Hike-NH.com: AMC Huts

The AMC Huts

If you are new to hiking or even just new to the White Mountain National Forest, you may not know that the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) owns and operates eight backcountry mountain cabins that are available for lodging throughout the summer. Some of the huts are easily accessible, some aren’t, and most are run by knowledgeable, dedicated crews that do a lot to make sure you are comfortable during your trek (some are self-service huts with caretakers).

The huts are as follows:

Hut Name	Elevation	Located Near:
Carter Notch	3288 ft.	Carter Dome & Wildcat D
Galehead	3800 ft.	Mt. Galehead
Greenleaf	4200 ft.	Mt. Lafayette
Lakes of the Clouds	5050 ft.	Mt. Washington
Lonesome Lake	2760 ft.	Lonesome Lake & Cannon Mountain
Madison Spring	4800 ft.	Mt. Madison
Mitzpah Spring	3800 ft.	Mt. Clinton
Zealand Falls	2700 ft.	Zealand Pond
Hostels available by motorized transportation:
Crawford Notch	1900 ft.	Located on Rte. 302
Pinkham Notch	2032 ft.	Pinkham Notch Parking Area

The huts system is designed to allow hikers an easier way to travel the WMNF by allowing us to travel from hut to hut (which are spaced approximately a day’s hike apart) without packing all the gear required to make a similar trip. Ideally, you could hike from Lonesome Lake to Carter Notch carrying not much more than a daypack. We certainly don’t recommend this type of hiking since you could be caught in harsh weather, sustain an injury, or get lost and have nothing to protect yourself with, but theoretically it is possible.

Most of the huts have an on-duty staff of about four and reservations are required at all locations. There are bathrooms, coed bunkrooms, and a kitchen at all huts. The bunkrooms are communal, and in the case of the Madison Spring hut, bunks are stacked four tall (that’s about a 12-foot drop if you fall out of the top bunk!). The huts often have a small library of books (many related to hiking), a small "backcountry store" with essential items and souvenirs, and potable water (although at non-staffed huts like Carter Notch, water must be treated in Winter). There are no showers and there is no useable electricity (some huts use a generator for lighting only). The hut staff provides valuable weather information, maps, advice, education, and the occasional story to all comers who are interested. If you’re lucky they may even provide a little entertainment for the weary.

Prices vary for hut stays, from $23 per night for an AMC member at a self-service hut to $75 per night for a non-member at a full service hut. At all full service huts, you get dinner, a bunk with three wool blankets, all the water you can drink, and breakfast the next morning. At the self-service huts, you get water, a kitchen, and a bunk – you provide food and the ability to cook it.

Reservations Information

Reservations: ph. 603-466-2727 fax: 603-466-3871

Hours: Reservations must be made Monday – Saturday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST

Payment must be made at the time you make your reservation. They accept only Visa and Mastercard.

Reservations cancelled more than 30 days in advance will result in a full refund. Reservations cancelled within 14-30 days will result in a 70% refund. Reservations cancelled less than 14 days in advance will result in a forfeit of the full deposit. Refunds may be granted in the event of emergencies and severe weather at the AMC's discretion. In most cases, the severe weather exception applies only to above-treeline situations. In either case the Reservations Office must be notified immediately.

Rates:

Rates vary with the hut, time of year, and length of stay – visit http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/lodging-rates.cfm for details.

Note: NO PETS ARE ALLOWED AT ANY AMC HUT.

For complete information, surf on over to the AMC web site: http://www.outdoors.org

Click here for a first hand Hike-NH.com account of our stay at the Madison Spring Hut!