Basecamp: Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center
- Pinkham Notch hikes and climbs for beginners to experts
- Summer camp for the whole family: AMC Family Adventure Camp
- Volunteer for one- to three-week long trail service vacations
- Family-friendly waterfall hikes and swimming holes
- Take a citizen-scientist hike & participate in AMC Outdoor Explorations programs
- Lodge-to-hut hiking on the Appalachian Trail
- Alpine flower hike near Mt. Washington's summit
- Mt. Washington’s storied weather and history
- Mt. Washington summer road races: run or bike to the summit
- Northern Forest Heritage Park: explore local history
- Fishing and swimming at Moose Brook State Park
- Mountain biking at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center
- Flatwater paddling local rivers and lakes
For almost a century, AMC's Joe Dodge Lodge next to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center has been the center for hiking and skiing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and an ideal starting point for Mt. Washington summit hikes -- making the lodge popular with the intermediate to expert crowd looking to tackle more challenging terrain. The AMC Hiker Shuttle operates all summer, offering a convenient, inexpensive way for hikers to get to area trailheads and back.
New for this summer, AMC is adding activities to its weeklong Family Adventure Camps at Joe Dodge Lodge, including river rafting and a lodge-to-hut hiking overnight trip. Families and beginners also can take advantage of free, guided "walk-on" naturalist activities, hikes, and outdoor skills programs offered throughout the summer.
For more ideas and details, check out the AMC's Summer Planning Guide.
1. Pinkham Notch hikes and climbs for beginners to experts
Lost Pond Trail
The Appalachian Trail follows the Lost Pond Trail from Pinkham Notch Visitor Center to the lower end of the Wildcat Ridge Trail. This short link trail is great for families, offering terrific views across to Huntington Ravine and Mt. Washington.
Low's Bald Spot
A hike from the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center to Low's Bald Spot via the Old Jackson Road and Madison Gulf Trail rewards beginners and families with fantastic views of Mts. Jefferson, Adams, and Madison from a small clearing on this knobby crag. This favorite lunch destination also provides an overlook onto the Great Gulf Wilderness.
Square Ledge
Catch a breathtaking view of Mt. Washington and Pinkham Notch by taking a fairly rugged but short trip to Square Ledge via the Lost Pond and Square Ledge Trails.
Wildcat Mt.
Another option (of many) is to head down the road to one of New Hampshire’s Four Thousand Footers, Wildcat Mt., located at the south end of the Carter-Moriah Range. The mountain is heavily forested, but outlook ledges offer breathtaking views, including straight down into Carter Notch.
Also up and running during the summer is Wildcat’s quad for rides to the mountain’s 4,062-foot summit. Spectacular views of Mt. Washington and eastward to the Atlantic make Wildcat’s Skyride a big hit with families and beginner hikers not yet up for bagging a Four-Thousand Footer.
Summit Mt. Washington
There is also no shortage of Mt. Washington hikes for experts, including Huntington Ravine and the Alpine Garden via the Huntington Ravine Trail—considered the most difficult regular hiking trail in the Whites—which crosses the Alpine Garden Trail.
For a Mt. Washington summit day hike, opt for the Lion's Head Trail or Boott Spur Trail on the eastern side of the mountain.
Some other favorites for advanced hikers include Old Jackson Road Trail, Nelson Crag Trail, Glen Boulder Trail, and Imp Trail/Loop.
Multi-day backcountry trips
For solitude seekers, Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and Joe Dodge Lodge also make an excellent base camp for more rugged, White Mountain backcountry trips in the Wild River and Evans Notch areas of New Hampshire and Maine, as well as the Mahoosuc Range, which extends from Gorham, NH to the summit of Old Speck in Maine.
Rock climbing
Beginner and expert rock climbers alike will find many routes in the area, including Huntington Ravine for experts and Cathedral Ledge in North Conway.
2. Summer camp for the whole family: AMC Family Adventure Camp
This summer, spend a week at Family Adventure Camp during select weeks in July and August. At Joe Dodge Lodge, the family camp experience is designed especially for families with kids ages 9-12. It features a full schedule of daily, family-friendly guided explorations, naturalist activities, and outdoor skills programs -- including forest ecology, day hikes, map and compass, and wildlife tracking. New for this summer, AMC is adding river rafting and a lodge-to-hut hiking overnight trip.
3. Volunteer for one- to three-week long trail service vacations
Make a meaningful contribution by helping to maintain trails in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. AMC's week to three-week long volunteer trail vacations offer a mix of basecamp and backcountry experiences, including crews especially for adults, teens, and 20- to 30-somethings. All White Mountain crews originate at AMC Camp Dodge Volunteer Center, nearby Joe Dodge Lodge.
4. Family-friendly waterfall hikes and swimming holes
For a short waterfall hike from Joe Dodge Lodge that’s sure to please the kids, walk just over a mile to Glen Ellis Falls. The main fall flows 70 feet over a glacially carved cliff, and below it are several pools and smaller falls. Crystal Cascade is even closer, just .4 miles on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. This waterfall drops a total of 100 feet in two uneven steps. Another option is Diana's Baths in the White Mountain National Forest that's an easy walk from a trailhead in North Conway.
For some local swimming holes, go to the boulder-edged turnouts on the west side of Route 16 between Wildcat Ski Area and the Auto Road, where you'll find great potholes and cascades for refreshing the "sole" after a long hike. The most famous is Emerald Pool, one of the dozen Emerald Pools in this Forest. Below the Auto Road, you will find great parking and Peabody River access points at the Great Gulf trailhead, Dolly Copp Picnic Area—which also offers tables and a pavilion—and Stony Brook Bridge area.
5. Take a citizen-scientist hike & participate in AMC Outdoor Explorations programs
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.
