Lonesome Lake and the White Mountains
Bretton Woods, NH
5.0 (1 reviews)Trip Highlights
- Remote Mountain Lakes
- Beautiful Waterfalls
- Views of Franconia Ridge
- Cozy Mountain Hut
- Amazing Natural & Cultural History
Description
Come experience the White Mountains of New Hampshire and hike with Wildland through these spectacular mountains! Stay at a charming, European-style mountain hut nestled in the wilderness. See beautiful water features – including mountains lakes, streams and waterfalls – on all days of our trip and enjoy sunrise and sunset from the pristine shores of Lonesome Lake. This trip also offers views of the rugged Franconia Ridge and an expanse of forested mountains.
$1545 Per Person
DIFFICULTY LEVEL 3
Scale of 1-5. 1 is least difficult; 5 is most difficult
The trails on this trip range from boardwalks to rocky, “scrambly” hiking. The distances and elevation gains are moderate and only some sections of trail are significantly rugged. Be prepared for hiking on a variety of terrain. There is also a water crossing on Days 2 and 4 that may require a change of footwear.
Hiking Distances:
3-6 miles
Backpack Weight:
15-25 lbs
Terrain:
Significantly Rugged
Max Daily Elev. ↑↓:
2100 ft
Heights Exposure:
Moderate
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THIS TRIP
- Hiking uphill or downhill with a 15-25 lb backpack for 4-5 hours
- Maintaining balance and footing on signifantly rugged terrain
- Hiking with occasional, moderate heights exposure
SOLITUDE LEVEL 2
1 least solitude, 5 most solitude
We rate this hiking trip a solitude 2. You can expect to have as much as an hour of solitude at a time.
MINIMUM OF 2 GUESTS
If a trip does not reach the minimum number of guests, you may choose to transfer to another trip date or another trip, be refunded your payments in full, or you may have the choice to pay a supplemental fee to run the trip with fewer guests. We make the final determination for these trips 4-6 weeks before the departure date, and notify guests of changes and options immediately.
PRIVATE TRIPS
Travel in perfect company by booking a private trip exclusively for your group!
Our sliding scale for private trips is based on the final number of guests in your group. Rates are per person and do not include sales tax, national park fees or guide gratuity. The final rate is based on the actual number of guests on the trip and may adjust based on cancellations or additions.
Please Note: you can also enjoy a private trip at our normal scheduled rates by filling any empty tour to capacity. However, if group members drop from the tour those spots will automatically become available on our website for instant booking. By purchasing a private trip at the rates listed below, your trip will remain exclusive to your group regardless of cancellations.
PRIVATE RATES FOR THIS TRIP
- 2 People: Rate x 2.5
- 3 People: Rate x 1.75
- 4 People: Rate x 1.25
- 5+ People: Rate x 1.15
*all rates are per person
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ITINERARY
Day 1
Today you will meet up with your guide and group at the AMC Highland Center, located in the impressive Crawford Notch. We will rendezvous at 5 PM but consider arriving a day or two early to enjoy this stunning area! Family-style dinner is included tonight after meeting our group, chatting about our trip logistics, and issuing some lightweight gear. After dinner, we will settle into our private room lodging in order to be well-rested and prepared for tomorrow’s adventure.
Day 2
- Drive Time: 30 min
- Mileage: 4.2 miles
- Elevation Gain: 2100 feet
- Elevation Loss: 1330 feet
We have a buffet-style breakfast at the Highland Center before setting out on our adventure. Arriving at the Flume in Franconia Notch, we start our trek with a ticketed tour through a famous gorge. Admiring the local flora clinging to the steep granite walls, the pristine creek cascading through the gorge, and the amazingly constructed trail, it’s impossible to not soak up the grandeur of this very special place.
After the loop through the Flume we connect with the Appalachian Trail (AT). Hiking on America’s most historic and iconic trail, we ascend into the mountains. Our hike takes us through gorgeous forests and past majestic creeks to Lonesome Lake. We have a water crossing that may require a change of footwear just before we arrive at the lake. We will check in to the hut, get settled, and enjoy a walk on the beautiful boardwalk shores of this picturesque lake. We will have some time to relax by the lake or at the hut until a nutritious multi-course dinner is provided by the hut. After dinner, we will stretch our legs one more time with an evening sunset walk (bring your camera/phone!)
