AMC: Newsroom - Fall Story Ideas

Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, NH. Photo: AMC Files

1. Family-friendly fall hikes, walks, and rambles around the Northeast
AMC's new "Great Kids, Great Outdoors" blog this September will feature a series of posts on family-friendly foliage hikes from the White Mountains in New Hampshire to Connecticut, progressing south as the peak line shifts. AMC expert blogger Kristen Laine will kick off the series with an overview of fall hiking in New England -- including tips on how to combine peak-bagging with leaf-peeping and general guidelines for being outdoors with kids during fall foliage season (reminders about colder weather and increasing chance of snow in higher terrain, packing for changing weather, and planning for shorter days). Subsequent posts will highlight family-friendly hikes in the White Mountains, Berkshires, Connecticut, Catskills and Hudson River Valley, and Boston. Keep checking back for more recommendations.

2. Best of Moosehead Lake Region, Maine: spectacular fall foliage and peak fly fishing
The wilderness that inspired Thoreau has a softer side—paddling on a quiet pond at sunset, stealing away on a gentle hike to secluded views, spying a moose emerge from the woods, fly fishing at sunrise, and relaxing on a cabin porch without any distractions. The AMC's Maine Woods Discovery package, offered at the AMC's two Maine Wilderness Lodges this fall, showcases these authentic, off-the-beaten-path experiences, plus includes a tour of Moosehead Lake on board the historic steamship Katahdin. Guests enjoy the comfort of a private cabin and freshly prepared meals at the AMC’s Little Lyford Lodge and Cabins or Medawisla Wilderness Lodge and Cabins. A custom fly kit from the Maine Guide Fly Shop and a North Woods travel kit from Maine Mountain Soap and Candle complete the package. For more details >>

3. Peak foliage "Kid 2-for-1" savings this fall in New Hampshire and Maine
Northern New England is world-famous for its fall foliage, and the AMC's roadside lodges in New Hampshire and Maine are beyond compare for back-door access to nature walks, panoramic hikes, and paddling surrounded by mountain-scapes blanketed in vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows come late September. Starting in September and throughout the entire peak foliage season, including weekends, the AMC is offering all-inclusive “Kid 2-for-1” lodging savings for two children 12 and under when accompanied by an adult. This discount is available at all five of the AMC’s northern New England roadside lodges, located in or near National Forests, State Parks, and woodlands in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, Lakes Region of New Hampshire, and Moosehead Lake Region of Maine. For more details >>

4. Summer camp for fall, with a twist: 50+ Adventure Camps
Peak foliage season in New Hampshire is one of the best times to visit, and AMC's 50+ Adventure Camps combine spectacular fall backdrops with plenty of time to explore the outdoors while meeting new friends. Based at AMC's Highland Lodge and Joe Dodge Lodge in the White Mountains, the five-night camps bring together an adventure-minded group for a mix of guided nature walks, hikes, outdoor skills activities, and local and natural history tours and talks. Evening socials offer time to relax together before dinner. The camps are planned during various weeks throughout the year and include a unique opportunity to hike or snowshoe to one of AMC's huts, part of the oldest hut-to-hut system in the U.S. Both lodges combine doorstep access to miles of scenic White Mountain trails with the comfort of lodge amenities off the trail, including freshly prepared meals.

5. Get your hands dirty: family-friendly volunteer weekends with scenic fall backdrops
Make a meaningful contribution this fall and learn new skills in scenic mountain settings as part of a volunteer trail weekend. Parents work cooperatively with their children and other volunteers on the trail crew clearing new growth and fallen trees, cleaning drains, and helping with other maintenance tasks on the trails near AMC's Mohican Outdoor Center in the Delaware Water Gap of New Jersey. Each year, the AMC depends on thousands of trail volunteers who contribute their time, energy, and enthusiasm through participation in trail programs.

6. Top picks: leaf peeping hikes in New England and the Mid-Atlantic
Some of the most rewarding views are the sole privilege of hikers emerging from under a forested color canopy to discover their own private vista or 360-degree views from atop bald summits. Following are a few top picks for short-to-moderate hikes in New Hampshire, Maine, and New Jersey. For closer to home excursions from Maine to Washington, D.C., turn to AMC's regional chapters and guidebooks.

Mount Willard summit hike from AMC's Highland Lodge is widely considered to have some of the finest views in the White Mountains for the amount of effort required. The 3.2-mile round- trip hike has easy grades and good footing.
From AMC's Pinkham Notch Visitor Center/Joe Dodge Lodge, short waterfall hikes offer a contrast of vibrant colors against rocky, grey ledges and frothy falls. Crystal Cascade is a short, 15-minute walk, and Square Ledge offers great fall foliage views across and up into Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines on Mt. Washington. Thompson Falls is a series of small cascades near the Wildcat Mountain Ski Area just down the road, and Glen Ellis Falls just over a mile away is a picturesque waterfall that plunges into a pool 70 feet below.
Mount Cardigan, nicknamed "Old Baldy," is a favorite day-hike offering unobstructed views of the Lakes Region, White Mountains, and Vermont. Just a two-hour drive north of Boston, Mount Cardigan is also a great first "big mountain climb" for young families introducing their kids to the outdoors. At historic AMC Cardigan Lodge, located at the base of the mountain, family-style dinners, breakfasts, and trail lunches are offered throughout the fall full-service season to make planning easy.
At Gulf Hagas, a slate-walled gorge known as the "Grand Canyon of Maine," vibrant fall colors are the backdrop for the narrow chutes, waterfalls, and rapids. AMC's Little Lyford Lodge and Cabins is located about a 2.5-mile hike from the head of the Gulf.
An ideal jumping off point for a number of Appalachian Trail hikes in the Delaware Water Gap of New Jersey is AMC's Mohican Outdoor Center. For an easier, family-friendly hike past the local waterfalls down to the Delaware River, take the Coppermine Trail off of the Appalachian Trail. Go two miles past the Coppermine Falls and down to the river, where you can see the remains of abandoned mines that date back to the eighteenth century.
Get more fall hike recommendations from AMC Outdoors: "Hike to a Fire Lookout," "Best Hikes in Sugar Maple Groves," and "Fall Hikes"

7. Rustic weekend for New Yorkers: fall hawk migration in New Jersey’s Delaware Water Gap
Every fall, New Jersey is a paradise for birdwatchers as northern populations of red-tails and other hawks migrate southward during September and October. According to AMC's "Nature Walks in New Jersey," one of the best places to view the migration is Raccoon Ridge, a peak in the Kittatinny Mountain Range. The advantage being far fewer people than at the more famous raptor-watching spot, Hawk Mountain, yet with more than 15,000 spottings in a typical migration. From the AMC’s Mohican Outdoor Center lodge, the 5.8-mile round-trip hike along the Appalachian Trail also rewards with a 360-degree view of the Delaware River Valley and the Great Valley of the Appalachians. Get seven more "Raptor Migrations" site recommendations from AMC Outdoors.

This fall, there's also a variety of special, fall-themed Weekend Getaways being hosted at Mohican Outdoor Center.

Seasonal Story Ideas: Fall