Cardigan Lodge

Description

Meals & Amenities

Getting Here

Nearby Trails & Activities

Accessibility

Events & Resources

Whether snowshoeing, backcountry skiing, hiking, or camping, Cardigan Lodge offers the perfect setting to easily enjoy the outdoors. Guests can access more than 50 miles of hiking and historic ski trails, built by the Civilian Conservation Corp., directly from the lodge and choose from numerous routes up to Cardigan Mountain’s 3,121-foot treeless granite summit. Known as ‘Old Baldy,’ Mount Cardigan is a three-peaked mountain with Cardigan the highest, flanked by the neighboring summits of South Peak and Firescrew. The 360-degree panorama includes views of Mount Monadnock, the White Mountains, Camel’s Hump in Vermont, and Pleasant Mountain in Maine.

Group and individual walk-in campsites are available for reservations and are easily accessible for those wishing to camp and enjoy the quiet forest, natural mountain springs, and dark night skies. A small retail store offers books, maps, gear, gifts and other last-minute items. Our Demo Center offers guests the opportunity to try out Deuter backpacks and LEKI poles for free.

View site map.
View Recreation Map.

During full service, your stay includes dinner, breakfast, and trail lunch, along with provisions such as linens, soap, and towels. On warm days, relax on the porch or sit by the pond after your hike. If you prefer to be indoors, there is a large dining room with tables and a comfortable sitting room on the main floor, as well as a small library/game room downstairs. Please note that dogs are not allowed in the lodge at any time and swimming is not allowed in the pond.

Breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m. Hot beverages are available at 6:30 a.m. Trail lunches can be purchased for an additional cost and made to order for pick up at breakfast. View the trail lunch menu here. Dinner is served at 6 p.m. Meal reservations are available to campsite guests.

During the Self- Service times, guests have full access to and use of the kitchen to prepare their meals.

Linens, towels, soap and shampoo are provided year round.

Learn more about AMC’s cancellation policies for lodging and programs.

From New York City (and Hartford Conn., western Massachusetts)

Take Interstate 95 North (Connecticut Turnpike) to Interstate 91 North (by New Haven, Conn.).
Take Interstate 91 North into Vermont to Interstate 89 South (near White River Junction, Vt.).
Take Interstate 89 South to Route 4 East (Exit 17, Enfield, N.H.).
Take Route 4 East for 25 miles to Danbury, N.H.
In Danbury, take Route 104 East for 5.5 miles.
Turn left onto Cass Mill Road and go about 3.5 miles.
Turn right onto Washburn Road.
Cross a bridge, then take the first left onto Mount Cardigan Road.
Follow Mount Cardigan Road for 3.6 miles and stay left at the intersection with Brook Road.
Take Shem Valley Road 1.5 miles to Cardigan Lodge (stay right at the fork in the road 100 yards).

From Bristol, New Hampshire

Take Route 3A North toward Plymouth for 2.1 miles.
Turn left onto West Shore Road at the blinking light (Our Lady of Grace stone church is on the far-left corner).
Proceed 1.9 miles and then go straight onto Cardigan Mountain Road where West Shore Road turns right.
Go 1 mile on Cardigan Mountain Road, then turn left onto North Road.
Go 1 mile on North Road, then right onto Washburn Road in Alexandria, N.H.
Go 200 yards and bear right onto Mount Cardigan Road.
Follow Mount Cardigan Road for 3.6 miles and stay left at the intersection with Brook Road.
Take Shem Valley Road 1.5 miles to Cardigan Lodge (stay right at the fork in the road 100 yards).

Upper and Lower Nature Trails (Easy): This 1-mile loop includes interpretive displays as you explore the nearby forests of Cardigan State Forest. Step out straight from the Lodge and follow the signs to the loop, and be sure to bring a pair of binoculars for any wildlife sightings on your journey.

Mount Cardigan (Strenuous): Hikers of all ages enjoy a hike up Mount Cardigan, with its 360-degree views of surrounding White Mountains. Start just outside Cardigan Lodge on the Manning Trail, hiking 0.2 mile to the intersection with the Holt Trail. Follow the Holt Trail for 1.8 miles to the summit of Cardigan, then head north along the Mowglis Trail to the summit of Firescrew Mountain and reconnecting with the Manning Trail. Continue on Manning Trail back to Cardigan Lodge.

Explore more hikes in the area in AMC’s Southern New Hampshire Trail Guide.

Also located nearby:

Mountain Biking options for both beginners to advanced riders: Green Woodlands Foundation and Highland Mountain Biking Park.

Kayaking, SUP, boating and fishing on Newfound Lake.

One of the premier sport climbing destinations in the country, Rumney Rocks!

Cardigan Lodge Accessible Areas

Dining and living room areas are accessible. Sleeping rooms and restrooms are not accessible.

All Persons Trail

The Cardigan All Persons Trail is a one-mile out-and-back trail accessible from the Cardigan Lodge parking lot and can be enjoyed by visitors in wheelchairs, hikers with walkers, families with strollers, and more.

Service Animals

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses and organizations that serve the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. This federal law applies to all businesses open to the public, including AMC managed lodging and visitor centers, where service animals are welcomed.

A service animal at AMC facilities must be under the control of its handler. Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless the individual’s disability prevents using these devices or these devices interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of tasks. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.

These rules do not apply to emotional support animals because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

For more information about our policies, click here.

Family Getaways in New Hampshire: July Weekends at Cardigan Lodge

Looking for a summer getaway where your family can unplug, connect, and discover the joy of the outdoors together? Join the Appalachian Mountain Club for Family Weekends at Cardigan...

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Behind the Gravel: How AMC Became a Leader in Accessible Trail Construction

In September 2023 AMC’s Professional Trail Crew unveiled a trail unlike any they’d worked on. The Cardigan All Persons Trail (APT) at AMC Cardigan Lodge in New Hampshire is...

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A Granite State Centenary: AMC’s New Hampshire Chapter at 100

Editor’s note: This year marks the 100thbirthday of three AMC Chapters: Connecticut, Narragansett, and New Hampshire. In this post, Robert McLaughlin—New Hampshire Chapter member and editor of its Mountain...

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Our Commitment to Sustainable Operations

AMC has a long-standing commitment to using its huts, lodges, and sporting camps as models for sustainable operations and environmental stewardship. At Cardigan Lodge we have an electric car charging station, solar thermal hot water panels, locally sourced food where possible, and high efficiency heat pumps to heat and cool the common areas. The solar field on site produces clean, renewable electricity used by both Cardigan Lodge and Three Mile Island Camp, another AMC site with remarkable sustainability in operations, including an electric boat. Live, daily energy generation from the array is reported on the Solar Edge Dashboard. Cardigan Lodge also offers environmental education opportunities.

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Mount Cardigan rises out of Alexandria, New Hampshire as a beacon for outdoor lovers. Next to 5,000-acre Mount Cardigan State Forest, Cardigan Lodge is located on a 1,200-acre reservation owned by AMC and is a short 2-hour drive from Boston.

Season dates

Full-Service

Self-Service

Showers

Meals included

Charging station

Private rooms available

Wifi

No dogs overnight

Also located nearby:

Upcoming Events

Featured Articles

Family Getaways in New Hampshire: July Weekends at Cardigan Lodge

Behind the Gravel: How AMC Became a Leader in Accessible Trail Construction

A Granite State Centenary: AMC’s New Hampshire Chapter at 100

Our Commitment to Sustainable Operations