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Wild River Fire Closes Trails and a Road in the White Mountains
The fire near Gorham, New Hampshire, is 11 percent contained. The Appalachian Trail stays open, but nearby side trails are closed.
The Wild River Fire, burning in steep terrain about 7 miles southeast of Gorham, New Hampshire, and a mile west of the Maine line, was 11 percent contained as of Friday, November 6. Size estimates have varied: the Forest Service put it at 982 acres on November 4, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy cited about 1,000 acres on November 5, and WMUR, citing the Forest Service, reported 856 acres on Friday. The fire was first reported Sunday afternoon, November 1. Its cause is under investigation, and the Forest Service believes it was human-caused.
A White Mountain National Forest closure order bars public entry to the fire area, including all of Wild River Road, the entire Shelburne Trail and sections of the High Water Trail and other trails; the exact boundary is on the forest's Wild River Fire alert page. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy says the A.T. remains open where it crosses the Carter-Moriah Range near Gorham, several miles west of the fire, but the Kenduskeag Trail is closed and hikers may see or smell smoke.
Officials say the fire poses no significant threat to life or property. The area is in moderate drought, and the Forest Service and the conservancy are asking visitors to take care with campfires.
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