Visit Wilderness

Wild River Wilderness was designated in December 2006 with the passage of the New England Wilderness Act, making it the newest wilderness unit on the White Mountain National Forest. Most of this area lies within Bean’s Purchase—an unincorporated township in the northeastern corner of New Hampshire, near the Maine state line.

The Wild River Valley offers a striking example of forest resilience in the northeastern United States. At the turn of the nineteenth century, the valley was largely covered in intact forest, with only a small human presence in the lower reaches of the watershed. Within a century, however, large-scale logging operations transformed the landscape. A railroad followed the Wild River from its confluence with the Androscoggin River nearly to its headwaters at Perkins Notch. Logging camps dotted the valley, and a bustling settlement known as Hastings emerged along the river’s lower reaches.

By the early twentieth century, nearly all accessible timber had been harvested—despite the Wild River’s repeated attempts to reclaim its floodplain. Dams, bridges, and rail lines were routinely destroyed by storm-driven floods, only to be rebuilt to meet the nation’s growing demand for wood.

In 1903, this era of logging came to an abrupt end. A fire—sparked by an unattended campfire near No Ketchum Pond—spread rapidly during a severe drought, fueled by dry logging slash. The blaze burned much of the remaining unharvested timber on both sides of the valley. When spring rains finally extinguished the fire, little evidence remained of the logging infrastructure or earlier human presence. Though charred and denuded, the valley had once again lived up to its name.

Public ownership of the area began in March 1914, when the U.S. Forest Service purchased 41,000 acres from the Hastings Lumber Company. Prior to wilderness designation, management of the area included sustainable forestry practices and use as a state game refuge.

Today, visitors come to the Wild River Valley to experience a landscape where the forest has largely reclaimed traces of its short but colorful human history. Remnants of logging-era artifacts can still be found scattered through the woods, though each season they fade further into the natural setting.

The Wild River Trail serves as the main travel corridor through the wilderness, following an old railroad grade along the river to its source at No Ketchum Pond. From this route, numerous side trails branch off, climbing steep mountain slopes—many along former railroad spur lines. Along the western ridgeline, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail skirts the wilderness boundary as it traverses the summits of the Carter–Moriah Range, offering expansive views east across the Wild River watershed.

While these eastern peaks do not reach the heights of the Carter–Moriah Range, summits such as North Baldface stand out on the skyline. The 1903 fire stripped much of Baldface’s thin soils of vegetation, leaving exposed granite that still marks the southeastern boundary of the wilderness.

The Wild River Campground, located at the end of a 5½-mile dirt road, provides the primary access point to the area (except in winter, when the road is closed). This small, rustic campground sits within mixed low-elevation forest where maples and oaks blend with hemlocks and pines. The lowest point in the wilderness—approximately 1,100 feet—lies just downstream, across the river from the campground.

Wildlife is abundant and diverse. Larger mammals such as moose, black bear, and white-tailed deer inhabit the forest, while elevation gains bring noticeable ecological change. Hardwoods gradually give way to spruce and fir, which dominate the upper watershed before transitioning into dense subalpine vegetation near the high point on Carter Dome (approximately 4,800 feet). In these higher elevations, visitors are more likely to encounter birds and smaller mammals such as pine marten, red squirrels, and snowshoe hare.

The Wild River Wilderness offers something for a wide range of interests—from hiking, fishing, hunting, and climbing to quietly exploring the forest in search of historical traces. Visitors are encouraged to tread lightly and leave all cultural and historical artifacts as they are found. If not… well, you just might have to answer to the ghosts of the log drivers—or the Wild River itself.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Wild River Wilderness.

1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
3. Dispose of Waste Properly
4. Leave What You Find
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
6. Respect Wildlife
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Rules & Regulations

Contacts