Then, take part in a free naturalist workshop or bone up on skills such as map and compass navigation or hiking safety as part of AMC's Outdoor Explorations programming at Joe Dodge Lodge.
6. 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.
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 Mountain 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.
Lakes of the Clouds and Madison Spring Huts
Lakes of the Clouds, the highest hut, and Madison Spring Hut are in closest proximity to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and Joe Dodge Lodge. Both are popular for more advanced, above treeline hiking with extreme exposure to weather.
Located on the southern shoulder of Mt. Washington at 5,050 feet, Lakes of the Clouds Hut offers sweeping views, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, and alpine flowers. Its proximity to Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines makes it perfect for day hikes and climbs, plus it is an ideal stopover on a Presidential Range traverse.
Madison Spring Hut, constructed on the site of the AMC's first high mountain hut (built in 1888), sits at 4,800 feet above the sheer walls of Madison Gulf and offers spectacular 360-degree views of the Presidentials, Kilkenny, and Pilot ranges. It is a classic beginning or end to a hut-to-hut Presidential Range traverse.
7. Alpine flower hike near Mt. Washington's summit
Take a lodge-to-hut mini-vacation at Joe Dodge Lodge and Lakes of the Clouds Hut, located at 5,050 feet just below the summit of Mt. Washington. Visit anytime during June to 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.
AMC's naturalist-led Lodge-to-Hut alpine wildflower itineraries this June include Joe Dodge Lodge + Lakes of the Clouds Hut + Mizpah Spring Hut, in addition to Joe Dodge Lodge + Lakes of the Clouds Hut.
8. Mt. Washington’s storied weather and history
Before heading out on the trails with your family, spend an hour at the Mt. Washington Discovery Center in North Conway finding out why the Northeast’s highest peak has earned a reputation for having the "world’s worst weather." Learn about weather and climate, and then head up to Mt. Washington’s 6,288-foot summit, where weather observations are conducted hourly at the Mt. Washington Observatory. Gain an even greater appreciation of Mt. Washington history at the summit museum run by the Observatory, and then step out on the rooftop promenade of the Sherman Adams Summit Building to catch some great views beyond New Hampshire as far as 130 miles to Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Quebec, and the Atlantic Ocean.
While you're there, be sure to stop by the Tip Top House located right next to the observatory. Originally built in 1853, Tip Top House is a state historic site that is believed to be the world’s oldest mountaintop hostelry still in existence.
If you or your family is not yet up for summiting Mt. Washington, guided trips on the Auto Road highlight natural and cultural history on the way up the mountain. Or take a ride to the summit on the Mt. Washington Cog Railway.
9. Mt. Washington summer road races: run or bike to the summit
The annual Mt. Washington Road Race and Mt. Washington Bicycle Hill Climb are 7.4-mile races up the Mt. Washington Auto Road to the summit. An average 12% grade, questionable weather, and stiff competition make this a grueling race up to the highest peak in the Northeast. AMC Joe Dodge Lodge is only 2.5 miles away, and spectators have the option of hiking up the Old Jackson Road (trail) or Nelson Crag trail to the Auto Road for some great viewing opportunities of these world-class athletes.
10. Northern Forest Heritage Park: explore local history
Open May through October, the Northern Forest Heritage Park located in New Hampshire’s Androscoggin Valley is a logging history museum dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and promoting the story of the working forest and the multi-cultural heritage of the region. Visit the museum’s interactive exhibits and artisan’s gift shop before taking the family on one of the moose tours or river heritage boat tours offered by the park. Special events during the summer include concerts, lumberjack competitions, and blacksmith demonstrations.
11. Fishing and swimming at Moose Brook State Park
Just north of the Presidential Range in Gorham, New Hampshire is Moose Brook State Park, a scenic destination for fishing in the Peabody and Moose Rivers. There are also many trails for walking and hiking, plus some great swimming holes on the Peabody River, which drains north along Route 16 toward Gorham. Particularly good spots are located at pull-offs on the southbound lane of Route 16 between Pinkham Notch Visitor Center and Auto Road/Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center.
12. Mountain biking at Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center
Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center’s network of carriage roads is ideal for mountain bike touring, plus there are a number of more challenging trails. A few miles up the road from Joe Dodge Lodge in the Northern Presidentials, Great Glen’s trails traverse beautiful fields, scenic rivers, and beaver bogs. Rent a bike or bring your own.
For road touring, cycle into North Conway and explore the Mt. Washington Valley. Ambitious bikers can stay at Joe Dodge Lodge one night and take a "Notch Tour" (Pinkham Notch, Franconia Notch, Crawford Notch), stopping off for a hike at one of the trailheads along the way. Spend your second night at the AMC Highland Center at Crawford Notch.
13. Flatwater paddling local rivers and lakes
A paddling trip on the Androscoggin River gets high marks from AMC's Quiet Water New Hampshire & Vermont: Canoe and Kayak Guide for its wonderful wildlife watching opportunities – including a pair of bald eagles one spring. Just a 45-minute drive from Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, the river is also home to smallmouth bass, landlocked salmon, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, moose, white-winged crossbills, white-throated sparrows, hermit and wood thrushes, loons, osprey, turtles, and beaver. Paddlers should note that below the dam is for experts only.
Another haven for wildlife is Lake Umbagog, a national wildlife refuge just over an hour's drive away on the Maine-New Hampshire border. Quiet Water New Hampshire & Vermont: Canoe and Kayak Guide recommends Leonard Pond, the coves along the inlet of the Rapid River on the northeast, and the small coves and islands east of Tidswell Point.
Or head south of Pinkham Notch for 45 minutes to Conway Lake, where the wildlife watching is also sure to please. If you put in at the northern access parking lot off of Route 302, there’s a trail where you'll see the ruins of water-powered mills.
