Basecamp: Highland Lodge
- Summer hiking picks at Crawford Notch
- Summer camp for the whole family: AMC Family Adventure Camp
- Summer camp for adults: AMC 50+ Adventure Camps
- Take a "citizen science" hike
- Lodge-to-hut hiking on the Appalachian Trail
- A birder’s paradise: Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge
- Paddling at Moore Dam Lake
- Take a hike, take a dip: cool off with a swim
- Summer bike touring
- Casting flies outside Highland Lodge
- Discover an historic past at Crawford Depot & ride the Conway Scenic Railroad
- A mix of mountain photography, green-friendly design, and summer outdoor skills: soaking in the Highland Lodge
Highland Lodge in New Hampshire's White Mountains offers doorstep access to an impressive network of hiking trails and nature walks for all ability levels. Free, guided "walk-on" naturalist activities, hikes, and outdoor skills programs are available daily to guests -- plus free use of L.L. Bean gear. The AMC Hiker Shuttle also operates throughout the summer, offering a convenient, inexpensive way for hikers to get to area trailheads and back.
New for this summer, AMC is adding a teen program and activities to its weeklong Family Adventure Camps at Highland Lodge, including a lodge-to-hut hiking overnight trip and advanced outdoor skills and navigation. AMC's 50+ Adventure Camps experience is expanding to include a week in June and two weeks in September.
For more ideas and details, check out the AMC's Summer Planning Guide.
1. Summer hiking picks at Crawford Notch
From Highland Lodge, you'll find a variety of trailheads within walking distance for hikers of all abilities.
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. Jackson with Elephant Head
After taking a side trip to Elephant Head, keep on hiking to the summit of one of New Hampshire’s 4,000 Footers, Mt. Jackson, via the Webster-Jackson Trail. This trip to the summit of Mt. Jackson is 2.6 miles one-way, plus an additional .4 miles if you opt for the side trip to Elephant Head.
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 footpath in America. The journey to the summit of Mt. Eisenhower via the Mt. Eisenhower Loop is 4.7 miles.
2. Summer camp for the whole family: AMC Family Adventure Camp
This summer, spend a week at Highland Lodge's Family Adventure Camp during select weeks in July and August. The week features a full schedule of daily, family-friendly guided explorations, naturalist activities, and outdoor skills programs -- including pond studies, forest ecology, canoeing, day hikes, map and compass, wildlife tracking, green technology, live animal presentations, and eco-crafts. New for this summer, AMC is adding a teen program and new activities at Highland Lodge, including a lodge-to-hut hiking overnight trip and advanced outdoor skills and navigation.
3. Summer camp for adults: AMC's 50+ Adventure Camp
AMC's 50+ Adventure Camps experience at Highland Lodge is expanding to include a week in June and two weeks in September. Spend a week with an adventure-minded group ages 50+ for a mix of nature walks, half-day and full-day hikes, local and natural history, and the chance to meet new friends against a spectacular mountain backdrop. A sampling of planned activities includes:
- Hike to Zealand Hut: Take an easy hike to AMC’s Zealand Hut, part of the oldest mountain hut chain in New England
- Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge Hike: This National Natural Landmark is considered one of the top birding locations in the Northeast
- Summit a 4,000 footer: Expert-led, moderate to difficult hike to a nearby New Hampshire 4,000-foot peak
- Grand Hotels of the White Mountains: History of the grand hotels in the White Mountains area
- Après Adventure Social: Downtime before dinner to socialize off the trail with new friends
4. Take a "citizen science" hike
Hikers of all ages have an opportunity this summer to participate in AMC’s Mountain Watch "citizen-science" program. Mountain Watch volunteers contribute to long-term research on air quality and indicators of climate change by helping to record the effects of haze on mountain views, as well as observing and recording the flowering of alpine plants. Volunteers can collect data while hiking throughout the Northeast, including the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
5. Lodge-to-hut hiking on the Appalachian Trail
Steeped in over 100 years of tradition, the AMC’s unique network of eight mountain huts, all a day’s hike apart, stretches 56 miles along the Appalachian Trail through the White Mountain National Forest. During the summer season, all full-service huts offer clean, comfortable bunkroom accommodations; friendly, knowledgeable hut crews; home-cooked breakfasts and dinners; and naturalist programs.
Visit a family favorite for first hut hikes with the kids, Lonesome Lake Hut, and save up to 12% this summer when you stay Sunday through Friday nights during the full-service season.
Naturalist-led Lodge-to-Hut hiking trips planned for this summer include itineraries with Highland Lodge + Lonsome Lake Hut + Greenleaf Hut, in addition to Highland Lodge + Zealand Falls Hut + Galehead Hut.
Lonesome Lake and Zealand Falls Huts
Many families with younger kids looking for shorter, easier hikes with moderate elevation gain start with Lonesome Lake or Zealand Falls Huts. The huts are popular with families who want to spend the night in the backcountry without having to carry heavy backpacks, cooking gear, food, sleeping bags, and tents.
