| Winnipesaukee River | |
|---|---|
Winnipesaukee River entering Franklin | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Hampshire |
| Counties | Belknap,Merrimack |
| Cities and towns | Laconia,Belmont,Tilton,Northfield,Franklin |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Winnipesaukee (Paugus Bay) |
| • location | Lakeport |
| • coordinates | 43°32′54″N71°27′54″W / 43.54833°N 71.46500°W /43.54833; -71.46500 |
| • elevation | 504 ft (154 m) |
| Mouth | Merrimack River |
• location | Franklin |
• coordinates | 43°26′14″N71°38′53″W / 43.43722°N 71.64806°W /43.43722; -71.64806 |
• elevation | 261 ft (80 m) |
| Length | 10.5 miles (16.9 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Jewett Brook,Tioga River, Williams Brook |
| • right | Winding Hill Brook, Gulf Brook, Packer Brook |

TheWinnipesaukee River is a 10.5-mile-long (16.9 km)[1] river that connectsLake Winnipesaukee with thePemigewasset andMerrimack rivers inFranklin, New Hampshire. The river is in theLakes Region of central New Hampshire. The river's drainage area is approximately 488 square miles (1,264 km2).
The river has two distinct sections. The upstream section consists of a series of river courses connecting a chain of lakes, beginning with Lake Winnipesaukee. From the dam at the outlet of Lake Winnipesaukee in theLakeport section ofLaconia, the river almost immediately entersOpechee Bay. 1 mile (1.6 km) down the lake, the river exits over a dam and drops through the center of Laconia, its banks lined by industrial buildings from the 19th century that were constructed to take advantage of the river's power. The 1-mile (1.6 km) section through Laconia ends atLake Winnisquam, the fourth-largest lake in New Hampshire. A 5-mile (8 km) stretch across Winnisquam leads to the dam at the lake's outlet and a short descent to Silver Lake.
The river's lower section begins at the natural outlet of Silver Lake, on the boundary betweenBelmont andTilton, New Hampshire. The river passes through the center of the twin towns of Tilton andNorthfield, then descends through a narrow valley toFranklin where additional small dams use the river's power. From Tilton to Franklin, the river has a drop of up to 90 feet per mile (17 m/km), with challenging rapids for sport boaters who put in at Cross Mill Bridge and take out at theU.S. Route 3 Sanborn Bridge in downtown Franklin. A USGS water gage is in Tilton.[2]
The Winnipesaukee River joins the Pemigewasset River just downstream from the center of Franklin, forming the Merrimack River.