Day 3
- Mileage: 6 miles
- Elevation Gain/Loss: 1010 feet
Our second day starts with a delicious, hot breakfast at the hut before we set out on our day hike loop. We begin under leafy tree canopy with our biggest climb of the day navigating a continuously rocky trail, which is very characteristic of the White Mountains. We will enter the boreal forest, fir trees and dense mosses as we hike across a forested ridge line with rolling ups and downs before arriving at a remote and peaceful high mountain lake. Your guide will prepare lunch as the group enjoys the view and solitude of the lake. Our descending trail in the afternoon is rugged and “scrambly” (we’ll take our time) as we make our way back down to Lonesome Lake and another delicious dinner at the hut.
Day 4
- Drive Time: 30 min
- Mileage: 2.5 miles
- Elevation Loss: 1200 ft
After breakfast we depart the hut and hike down a lightly rocky trail to a water crossing. After navigating the crossing we hike along a large brook as it cascades down the mountain. We will stop to enjoy a waterfall as we descend past some interesting and unique water features. A driver will be waiting to pick our group up and transport us back to the AMC Highland Center where we will enjoy a final picnic lunch prepared by your guide before saying our fond farewells to both our fellow guests and these very special mountains.
Please Note: We always do everything in our power to follow the set itinerary, however it can change occasionally based on temporary access restrictions, weather, lodging/campground availability, guest ability/injury, natural events like fires and flooding, and other potential causes. Normal terms and conditions apply to trips with itinerary changes.
TRIP DATES & BOOKING
AVAILABLE TO BOOK
This trip is available and bookable online! Click on the date to register now or contact us online to book through our award-winning customer service team!
GOING FAST
This trip has 1 or 2 spots remaining and is bookable online! Click on the date to book now or contact us online to book through customer service.
REQUEST A RESERVATION
This trip is exclusively booked through customer service due to logistics with lodging, permits, staffing, availability, or something else. Please contact us online or call us at 800-715-HIKE (4453) to request a reservation.
Don't see your dates? Call us! We may be able to add new trip dates.
800-715-HIKE (4453)Trip Details
What's Included
- One night in a private room with private bath at the stunning AMC Highland Center
- Two nights of bunkroom accommodations in backcountry huts in the White Mountains
- Trained hiking guide(s) with years of personal wilderness and hiking experience, medical certifications, and a passion for leading people into breathtaking landscapes. See Guide Bios.
- Use of top-of-the-line backpack and trekking poles
- Appropriately rated sleeping bag professionally laundered after every trip
- All meals are included from dinner the first day through lunch on the last day
- Roundtrip transportation from the Appalachian Mountain Club Highland Center to the trailhead and back
- Emergency equipment including a company-issued first-aid kit and communication device (InReach Explorer or satellite phone)
What's Not Included
- Clothes, raingear, and footwear (see recommendations)
- Sunscreen, toiletries and personal items
- Waterbottles and a headlamp or flashlight
- Guide gratuity (industry recommendation is 10-15% of trip cost)
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about what to pack.
Meals: What to Expect
We will enjoy some wonderful hut meals, primarily dinners and breakfasts while staying at the huts. All other meals are prepared and provided by your guide.
All of our hiking and backpacking tours include a diversity of tasty meals packed full of critical carbohydrates, proteins and fats. We carry foods that travel well in the backcountry – rice, pastas, lentils, beans, couscous, packaged meats, nuts, breads, oatmeal, granola, and more.
For optimal taste and energy, we supplement all our meals with spices, herbs, oils, cheeses, butter, sugar, and fruits and vegetables (fresh and dried). In addition, we provide you with with an assortment of trail mix, snacks, and dried fruits to eat at your own discretion.
We regularly accommodate vegan, vegetarian, kosher and non-gluten diets and will make adjustments for food allergies. These and other special dietary requests may require an additional fee.
Please Note: when you register, it’s important to tell us what your dietary restrictions are. If we’re notified less than 30 days from the trip start date, we may not be able to accommodate some dietary restrictions.
Gear We Provide
We provide all group gear which includes the following:
- Deuter or Osprey backpacks
- Sierra Designs sleeping bags
- Leki trekking poles
- Mountain Safety Research cooking stoves
- Mountain Safety Research cookware
- Company-issued first-aid kit
- Emergency communication device(s)
Guest Packing List
When you register for this tour you’ll receive access to a printable, downloadable trip information packet with a detailed packing list specific to this trip (click here to see it now.) All trips require a sturdy pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots, rain gear, a recommended clothing system, a headlamp or flashlight, a hydration system (water bottles and/or bladder) and other items specific to each trip.
Additionally, some guests choose to bring their own sleeping bag. We supply high quality, synthetic fill bags that are professionally laundered after every trip. Synthetic fill is non-allergenic, insulates when damp and stands up well to repeated washings, but is heavier and bulkier than down. If you’re able to bring your own down sleeping bag, there are multiple benefits. If not, we’ve got you covered!
