The Weeks Act 100-mile Legacy Trail has recently been unveiled as a virtual self-guided driving tour of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The tour is named after the watershed conservation legislation of 1911 known as the Weeks Act that led to the creation of national forests east of the Mississippi River.
The tour stops at 40 signature White Mountain destinations and is categorized by eight themes:
1) Art and Literature
2) Conservation History
3) Ecology and Nature
4) History and Cultural Heritage
5) Kids and Families
6) Recreation
7) Scenery and Photographic Opportunity
8) Water
Each site is a fun visit on its own and together they contribute to a meaningful understanding of the past, present and potential future of these protected lands. There is a 30-second audio version for each of the 40 stops, GPS coordinates to help guide you there, Google maps and if you don’t have a smart phone, you can download and print a brochure. For those with iPhones, an application can be created.
“The White Mountain National Forest worked collaboratively with many partners to plan and then celebrate the 2011 Weeks Act Centennial and the Weeks Act Legacy Trail is a lasting product of our efforts,” said Colleen Mainville, public affairs specialist on the White Mountain National Forest.
Each site has an explanation of what the person is seeing as well as the history and relevance of it to the forest and the Act. There are icons denoting its value from arts to recreation to forestry.
Included among the spots along the trail are: Zealand Falls, the locomotive at Loon Mountain, The Russell Colbath Historic Site, Gale River Forest, Mount Willard, Lincoln Woods Visitor Center, the Saco Ranger Station, Livermore, and Lower Falls on the Ammonoosuc River.