Overview
What is the Highland Center at Crawford Notch?
The AMC’s Highland Center at Crawford Notch is the AMC’s newest destination for adventure, learning and lodging, built on AMC property in Crawford Notch at the site of the former Crawford House. The center offers lasting outdoor experiences for overnight and day visitors of all ages through the AMC’s school programs, Teen Wilderness Adventures, skills training workshops, guided hikes, AMC chapter outings, interpretive programs and displays on natural and cultural history, and seminars. The Highland Center provides an exceptional venue for the AMC’s popular A Mountain Classroom program, which focuses on experiential environmental education for school groups from throughout the Northeast. The center serves as a base for AMC members as well as the general public to learn about and care for the surrounding environment, through Leave No Trace practices, land and water stewardship, and trail maintenance. The center also provides a base for search and rescue in the White Mountains. The Highland Center incorporates environmentally sensitive design and landscaping, while preserving those historically significant buildings that remain on the site. A range of lodging options, including shared rooms with shared baths and private rooms with private baths, are available, along with hearty mountain fare served in a family-style setting. Classrooms, multi-purpose meeting rooms, and an assembly/display hall support the many programs offered to all guests.

Can anyone use the Highland Center, or is it for AMC members only?
While the AMC is a nonprofit membership organization, the Highland Center at Crawford Notch is open to AMC members and nonmembers alike, as is the case with all of the AMC’s programs and facilities. However, members do receive a discount on lodging and programs as well as a subscription to the award-winning AMC member magazine, AMC Outdoors. Join the AMC today!

Has the AMC worked with the town of Carroll on local planning issues in regard to the Highland Center?
The Highland Center received town zoning and planning approvals, and the AMC worked closely with town officials in Carroll to ensure compliance with local codes. To introduce its plans for the project, the AMC invited town residents to an open house at the Highland Center site. The event provided attendees with a tour of the site, a chance to speak with AMC representatives and Highland Center architects, and an opportunity to view and comment on draft site plans for the project.

Construction
What can you tell me about the Highland Center’s construction?
The AMC worked closely with leading landscape and building architects to design a center that sits lightly on the land and complements the natural landscape. The magnificent views of the surrounding peaks remain the most celebrated feature in Crawford Notch, while the buildings themselves honor the history of the site. We’ve used energy-efficient materials and environmentally sensitive design features at the Highland Center.

Accommodations
What kinds of accommodations are available?
We offer a range of lodging options, including shared rooms with shared baths and private rooms with private baths with total occupancy of 122. A library, classrooms, meeting rooms, board game rooms and an assembly/display hall all support the many programs offered to all guests.

How much does it cost to stay at the Highland Center? And, what will my stay include?
Rates per person vary depending on season and whether one is an AMC member. Generally, they range from $67 to $159 with less expensive rates for children. The cost includes a hearty buffet breakfast and four-course dinner served in a family-style setting. In conjunction with its food service, beer and wine are available at the Highland Center (at additional cost). Your stay will also include select programs and activities, such as evening lectures, movies, guided hikes, snowshoe walks, games, and site tours. Thanks to a generous gift from L.L. Bean, the Highland Center at Crawford Notch is able to offer complimentary use of outdoor gear for all AMC-staffed activities.

Will there be a television and a phone?
Public phones are available in the basement and there is a TV/VCR in the children’s discovery room, but it is intended for use in our educational programs. In private rooms, phones and dataports will be available for an additional fee. We want you to immerse yourself in the mountains as you enjoy your stay!

Should I bring my sleeping bag?
Towels, linens, and comforters, courtesy of L.L. Bean, are provided at the Highland Center.

Should I bring my own equipment – such as skis and bikes?
You are welcome to bring your own gear. However, thanks to a generous gift from L.L. Bean, the AMC is able to offer complimentary gear for use in AMC programs. For a small rental fee, gear can be used on an independent basis. Skis and bikes can be rented through our partnership with the Mount Washington Hotel.