Trip Logistics
Where Do We Meet?
You will meet your guide and group on Day 1 at 5pm at the AMC Highland Center near Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Your guide will contact you approximately 2 weeks before your trip to coordinate the exact meeting place and pick-up time.
Click here to see a printable, downloadable trip information packet with more detailed guidance about flights, shuttles, recommended lodging and more.
Travel to Bretton Woods
All White Mountains trips begin and end at the AMC Highland Center near Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Most guests fly into a regional New Hampshire airport and drive to Bretton Woods via rental car. The nearest airport to is Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in central New Hampshire, approximately two driving hours away. Manchester-Boston is served by domestic airlines including Delta, United, Southwest, and American. Many international carriers serve Logan International Airport in Boston, an additional 30 minutes away in Massachusetts. Bretton Woods is also accessible via bus, Greyhound and Concord bus lines.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS TO THE HIGHLAND CENTER
From central and south-central New Hampshire (Manchester, Concord, etc.):
- Take Interstate 93 North to Route 3 North (Exit 35).
- Take Route 3 North to Route 302 East (near Twin Mountain).
- Take Route 302 East approximately 10 miles to the Highland Center, located roadside right on Route 302.
From Boston and its suburbs:
- Take Interstate 93 North to central New Hampshire.
- Follow directions above for central New Hampshire. From Portland, Maine:
- Take Route 302 West to the Crawford Notch Depot Visitor Center, located roadside left on Route 302.
Start/End Times
Your guide will inform you of the first hiking day’s departure time at the orientation meeting. Generally, you can expect it to be between 5 and 7 am, although the exact time will depend on current weather and road conditions. We will drop you off at your hotel on the final day normally before 5 PM (this time is not guaranteed, as a variety of circumstances can influence our exact return time).
Safety Precautions
Your safety is our top priority. Our hiking tours are led by professional hiking guides, all of whom are wilderness-certified first responders or EMT’s, each with years of guiding and wilderness experience. Guides adhere to standardized risk management protocols in case of any potential or actual incident, and all tours carry an emergency communication device and comprehensive first-aid kit. Additionally we have a “24/7” system through which guides or guests can reach Wildland support personnel at any time.
If you have any further questions about safety, please contact us at 1-800-715-HIKE (4453) for more information.
Essential Eligibility Criteria
Essential Eligibility Criteria (“EEC”) have been specifically identified to help you understand the skills and abilities necessary to participate on each Wildland trip, and they apply uniformly to all potential trip participants, irrespective of the presence or absence of any disability.
Once you identify a trip in which you may be interested, please carefully review the EEC and itinerary details. If after reviewing the EEC that apply to your desired trip, you determine you need an accommodation in order to meet the EEC, please contact us prior to registering to discuss your requested accommodation.
The EEC exist for your own safety and the safety and enjoyment of all participants. If you are unable to meet the EEC for the trip, with or without an accommodation, you are not eligible for that trip. If you register and arrive for a trip for which you do not meet the EEC, you will be disqualified from participation on the trip and will be dismissed or evacuated from the trip without a refund.
Weather in the White Mountains
The White Mountains are home to the notorious weather station on the top of Mount Washington where in 1934 the fastest wind speed record on land that wasn’t associated with a tornado or hurricane – 231 mph – was recorded. The weather can be wildly erratic, which makes it important to follow the packing list and be prepared for a diversity of conditions including temperate and humid to below freezing to windy and rainy. Thunderstorms in the summer are common, but so are sunny, blue bird skies on long summer days.
Average Temperatures (Fahrenheit)
| Month | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| June | 61° | 49° |
| July | 65° | 54° |
| August | 64° | 53° |
Accommodations
Highland Center
1 NIGHT
This unique mountain lodge in the stunning location of Crawford Notch, New Hampshire is operated by the same conservation organization that runs the backcountry hut system. The lodge has cozy rooms, general living room and patio with breathtaking views. Wildland guests are in private rooms with shared or private baths.
Lonesome Lake Hut
2 NIGHTS
The Lonesome Lake Hut is a European-style hut in a spectacular setting near Lonesome Lake. It offers cozy, indoor “lodging.” The accommodations are in co-ed bunkrooms with separate bathrooms with flush toilets. The bunkhouses are not heated, have no lighting, and electrical outlets are not available.
Trip Reviews
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Patricia H
Fantastic experience all around.
Wildland Trekking communicated with us from start to finish. Lisa Gardner was an excellent guide and considered the needs of everyone in our group. Fantastic experience all around.
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