Hikers rest on the porch of Galehead Hut in the White Mountains. Courtesy Photo.
New Hampshire’s mountains offer stunning views and unmatched treks across high mountain ridges. But accessing those ridges often requires an overnight stay, and backpacking in a tent is not for everyone. That is why the Appalachian Mountain Club’s (AMC) series of eight high-mountain huts, which provide bathrooms with running water, bunks and food, are a big draw. And the AMC is now proposing a ninth, it’s first new hut in NH in 50 years.
The proposed hut would be located in Crawford Notch on NH state park land and be accessed by a new spur trail off existing hiking trails. The AMC says the time is right because hut visits have more than tripled in the last five years to more than 11,000 hikers annually. And with the huts 98 percent full every day in July and August. Unlike most of the high-mountain huts, the new hut is sited less than two miles from the road, providing easier access for families with small children and those unable to do longer hikes. It would likely have 50 bunks.
“We’re at the point now where we are turning a lot of people away when folks want to come stay with us in mid-June through October,” says Paul Cunha, vice president of outdoor operations for the AMC. Cunha says AMC pays about $500,000 in taxes to the state annually for land used for huts and lodges. A study by Plymouth State University found that AMC huts and lodges supported $17.9 million in economic activity in NH between June 2014 and May 2015, with 73 percent of the activity benefitting businesses other than the AMC.
Hikers enjoy a meal at Galehead Hut. Courtesy Photo.
Opponents of the plan, who posted a petition on change.org with 1,049 signatures as of press time to prevent construction of a new hut, say the hut is not needed as the AMC Highland Center and two other high mountain huts are nearby. They also worry about issues with parking and impact on the woods, and say access to the huts are limited to those with means. A weekend night at the huts costs between $105 and $158 a night per adult, $95 to $127 for a youth ages 13 to 17 and $56 to $83 a night for children ages three to 12.
Cunha says price is one reason the AMC is still discussing the operating model for the proposed hut. Right now, huts are full service from June through mid-October, with all except three operating cheaper self-service options during the off seasons costing $25 to $27 a night. Cunha says the AMC is considering offering both full and self-service options at the proposed hut simultaneously. “We’re basically looking at the feedback we’ve gotten from the public during the scoping process to decide whether our traditional modality makes sense for a ninth hut or whether some adjustments make sense,” he says.
Cunha says the new hut would also be accessible by skis and open for self-service in winter, providing a hut-to-hut winter experience not now available. The three huts now open in winter are not within a day’s trek of each other.
The NH Department of Resources and Economic Development is now considering the proposal but has not made a final decision.
For more information about the proposed AMC hut, visit www.outdoors.org/about/newsroom/press/2015/new-hut-proposal.cfm.
AMC NH High Mountain Hut System and Lodges
• 8 huts with 48 and 90 beds each.
• Three lodges accessible by car.
• Huts located one-day hike apart at elevations ranging from 2,640 feet to 5,012 feet above sea level.
• 11,864 overnight guest groups between June 2014 and May 2015. In 2015, there were more than 46,700 individual visitors.
• Average spending in the region per party visiting the huts: $1,000. This includes food, entertainment, shopping and car expenses.