Greater selection of dates offered, plus new choices for lodge-to-hut hiking, teens-only activities, and “rivers to peaks” exploration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2008

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) is expanding its summer Family Adventure Camp program at its lodges in New Hampshire and Maine, offering a choice of 17 camps throughout July and August 2009 to provide a growing number of participating families with greater flexibility in planning. Family camps will run almost weekly this summer at AMC’s Highland Lodge.  

Based on strong interest in its guided lodge-to-hut hiking programs, AMC is also more than doubling the number of Family Adventure Camps that include a full-service overnight at a historic AMC Hut. And families interested in daily break-out programming for teens now have three of these special sessions to choose from, all held at Highland Lodge. Plus every family camp at Cardigan Lodge is offering a teens-only backcountry overnight trip for the first time. AMC’s new “rivers to peaks” itinerary at Joe Dodge Lodge, which combines river rafting and hut hiking in the White Mountains, builds on other unique opportunities for exploring local waterways and mountains at each camp. 

AMC Family Adventure Camps, designed for families with kids ages five and older, are based at five AMC lodges in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Lakes Region of New Hampshire, and Moosehead Lake Region of Maine. All-inclusive rates for lodging, meals, and guided programs provide a good family vacation value, especially for those taking closer-to-home trips, while simplifying planning.  

Expert-guided, easy-to-moderate hikes and hands-on naturalist programs, including pond studies, forest ecology, and wildlife watching, are part of every family camp and a good fit for all ages. Other outdoor pursuits vary by location, ranging from remote canoeing and fly fishing in the Maine wilderness to exploring the summit of Mt. Washington, hut hiking along the Appalachian Trail, and bird watching on the waters of Squam Lake.

New AMC family camp options this summer include:

• New selection of lodge-to-hut hiking opportunities, with the moderately more challenging, near tree-line hike to Mizpah Spring Hut being offered for the first time as a hut overnight trip. Other family camps feature easy, lower elevation hikes to Zealand Falls Hut or Lonesome Lake Hut. (Options include: Joe Dodge Lodge to Zealand Falls Hut, July 5-10; July 26-31; and August 9-14. Highland Lodge to: Lonesome Lake Hut, June 28-July 3; Zealand Falls Hut, July 12-17; and Mizpah Spring Hut, August 9-14).
  
  
• Additional weeks with daily, teens-only break-out activities at Highland Lodge, including a White Mountain backcountry camping overnight and advanced outdoor skills such as planning and preparedness, camp setup and cooking, and map and compass navigation—plus an AMC Hut overnight with the entire family camp group. (Offered at Highland Lodge, June 28-July 3; July 12-17; and August 9-14). 
  
  
• New, teens-only backcountry overnight near the summit of Mt. Cardigan at AMC’s High Cabin, located in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, during every Cardigan Lodge family camp. (Offered at Cardigan Lodge, July 19-24; August 2-7; and August 16-21). 
  
  
• New “rivers to peaks” itinerary, featured at every Joe Dodge Lodge family camp, combines a guided rafting trip on the Androscoggin River with an overnight at Zealand Falls Hut and a trip to Mt. Washington’s summit. (Offered at Joe Dodge Lodge, July 5-10; July 26-31; and August 9-14).

During every family camp, the mornings and afternoons typically include a guided, one- to-three-mile hike, stream exploration with a naturalist, or a paddling trip—with free time in the middle of the day for a leisurely lunch. A social hour before dinner provides time for unwinding and getting to know other families off the trail, and the evening program tops off the day with a campfire and sing-along, night hike, or a movie.

Rates and reservations
AMC’s Family Adventure Camp all-inclusive package rates vary by location and start at $435, plus taxes, per person for adult non-members ($385 for members) and include five-nights' accommodation, all meals (dinner includes fresh baked bread, soup, salad, entree, and dessert), guided programs and instruction, and equipment for paddling. At Highland Lodge, guests have free use of the L.L. Bean gear room. Child rates apply to ages 12 and under and start at $305 per child, plus taxes, for non-members ($275 for members). All starting at rates at Highland Lodge, Joe Dodge Lodge, and Cardigan Lodge include private bunkroom accommodations with shared bath for up to six people. Private rooms with private baths and family rooms are available for an additional charge. At AMC's Maine Wilderness Camps, rates include accommodations in private cabins.

For reservations, call (603) 466-2727. Families can take advantage of the discounted member rate by purchasing the $75 annual family membership.  

Starting on December 30, visit AMC’s Summer Planning Guide for additional details about AMC’s other family-friendly experiences this summer – www.outdoors.org/summerguide.

Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the nation. With 90,000 members in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment.