Basecamp: AMC Highland Lodge
- Spring "warm-up" hikes around Crawford Notch
- Casting flies outside Highland Lodge
- A birder’s paradise: Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge
- Whitewater paddling on the Saco River
- Paddling at Moore Dam Lake
- Dust off your bike
- Bone up on outdoors skills and mountaineering history
- Alpine flower hike in the Presidentials
Ideal for beginners and well-seasoned outdoor enthusiasts alike, Highland Lodge offers guests the comforts of an all-inclusive, green-friendly lodge--plus the use of L.L. Bean gear and free daily programming.
1. Spring "warm-up" hikes around Crawford Notch From Highland Lodge, you'll find a variety of trailheads within walking distance for beginner to intermediate hikers. Hit the lower elevation trails late-April to mid-May for great early season hikes without the bugs.
Ammonoosuc Lake Loop Trail
An easy hike for all ages is the one to two-mile loop trail around Ammonoosuc Lake, which is just a short walk from the Highland Lodge. This trail is a good bet for views of Mt. Washington and the southern Presidential Range.
Elephant Head
For slightly more elevation gain, climb to the top of Elephant Head, the rock outcropping that makes up the eastern wall of the Gateway to the Notch. This easy hike through the woods, which is always popular with kids, starts a short distance from the front door of the Highland Lodge and takes you to the top of this rock formation resembling an elephant's head. From the top of Elephant Head, you can take in a magnificent view of the notch, the Highland Lodge, and the Mount Washington Hotel in the distance.
Mt. Willard
A moderately challenging and enjoyable 3.2-mile roundtrip hike starts behind the Crawford Depot at Highland Lodge and continues to the 2800-foot summit of Mt. Willard. Catch some of the best views in the Whites, including nearby Mt. Webster and Mt. Willey.
Mt. Eisenhower via the Crawford Path
For advanced hikers looking for a more difficult hike, summit Mt. Eisenhower via the Crawford Path, the oldest continuously maintained trail footpath in America. The journey to the summit of Mt. Eisenhower via the Mt. Eisenhower Loop is 4.7 miles, but be prepared for ice and snow in the higher elevations until late in the season.
2. Casting flies outside Highland Lodge
Black fly season from the end of May through mid-July may be a nuisance for some, but it’s a boon for fly-fishing. So grab a fly rod from the AMC’s gear room and head just outside the Highland Lodge to the Saco Lake, where anglers can cast flies from shore or take out a canoe. For those on foot, the Saco Lake Trail makes a short loop beginning and ending on US 302. For a slightly longer walk to a more secluded fishing spot, head out to Ammonoosuc Lake on the Around-the-Lake-Trail. The complete loop is 1.2 miles.
For a more challenging hike to a walk-in pond, grab your rod and waders and spend the day fishing on the shores of Lonesome Lake, taking in excellent views of the Franconia Range before retiring for the night at Lonesome Lake Hut. But you'll have to wait until late spring in the Whites (early June) when the ice finally disappears from the lake. From the parking lot at Lafayette Campground, it’s a 1.6-mile hike.
3. A birder’s paradise: Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge
With spring comes the return of our feathered friends, and what better place to immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the birds than at Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge. Located in Jefferson, NH in the mountains north of the Presidential Range, the refuge's 234 species of birds have earned it a reputation as one of the top birding locations in the Northeast. At least 50 kinds of water birds and an unusual variety of mammals have been witnessed in this National Natural Landmark, as well as several uncommon species, including the sora, yellow-bellied flycatcher, Virginia rail, and black-backed woodpecker. Access to this sprawling tract of pond, swamp, marsh, and bog is from a trailhead on Airport Road in Whitefield, about a 30-minute drive from the Highland Lodge. The trailhead is the start of a 1.5-mile hike to Cherry Pond on the Pondicherry Rail Trail. Just north of Cherry Pond, a mile-long loop trail to Little Cherry Pond includes 600 feet of boardwalk over bog vegetation.
Excerpted in part from "A Bird in the Land" featured in the May 2004 issue of AMC Outdoors.
4. Whitewater paddling on the Saco River
An offshoot of Saco Lake in Crawford Notch, Saco River delivers Class I-IV rapids only 30 miles away from the Highland Lodge. One of the few big river systems in the Northeast that remains largely un-dammed, the Saco runs high in spring and fall. There’s something for everyone on the Saco’s 125 miles, from New Hampshire’s White Mountains to the Maine coast. Looking for a challenge? Expert paddlers can knock out eight miles of Class III and IV whitewater only seven miles the Highland Lodge between Davis Path and Bartlett. Want to hone your paddling skills? Enjoy good, consistent Class II rapids for another eight miles from Bartlett to Humphrey’s Ledge. Want a canoe trip with a few bumps? Swift water carries open boats along a 12-mile stretch of Class I-II rapids that winds out of the White Mountains into the lower river valley. Saco Bound in Center Conway offers guided day-trips and rentals.
Excerpted from Christopher Percy Collier’s article, “Please Release Me,” featured in the March 2004 issue of AMC Outdoors. www.christopherpercycollier.com
5. Paddling at Moore Dam Lake
Thirty miles away in Littleton, New Hampshire on the New Hampshire/Vermont border is Moore Dam Lake, an undeveloped, 11.5-mile long lake created by Moore Station hydroelectric station. Flatwater paddlers can spend warmer spring days in mid-May enjoying the scenery or casting a line for trout and other fish.
6. Dust off your bike
Paved roads are the way to go for springtime biking in Northern New Hampshire, and there are many options along routes 302, 115, 3, and 16, where you’ll find paved shoulders and breakdown lanes for cycling. Another option for paved, off-road biking is the Franconia Notch bike path, a roller coaster of hills with views of the surrounding mountains.
7. Bone up on outdoors skills and mountaineering history
Following a hearty breakfast, take a green tour of the property with an AMC guide and learn about the many environmentally sensitive choices the AMC made in building Highland Lodge. Then, depending on the roster of programs scheduled throughout the day, take part in a naturalist workshop or bone up on skills such as map and compass navigation or hiking safety.
Thayer Hall, next to the Highland Lodge, currently features a display of mountain photography by Bradford Washburn. An audio tour brings the images to life, offering personal anecdotes and commentary from Washburn himself about the larger than life images of Mont Blanc, Mt. McKinley, the Matterhorn, Tuckerman Ravine and Mt. Washington hanging on the walls.
8. Alpine flower hike in the Presidentials
Observe firsthand the beauty of the once-a-year alpine flower bloom set against the scenic backdrop of the Presidential Range in the White Mtns. Come anytime during June, or check out Highland Lodge special Alpine & Wildflower Weekend to experience the late-spring alpine flower bloom through guided visits to the tundra-like alpine region of the nearby Presidential Range, along with lectures from the foremost experts on high-altitude flora and educational displays.
