The
Zealand River is a 6.3 mile long (10.1 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...
in the
White MountainsThe White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
of
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 tributary of the
Ammonoosuc RiverThe Ammonoosuc River is a river, 55 mi long, in northwestern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound. "Ammonoosuc" is Abnaki for "small, narrow fishing place"....
and part of the
Connecticut RiverThe Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
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 Zealand River flows north out of
Zealand NotchZealand Notch is a mountain pass located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. It is located in the towns of Bethlehem and Lincoln, near the northeastern corner of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The center of the notch is traversed by hiking trails and is located approximately 2...
in the town of
Bethlehem, New HampshireBethlehem is a hillside town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,526 at the 2010 census. It is home to Cushman and Strawberry Hill state forests. The eastern half of the town is within the White Mountain National Forest...
. It is paralleled first by the Zealand Trail, a hiking trail, and then by Zealand Road, maintained by the
White Mountain National ForestThe White Mountain National Forest is a federally-managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had already begun in 1914. It has a total area of...
. The river valley separates
Mount HaleMount Hale is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire. The mountain is named after Reverend Edward Everett Hale , and is part of the Twin Range of the White Mountains...
to the west from
Mount TomMount Tom is a mountain located in Grafton County, New Hampshire, about southwest of the height of land of Crawford Notch. The mountain is named after Thomas Crawford, whose family ran the Crawford House. Mount Tom is part of the Willey Range of the White Mountains. Tom is flanked to the south by...
to the east. Farther north, the Rosebrook Mountains overlook the river to the east, and the small
pegmatiteA pegmatite is a very crystalline, intrusive igneous rock composed of interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic....
knobs known as South, Middle, and North Sugarloaf rise to the west. The river passes the national forest Zealand Campground and reaches the Ammonoosuc River just east of the village of
Twin MountainTwin Mountain is a village within the town of Carroll in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is named for two prominent summits which rise to the south of the village, North Twin Mountain and South Twin Mountain ....
.