Activities
What sort of educational programs are offered at the Highland Center?
The AMC offers a wide variety of educational programs and skills training for children, teens, and adults throughout the Appalachian region. These programs aim to help participants increase their understanding of the natural environment and gain proficiency in outdoors skills, such as map and compass use or wilderness medicine. A variety of these programs is envisioned to take place at the Highland Center. The Highland Center provides learning opportunities for students in the AMC’s A Mountain Classroom program, in which AMC instructors work with schoolteachers and schoolchildren to provide hands-on instruction in natural history and the environmental sciences in an unparalleled outdoor setting.

What other programs and activities are available at the Highland Center?
Guests can participate in year-round full-day and half-day activities that combine fun and adventure with outdoor discovery. From guided snowshoe trips, to hiking and cross-country skiing, we do our best to introduce our guests to the outdoors. AMC staff can assist guests in hiring private guides through our concierge service. An audio guide presents the excursions of famed explorers Brad and Barbara Washburn whose pioneering accomplishments were documented by stunning photographs, a series of which is being placed in Thayer Hall. The Highland Center also hosts the AMC’s popular A Mountain Classroom program, an experiential environmental education program for school groups from throughout the Northeast. We encourage guests no matter how long their stay to be sure to save some time to explore our interpretive trails and use our outdoor discovery kits and rental equipment.

Finances
How did the AMC fund the Highland Center?
The Highland Center is the centerpiece of the AMC's 125th Anniversary Capital Campaign. Construction was fully funded by the generous contributions of our members and supporters, including several private foundations.

How does the AMC’s nonprofit status affect the town, and other lodging establishments?
Recognizing the AMC’s nonprofit status and its public service mission, and in accordance with state law, the town of Carroll exempts the AMC’s Crawford Notch facility from property taxes. Recognizing that it benefits from certain town services, such as police and fire protection, the AMC makes a voluntary payment in lieu of taxes to the town, currently $10,000 a year. In October 2001, the AMC and the town of Carroll negotiated and signed a five-year agreement for payment in lieu of taxes. While the AMC is not required to pay taxes to the town, nor to make a payment in lieu of taxes, it is making this annual payment to ensure that its operations present no financial burden to the town. The AMC will continue to pay its fair share, and has significantly increased its contribution to the town to reflect an understanding that with a greater presence in Crawford Notch, its share of emergency services may also increase. The AMC also agreed to increase its voluntary payments in proportion to tax rate increases.

How does the town assessment issue affect charitable donations to the AMC?
The property assessment issue in the town of Carroll is a local issue. As an educational, public-service-oriented organization, the AMC falls under the federal tax code as a tax-exempt 501c3 organization. That status has not changed. Accordingly, donations to the AMC are tax-exempt as provided by federal law.

Does the AMC operate tax free?
The AMC does not operate tax free. The AMC pays its share of the New Hampshire Rooms and Meals taxes for its operations at Crawford Notch, Pinkham Notch, and in the backcountry (hut system) as required by state law. The AMC has negotiated payment in lieu of taxes with a number of communities in which it has a presence.

How do the AMC’s operations affect the local economy?
The AMC believes its presence in Crawford Notch makes a positive contribution to the Twin Mountain community and economy, as it provides jobs, stimulates the local economy and helps introduce visitors to the town and the surrounding mountains. A 1995 study by Northern Economic Planners of Concord, N.H., showed that the AMC’s White Mountains operations made a positive contribution to the North Country economy in excess of $62 million. In addition, AMC programs and facilities contributed directly or indirectly to the creation of more than 900 North Country jobs. The AMC believes the Highland Center adds to the AMC’s positive contribution to the White Mountains economy, and results in increased patronage for many local businesses. Construction of the Highland Center supported dozens of local workers, including tradesmen from throughout the region. Staffing needs at the Center and the Crawford Notch Depot and Macomber Family Information Center – which serves as a welcoming gateway for visitors to the town of Carroll – support 15 full-time jobs and more than 25 seasonal positions. And, of course, the AMC provides public services, such as free public evening programs at the Highland Center, information services at the Depot, and tens of thousands of hours of trail maintenance in fulfillment of its mission – all adding significant value to local, state, and regional entities, in addition to the general public.