands of acres, and flash floods affected the water power necessary to the mills of major industrial centers downstream, such as Manchester, New Hampshire, and Lowell, Massachusetts. Concerns over losses to industry, business, and tourism, and the growing conservation movement led to citizen action. The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) spearheaded an effort to ensure the permanent protection of the White Mountains from further depredation. After years of lobbying and intense public pressure, Senator John Weeks of Massachusetts, a native of Lancaster, New Hampshire, introduced legislation that became known as the Weeks Act. The Weeks Act was passed by Congress in 1911, appropriating 9 million dollars to purchase 6 million acres of land in the Eastern U.S. In turn, this led to the creation of the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) in 1918, and twenty-one other national forests throughout the north and southeast. Many of the groups who were instrumental in the passage of the Weeks Act, including the SPNHF and the AMC, are still active today, and the WMNF has grown from 7,000 acres to almost 800,000. Today, the reforested mountains and hillsides supply forest products and provide magnificent recreational opportunities while maintaining healthy watersheds and ecosystems.