Mount Sunapee (or
Sunapee Mountain on federal maps) is a -long mountain ridge in the towns of
NewburyNewbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,702 at the 2000 census. Newbury is home to part of Lake Sunapee, including Mount Sunapee State Park Beach. Mount Sunapee Ski Area, in Mount Sunapee State Park, is in the west...
and
GoshenGoshen is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 741 at the 2000 census.- History :Incorporated in 1791, Goshen was first settled in 1768 as a part of Saville...
in western New Hampshire. Its highest peak, at the north end of the mountain, is 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.- Measurement :...
. The mountain has three secondary peaks, White Ledges at ; North Peak at ; and South Peak at . The north end of the mountain, including the summit, is within Mount Sunapee State Park, which encompasses . The mountain extends south to
Pillsbury State ParkPillsbury State Park is a state park located mainly in Washington and partially in Goshen, New Hampshire. It is home to the headwaters of the Ashuelot River.-External links:*...
and is home to the popular Mount Sunapee Resort.
The entire mountain ridge is traversed by the
Monadnock-Sunapee GreenwayThe Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway is a hiking trail that traverses the highlands of southern New Hampshire from Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey to Mount Sunapee in Newbury...
, a hiking trail that links the summit of Sunapee with that of
Mount MonadnockMount Monadnock, or Grand Monadnock, is the most prominent New England mountain peak south of the White Mountains and east of the Massachusetts Berkshires, and is the highest point in Cheshire County, New Hampshire...
, to the south in the town of
Jaffrey, New HampshireJaffrey is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,476 at the 2000 census.The primary settlement in town, where over 51% of the population resides, is defined as the Jaffrey census-designated place and is located along the Contoocook River at the junction of...
. Also crossing the summit in an east-west route is a section of the Sunapee-
RaggedRagged Mountain is a low mountain with numerous knobby summits in the towns of Danbury and Andover in central New Hampshire. It is home to the Ragged Mountain ski resort.-Geography:...
-Kearsarge Greenway, a trail linking ten towns in west-central New Hampshire as it circles the Lake Sunapee region and crosses the summits of the three mountains for which it is named. The two Greenway trails meet at Lake Solitude and use the same trail to the summit.
Hydrology
The ridgeline of Sunapee Mountain forms the divide between the
Merrimack RiverThe Merrimack River is a -long river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
and
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest river in New England, flowing south from the Connecticut Lakes in northern New Hampshire, along the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, through western Massachusetts and central Connecticut discharging into Long Island Sound at Old Saybrook and Old Lyme,...
watershedsA drainage basin is an extent or area of land where water from rain and melting snow or ice drains downhill into a body of water, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea or ocean...
.
Lake SolitudeLake Solitude, , is a highland tarn located at the top of Sunapee Ridge between the main summit of Mount Sunapee and South Peak. The lake, 4.61 acres , is approximately long by wide and is located within Newbury, New Hampshire and Mount Sunapee State Park. A popular hiking destination, Lake...
, a body of water, lies just southeast of the White Ledges summit, at an elevation of . The lake flows into Andrew Brook, a tributary of the
Warner RiverThe Warner River is a 20.3 mile long river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Contoocook River, part of the Merrimack River watershed....
in the
Merrimack RiverThe Merrimack River is a -long river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
watershed. Farther south along the ridge, the east slopes of the mountain drain via the
West Branch of the Warner RiverThe West Branch of the Warner River is a 6.5 mile long river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Warner River, part of the Contoocook River watershed....
into the Warner and Merrimack rivers.
The northern and western sides of the mountain drain to the Connecticut River. Johnson Brook flows down the north slopes of the mountain, entering
Lake SunapeeLake Sunapee is located within Sullivan County and Merrimack County in western New Hampshire, the United States. It is the fifth-largest lake located entirely in New Hampshire....
, the outlet of which (the
Sugar RiverThe Sugar River is a 27.0 mile long river located in western New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound....
) flows west to the Connecticut in
ClaremontClaremont is a city in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 13,151 at the 2000 census. -History:...
. On the western slopes of the mountain, Gunnison Brook, Blood Brook, and Baker Brook flow to the
South BranchThe South Branch of the Sugar River is a 6.6 mile long river located in western New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Sugar River, which flows to the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound....
of the Sugar River. The southwestern end of the mountain drains via Cherry Brook into the headwaters of the
Ashuelot RiverThe Ashuelot River is a tributary of the Connecticut River, approximately long, in southwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It drains a mountainous area of , including much of the area known as the Monadnock Region...
, which reaches the Connecticut River near the
MassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
border.
Recreation
Snow skiing and snowboard riding are popular winter activities at Mount Sunapee Resort & Ski Area. The ski area lies within Mount Sunapee State Park, but in 1998 the state leased the ski area of the park to be operated by Tim and Dianne Mueller, who own
Okemo Mountain ResortOkemo Mountain Resort is a ski resort located in Ludlow, Vermont. Before becoming a popular ski resort destination, Ludlow was originally a mill town, and was the home of a General Electric plant until 1977. The resort experienced 600,000 skier visits in 2009. Parents Magazine rated it the Top US...
. New lifts were added in 2004.
The state park's extensive trail system is used in all seasons for hiking and in winter for snowshoeing. The park is linked to Pillsbury State Park and southern New Hampshire by the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway and to the ten-town Lake Sunapee region by the "emerald necklace" of the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge (SRK) Greenway which connects Mt. Sunapee to Wadleigh State Park in
SuttonSutton is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,544 at the 2000 census. Sutton is home to Wadleigh State Beach.-History:...
and to Winslow and
Rollins State ParkRollins State Park is a state park in Warner, New Hampshire. It is located at the southern base of Mount Kearsarge, at the entrance to an auto road that ascends to within of the summit. Picnic facilities are available, and hiking trails leave from the high point of the auto road to the...
s on Mount Kearsarge in
WarnerWarner is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,760 at the 2000 census. Warner includes the settlements of Davisville and Waterloo...
and
WilmotWilmot is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,144 at the 2000 census. Wilmot is home to Winslow State Park and a small part of Gile State Forest.-History:...
. From the ski area parking, the Summit Trail travels two miles (3 km) along the western slope to the summit, where it meets the Solitude Trail for a one-mile (1.6 km) walk to Lake Solitude and White Ledges. The Solitude Trail then links to several trails, notably the popular Andrew Brook Trail and the steeper Newbury Trail, both heading eastward, and to the M-S Greenway as it heads south along Sunapee Mountain toward Pillsbury State Park.
Every August, Mount Sunapee Resort is host to the week-long
League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's Fair, billed as "the oldest craft fair in America".
Mount Sunapee State Park beach, also known as Newbury Beach, is just off the traffic circle at the entrance to the state park. The beach has a store, canoe and kayak rentals, a playground, and a new bathhouse. A boat launch is available with some restrictions.
External links