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List of New England Fifty Finest facts for kids

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The New England Fifty Finest is a special list of 50 mountains in New England, United States. People who enjoy peak bagging (climbing mountains) use this list. What makes these mountains special is not just how tall they are. Instead, they are chosen based on their "topographic prominence."

Think of prominence as how much a mountain stands out from the land around it. It's the height of a peak above the lowest point that connects it to any higher peak. This list includes 20 peaks in Maine, 15 in Vermont, 14 in New Hampshire, and one in Massachusetts.

This list is quite different from other mountain lists, like the New England 4000 Footers, which only care about a mountain's height above sea level. For example, in the Presidential Range, only one peak is on this list: Mount Washington. The other peaks in that range are connected to Mount Washington by high ridges. This means they don't "stick out" enough on their own to be on the Fifty Finest list.

Mount Washington is very tall, at about 6,288 feet (1,917 meters) above sea level. But its prominence is even more impressive, around 6,150 feet (1,875 meters). This is because its "key col" (the lowest point connecting it to any higher land) is very far away. This low point is actually at the Champlain Canal in New York. This canal is the lowest spot on the land that divides the water flowing into the Hudson River from the water flowing into the Saint Lawrence River.

Out of the 48 New Hampshire 4000-Footers, only eight are also on the New England Fifty Finest list. These include famous peaks like Mount Lafayette and Carter Dome. The list also features several "monadnocks." A monadnock is a mountain that stands alone, rising sharply from flat land around it. The famous Mount Monadnock is one such example. Many mountains on this list are important because they are isolated and stand out a lot from their surroundings.

The Fifty Finest Mountains

Here is the list of the New England Fifty Finest mountains:

Rank Peak State Prominence Elevation
1 Mount Washington New Hampshire   6,150 ft   1,875 m   6,288 ft   1,917 m  
2 Katahdin Maine 4,290 ft 1,310 m 5,268 ft 1,606 m
3 Mount Mansfield Vermont 3,640 ft 1,110 m 4,393 ft 1,339 m
4 Mount Lafayette New Hampshire 3,360 ft 1,025 m 5,249 ft 1,600 m
5 Killington Peak Vermont 3,320 ft 1,010 m 4,241 ft 1,291 m
6 Sugarloaf Mountain Maine 3,180 ft 970 m 4,250 ft 1,295 m
7 Equinox Mountain Vermont 3,060 ft 935 m 3,850 ft 1,175 m
8 Jay Peak Vermont 2,975 ft 906 m 3,858 ft 1,176 m
9 Mount Moosilauke New Hampshire 2,932 ft 894 m 4,802 ft 1,464 m
10 Mount Bigelow Maine 2,855 ft 870 m 4,145 ft 1,263 m
11 Dorset Mountain Vermont 2,840 ft 865 m 3,770 ft 1,150 m
12 Carter Dome New Hampshire 2,821 ft 860 m 4,832 ft 1,473 m
13 Old Speck Mountain Maine 2,720 ft 830 m 4,170 ft 1,270 m
14 Mount Cabot New Hampshire 2,670 ft 815 m 4,170 ft 1,270 m
15 White Cap Mountain Maine 2,610 ft 795 m 3,654 ft 1,114 m
16 Coburn Mountain Maine 2,510 ft 765 m 3,717 ft 1,133 m
17 Mount Greylock Massachusetts 2,470 ft 755 m 3,487 ft 1,063 m
18 Mount Putnam Vermont 2,470 ft 755 m 3,642 ft 1,110 m
19 Saddleback Mountain Maine 2,446 ft 746 m 4,120 ft 1,256 m
20 Kinsman Mountain New Hampshire 2,420 ft 740 m 4,358 ft 1,328 m
21 Stratton Mountain Vermont 2,410 ft 735 m 3,940 ft 1,201 m
22 The Traveler Maine 2,340 ft 715 m 3,541 ft 1,079 m
23 Mount Shaw New Hampshire 2,340 ft 715 m 2,990 ft 911 m
24 Snow Mountain Maine 2,330 ft 710 m 3,960 ft 1,207 m
25 Mount Ascutney Vermont 2,290 ft 700 m 3,140 ft 955 m
26 Kibby Mountain or Maine 2,260 ft 690 m 3,654 ft 1,114 m
Caribou Mountain 3,650±10 ft 1,112±3 m
27 Mount Carrigain New Hampshire 2,240 ft 685 m 4,700 ft 1,435 m
28 Baldpate Mountain Maine 2,240 ft 685 m 3,790 ft 1,155 m
29 East Mountain Vermont 2,230 ft 680 m 3,439 ft 1,048 m
30 Grass Mountain Vermont 2,200 ft 670 m 3,109 ft 948 m
31 Baker Mountain Maine 2,190 ft 670 m 3,520 ft 1,073 m
32 Smarts Mountain New Hampshire 2,190 ft 670 m 3,238 ft 987 m
33 Mount Monadnock New Hampshire 2,160 ft 660 m 3,165 ft 965 m
34 Cold Hollow Mountains High Point Vermont 2,146 ft 654 m 3,327+ ft 1,014+ m
35 Signal Mountain Vermont 2,140 ft 650 m 3,370 ft 1,025 m
36 Mount Ellen Vermont 2,132 ft 650 m 4,083 ft 1,244 m
37 Big Moose Mountain Maine 2,130 ft 650 m 3,196 ft 974 m
38 Mount Kearsarge New Hampshire 2,100 ft 640 m 2,937 ft 895 m
39 Doubletop Mountain Maine 2,080 ft 635 m 3,489 ft 1,063 m
40 Elephant Mountain Maine 2,060 ft 630 m 3,772 ft 1,150 m
41 Mount Osceola New Hampshire 2,040 ft 620 m 4,340 ft 1,325 m
42 Boundary Bald Mountain Maine 2,010 ft 615 m 3,638 ft 1,109 m
43 Gore Mountain Vermont 1,982 ft 604 m 3,332 ft 1,016 m
44 Mount Cardigan New Hampshire 1,922 ft 586 m 3,155 ft 962 m
45 Big Spencer Mountain Maine 1,920 ft 585 m 3,206 ft 977 m
46 Camel's Hump Vermont 1,880 ft 575 m 4,083 ft 1,244 m
47 Belknap Mountain New Hampshire 1,850 ft 565 m 2,382 ft 726 m
48 Saddleback Mountain Maine 1,850 ft 565 m 2,998 ft 915 m
49 Mount Blue Maine 1,840 ft 560 m 3,190 ft 970 m
50 Moxie Mountain Maine 1,820 ft 555 m 2,930 ft 895 m

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List of New England Fifty Finest Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.