Mount Adams, elevation 5774 feet (1,759.9 m) above
sea levelMean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, is a mountain in
New HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, the second highest peak in the Northeast United States after its nearby neighbor,
Mt. WashingtonMount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at , famous for dangerously erratic weather. For 76 years, a weather observatory on the summit held the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, , on the afternoon of April 12, 1934...
. Located in the northern
Presidential RangeThe Presidential Range is a mountain range located in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Containing the highest peaks of the Whites, its most notable summits are named for American Presidents, followed by prominent public figures of the 18th and 19th centuries.Mt...
, Mount Adams was named after
John AdamsJohn Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
, the second
presidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the United States. It was given this name on July 31, 1820. To the northeast is
Mount MadisonMount Madison is a mountain in the Presidential Range of New Hampshire in the United States. It is named after the fourth U.S. President, James Madison....
and to the southwest is
Mount JeffersonMount Jefferson is located in Coos County, New Hampshire, and is the third highest mountain in the state. The mountain is named after Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, and is part of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains...
. From the summit, Mount Washington can be seen directly to the south.
There are two major subsidiary peaks of Mt. Adams:
Mount Sam Adams and
Mount Quincy Adams, named after John Adams' cousin,
RevolutionaryThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
leader
Samuel AdamsSamuel Adams was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in colonial Massachusetts, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of American...
, and son, President
John Quincy AdamsJohn Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
, respectively, and two minor sub-peaks,
Abigail Adams (named for John Adams' wife
AbigailAbigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, who was the second President of the United States, and the mother of John Quincy Adams, the sixth...
) and
Adams 5. The northern side of the mountain ridge is located in
Low and Burbank's GrantLow and Burbank's Grant is a township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the grant had a population of 0....
, and the end of Durand Ridge, and King Ravine, on the north side of Mount Adams are in the town of
RandolphRandolph is a heavily forested town in Coos County, New Hampshire, U.S., extending from the northern slopes of the White Mountains of the Presidential Range to Berlin , with U.S. Route 2 cutting through the middle...
(formerly Durand). The entire south side of the mountain ridge is in
Thompson and Meserve's PurchaseThompson and Meserve's Purchase is a township located in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the purchase had a population of 0....
.
The
Appalachian TrailThe Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
traverses the
colA mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
between Mount Adams and Mount Sam Adams, on a path called "Gulfside Trail." The Randolph Mountain Club (RMC) maintains the trails and several huts and shelters high on Mount Adams' north side, including "The Perch," "Crag Camp," "The Log Cabin," and "Gray Knob." A large network of hiking and climbing paths lead south to the huts and ridges from several parking areas located on U.S. Highway 2.
See also
- Thomas Starr King
Thomas Starr King was an American Unitarian and Universalist minister, influential in California politics during the American Civil War. Starr King spoke zealously in favor of the Union and was credited by Abraham Lincoln with preventing California from becoming a separate republic...
- Four-thousand footers
The term Four-Thousand Footers refers to a group of forty-eight mountains in New Hampshire at least 4,000 feet above sea level...
of New Hampshire
- Randolph Mountain Club
External links