The
Newfound River is a 3.2 miles (5.1 km)
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
located in central
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...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a
tributaryA tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the
Pemigewasset RiverThe Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and drains approximately...
, part of the
Merrimack RiverThe Merrimack River is a 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...
watershedA drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
.
The Newfound River begins at the outlet of
Newfound LakeNewfound Lake is located in Grafton County, New Hampshire, USA, within the towns of Bridgewater, Bristol, Alexandria, and Hebron. The lake is located in a section of New Hampshire known as the Lakes Region. At 4,451 acres, it is the third-largest lake located entirely in New Hampshire. The lake's...
in
Bristol, New HampshireBristol is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,054 at the 2010 census. It is home to Wellington State Park, Sugar Hill State Forest, and Profile Falls on the Smith River...
. The river drops rapidly through the town of Bristol, passing over several
hydroelectricHydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
dams before reaching the Pemigewasset.
Major tributaries of the Newfound River (via Newfound Lake) are the
Fowler RiverThe Fowler River is a river located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is an inflow to Newfound Lake, part of the Pemigewasset River and therefore Merrimack River watersheds...
and the
Cockermouth RiverThe Cockermouth River is a stream located in central New Hampshire in the United States. It is the longest tributary of Newfound Lake, part of the Pemigewasset River and ultimately Merrimack River watersheds...
.