White Mt. NF--Baldface Circle Trail, Chatham/Beans Purchase

White Mt. NF--Baldface Circle Trail, Chatham/Beans Purchase

Chatham, New Hampshire 03813

Official Website
White Mountain National Forest Official Website

About this Location

This trailhead provides parking for approximately 15 cars yet still overflows on weekends and holidays. Cross the road with caution to access the Baldface Circle Trail, which provides a 9-mile loop over the North and South Baldface summits. At 0.7 miles from the trailhead, there is a 0.1-mile access trail to the popular Emerald Pool. On the south branch of the trail at 2.5 miles is United States Forest Service South Baldface Shelter and outhouse.

About White Mountain National Forest

See all hotspots at White Mountain National Forest

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.

Notable Trails

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike using the Baldface Circle Trail.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

Content from Official Website and White Mountain National Forest Official Website

Last updated November 15, 2023