Great North Woods

The Great North Woods cover the entire Coos County panhandle in far northern New Hampshire, the empty boreal forest country running from the Maine line west to Vermont and north to Canada. The terrain is rugged hardwood-and-conifer forest — the Connecticut River cuts through the western edge, the Androscoggin and Magalloway rivers drain the east, and the White Mountains’ northern foothills rise along the southern boundary. Most of the region sits at 1,500 to 3,000 feet. Coos County is the only county in the region. Anchor towns include Berlin (the largest community, a former paper-mill city), Colebrook, Lancaster, Whitefield, Twin Mountain, and Errol. Dixville Notch (the small mountain pass historically known for its midnight presidential primary voting) sits in the eastern part. The 13 Mile Woods Scenic Drive along NH-16 follows the Androscoggin; the Connecticut Lakes (the source headwaters of the Connecticut River) sit at the very top; the Cohos Trail runs 162 miles along the spine of the region. Most trips here run wilderness-focused. Snowmobiling and ATV riding define the winter and summer economies — the region holds nearly 1,200 miles of groomed trails; moose-watching along the Androscoggin draws visitors from late spring through fall; the Connecticut Lakes carry trout fishing.