How to Hike Hut to Hut in New Hampshire's White Mountains

A hut-to-hut backpacking trip is an ideal way to experience the best hiking New Hampshire has to offer. The Appalachian Mountain Club maintains a chain of trailside hostels, called "huts," along a section of the Appalachian Trail that runs right through the heart of White Mountain National Forest. During the summer and fall months, AMC staff, or "crew," serve delicious meals for breakfast and dinner, and entertain guests with skits and musical numbers. Guests also enjoy the luxury of curling up in their sleeping bag on a mattress and pillow.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Backpack
• Hiking apparel suitable for extreme winter-like weather conditions
• Food for the trail
• A sleeping bag suitable for winter-like weather conditions
• A trail map of the White Mountain National Forest
• Containers for storing water
• Hiking poles
• Crampons

1. Hike to the Lonesome Lake Hut on Day 1. Park your vehicle in the parking at the Lafayette Campground just off Interstate 93. Take the Lonesome Lake Trail 1.2 miles until you come to Lonesome Lake, then follow the trail around the left side of the lake for a little less than ½ a mile until you reach the Lonesome Lake Hut. Check in with the crew and enjoy a swim before enjoying a delicious dinner--if it is warm enough.

2. Set off to find Greenleaf Hut on Day 2. Enjoy a hearty breakfast, bid a fond adieu and hit the trail. You'll hop on the Appalachian Trail by following the Cascade Brook Trail 2.8 miles back to the highway. Cross the highway and begin your 2.9-mile journey up Liberty Spring Trail. Next, head right/north along the Franconia Notch Ridge Trail. From there, you'll hike 3.5 miles to Mount Lafayette (5,260 feet), bagging the Little Haystack Mountain (4,780) and Mount Lincoln (5,089) along the way. At Mount Lafayette, you will break off the Appalachian Trail, which becomes the Garfield Ridge Trail, and head east downhill 1.1 miles to your destination for the night, Greenleaf Hut.

3. Journey to the Galehead Hut on Day 3. Rejoin the AT by hiking the 1.1 miles back up Mount Lafayette and heading north on Garfield Ridge Trail 3.5 miles to Mount Garfield (4,500). Continue along Garfield Ridge Trail for 2.7 miles to today's destination, Galehead Hut. Once you arrive, you may want to shoot up the Frost Trail .5 miles to Galehead Mountain (4,024), if you have time before dinner.

4. Travel 7 miles scenic miles along the Twinway Trail to the Zealand Falls Hut on Day 4. Along the way you'll bag the South Twin Mountain (4,902), the Mount Guyot (4,580), and the Zealand Mountain (4,260), which is below the treeline. Stop at Zeacliff for a breather before heading down to the hut to enjoy some breathtaking views of the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

5. Prepare to put some miles under your belt on Day 5. You'll travel 13.6 miles along the AT, crossing through Crawford Notch and entering the Presidential Mountain Range, to Mizpah Spring Hut. Follow the Ethan Pond Trail 6.9 miles to railroad tracks and the Wiley Station House Site, and then hike the .3 miles up the paved road to Route 302. Cross the road and follow the Webster Hill Trail 6.4 miles to the hut, while stopping occasionally to enjoy conquering Mount Webster (3,9210) and Mount Jackson (4,052).

6. Venture forth into the heart of the Presidential Range, following the Crawford Path 5.7 miles to the Lake of the Clouds Hut on Day 6. While en route you will climb Mount Pierce (4,312), Mount Eisenhower (4,760), Mount Franklin (5,001), and Mount Monroe (5,372). Be sure to ask the Lakes hut crew to share some ghost stories because this place is the home to one of the most frightening incidents in White Mountain history.

7. Take Crawford Path 1.5 miles up New Hampshire's highest and most dangerous peak, the Mount Washington (6,288), then follow the Gulfside Trail about 5.5 miles to Madison Hut on Day 7. Along the way you have the option of taking detours to snag Mount Clay (5,333), Mount Jefferson (5,712) and Mount Adams (5,774).

8. March out of the Presidential Range via the Great Gulf Wilderness before tackling the surprisingly steep Wildcat Mountain Range to get to the Carter Notch Hut on Day 8. You aren't out of the woods yet. Take the Gulfside Trail .4 mile from Madison Hut to Mount Madison (5,367) . Then hike 2.6 miles to Osgood Cutoff, which you'll follow .6 miles to the Great Gulf Trail. Walk this trail .1 miles to meet up with the Madison Gulf Trail, which will take you 2.1 miles to the Old Jackson Road trail. Follow Old Jackson to the Pinkham Notch Lodge, where you should stop for some lunch. After lunch you'll venture across Route 16 and take the Lost Pond Trail .9 miles to the Wildcat Ridge Trail. Take the Wildcat Ridge Trail 4.8 miles into Carter Notch, adding Wildcat D (4,062) and Wildcat Mountain (4,442) to your collection as you go. From there you just have to go .2 miles around the first of the Carter Lakes to find the Cozy Carter Hut.

9. Travel home on Day 9. Take an hour after breakfast to visit the Ramparts, Carter Notch's unique boulder field known for its alpine vegetation and ice that endures well into the summer. Then pack up your gear and take the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail on down to the dirt parking lot, stopping along the way for an ice-cold dip in fresh mountain water if the weather is warm and the stream is low enough to permit it.

Tips & Warnings

• Drop a second vehicle off at the base of the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, the trail leading down from Carter Notch, so you'll have transportation after the hike is over.
• Hikers may encounter extreme winter-like weather conditions in the White Mountain National Forest, even during summer months. Despite the comforts of the huts, this hike is still a long and strenuous adventure. Not recommended for the unfit or those with medical conditions aggravated by exertion.

Resources

• Appalachian Mountain Club
• White Mountain National Forest Info