Nestled against the flank of New Hampshire's Cannon Mt. at 2,760 feet, Lonesome Lake Hut offers the shortest hiking distance from the trailhead at just under two miles and rewards families with a spectacular view of the Franconia Range across a clear mountain lake.
Zealand Falls Hut, located in Zealand Notch, sits at 2,700 feet next to beautiful Zealand Falls and offers outstanding views of varied ecosystems and abundant wildlife. The three-mile approach most suitable for younger families follows an old railroad grade.
Greenleaf, Mizpah Spring, and Galehead Huts
Older families will find more rugged, challenging terrain at Greenleaf, Mizpah Spring, and Galehead huts, all higher elevation huts that sit below treeline and afford great views with less exposure to weather than Lakes of the Clouds or Madison Spring Huts.
Centrally located near Franconia Ridge, Greenleaf Hut is perched at treeline on the shoulder of Mt. Lafayette at 4,200 feet, providing spectacular views of the Franconia Range and memorable sunsets over the notch.
Mizpah Spring Hut is located at 3,800 feet, just off the historic Crawford Path on Mt. Clinton above scenic Crawford Notch.
The most remote hut in the chain, Galehead Hut, is located at 3,800 feet and offers spectacular views of the Pemigewasset Wilderness Area.
6. A birder’s paradise: Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge
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.
Excerpted in part from "A Bird in the Land" featured in the May 2004 issue of AMC Outdoors.
7. 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 where flatwater paddlers can spend summer days enjoying the scenery or casting a line for trout and other fish.
8. Take a hike, take a dip: cool off with a swim
If you want to go for a swim, head to Echo Lake State Park or discover other great swimming spots on the Ammonoosuc, Saco, and Sawyer Rivers. Hike to nearby Arethusa Falls, the tallest waterfall in New Hampshire, where you can get your toes wet in the pools below the fall.
9. Summer bike touring
Franconia Notch State Park Bike Path
Road bicycles and mountain bikes alike are welcome on the Franconia Notch State Park Bike Path, a paved cycling path that winds through mixed hardwood forests and offers stunning viewpoints of the surrounding mountains. The trail is 9 miles long and runs the length of Franconia Notch. Grades are predominately mild to moderate. Gravel roads and woodland paths in the White Mountain National Forest also offer pedaling options for mountain bikers.
Presidential Range Rail Trail
New Hampshire’s Presidential Range Rail Trail travels through undeniably spectacular terrain as it traces the northern flanks of the Presidential Range for 18.3 miles. So why doesn’t it see more traffic? One reason could be its rugged character: the trail alternates between long stretches of cinder and unfriendly ballast, a heavier rock that makes for bumpy travel on two wheels.
Excerpted from July/August 2005 AMC Outdoors article "Paths of Least Resistance."
Notch-to-Notch
For a unique, "scenic-overload" mountain cycling experience, try peddling notch-to-notch in the White Mountains. One of the more popular routes with strong road cyclists is the challenging 32-mile Pinkham Notch to Crawford Notch loop. For a shorter ride with less elevation gain/loss, there is always Crawford Notch to Franconia Notch. But what makes this more than a cycling trip are the many hiking trailheads, both en route and at the notches. Plus you can ride lodge-to-lodge, staying overnight at AMC Highland Lodge at Crawford Notch and Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch.
10. Casting flies outside Highland Lodge
Grab a fly rod from the AMC’s gear room and head just outside the Highland Lodge to 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. From the parking lot at Lafayette Campground, it’s a 1.6-mile hike.
11. Discover an historic past at Crawford Depot & ride the Conway Scenic Railroad
Settled by the adventurous and industrious Crawford family in the late 18th century, Crawford Notch is widely considered the birthplace of hospitality in the White Mountains. The Crawfords were among the first to cater to visitors in this area, providing meals and accommodations for weary travelers. Abel Crawford and his son, Ethan Allen Crawford, cut the Crawford Path to the summit of Mt. Washington. In use since 1819, it is the oldest, continuously maintained recreation path in the United States. You can learn a lot about the history of the area at the Crawford Depot and Macomber Family Information Center, adjacent to the Highland Lodge and open until late October. Operated for the public by the AMC, the depot contains exhibits and displays that interpret the rich human history of the White Mountains.
The Conway Scenic Railroad is another historic attraction that recalls the early days of hospitality in Crawford Notch. In summer and fall, the railroad runs excursion trains from North Conway Village to the Crawford Depot, a ride that appeals to rail buffs and foliage fans alike. Shorter runs, from North Conway Village to Conway Village and back, are also offered.
12. A mix of mountain photography, green-friendly design, and summer outdoor skills: soaking in the Highland Lodge
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 as part of AMC's
Outdoor Explorations programming.
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.
