Owl's Head is a 4025 feet (1,226.8 m) mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire

Franconia, New Hampshire

Franconia is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,104 at the 2010 census. Set in the White Mountains, Franconia is home to the northern half of Franconia Notch State Park. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the eastern and southern portions...

. It lies between the Franconia Branch of the Pemigewasset River (to its east) and Lincoln Brook (to its west and south), in the Pemigewasset Wilderness

Pemigewasset Wilderness

The Pemigewasset Wilderness is a federally-designated Wilderness Area in the heart of New Hampshire's White Mountains. It is a part of the White Mountain National Forest....

 of the White Mountain National Forest

White Mountain National Forest

The White Mountain National Forest is a federally-managed forest contained within the White Mountains in the northeastern United States. It was established in 1918 as a result of the Weeks Act of 1911; federal acquisition of land had already begun in 1914. It has a total area of...

.

It is best known as one of the 48 White Mountains

White Mountains (New Hampshire)

The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...

 "four-thousand footers

Four-thousand footers

The term Four-Thousand Footers refers to a group of forty-eight mountains in New Hampshire at least 4,000 feet above sea level...

", and stands out among them mostly for what it lacks:

• In height, it is 43rd of the 48.
• It is the only one of the 48 without an officially maintained path to the summit, although an unofficial, unmaintained herd path comes within 0.2 miles (321.9 m).
• The trees at its summit block (except when deep snow has fallen) any view beyond themselves. (There are, however, nice views from the Owls Head Slide while climbing up the unmaintained path to the summit.)
• It is remote from approaches by road, due to
  • the East Branch
    East Branch Pemigewasset River
    The East Branch of the Pemigewasset River is a river located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Pemigewasset River, part of the Merrimack River watershed....
    
     of the Pemigewasset River
    Pemigewasset River
    The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and drains approximately...
    
    , between it and the Kancamagus Highway to the south,
  • Franconia Ridge (and its steep and tall east face), between it and Interstate 93
    Interstate 93
    Interstate 93 is an Interstate Highway in the New England section of the United States. Its southern terminus is in Canton, Massachusetts, in the Boston metropolitan area, at Interstate 95; its northern terminus is near St. Johnsbury, Vermont, at Interstate 91...
    
     to the west,
  • Garfield Ridge, between it and U.S. Route 3
    U.S. Route 3
    U.S. Route 3 is a north–south United States highway that runs from its southern terminus in Cambridge, Massachusetts through New Hampshire to its terminus near Third Connecticut Lake at the Canadian border, where the road continues north as Quebec Route 257.In New Hampshire parts of US 3 are...
    
     to the north, and
  • the Twin Range
    Twin Range
    The Twin Range is a mountain range within the White Mountains of New Hampshire.- Summits :Notable peaks within the range include North Twin Mountain, South Twin Mountain, Mount Guyot, Mount Bond, Mount Garfield, Zealand Mountain, and Mount Hale....
    
     and Willey Range, between it and U.S. Route 302
    U.S. Route 302
    U.S. Route 302 is a spur of U.S. Route 2. It currently runs 171 miles north from Portland, Maine, at U.S. Route 1, to Montpelier, Vermont, at US 2...
    
     to the east.

Probably for these reasons, it receives (as does Mount Isolation

Mount Isolation

Mount Isolation is a mountain located in Coos County, New Hampshire. The mountain is part of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. Mt. Isolation is the highest peak on the Montalban Ridge which extends south from Boott Spur....

) a disproportionately frequent role as the last 4000-footer waiting to be climbed by those about to complete the list of 48.

In the fall of 2005, it was discovered that the traditional summit of Owl's Head (reached by the unmaintained beaten path) is actually a lower peak, and the true summit is approximately 0.2 mi north along the ridgeline. For now, the 4,000-footer committee is accepting climbs to the false summit.