Winter camping in New Hampshire

Question for all you experienced pros out there. Two of my daughters will be coming home from college Thanksgiving week, and they are really interested in doing some cold weather camping in New Hampshire. I am thinking that the campground at Monadnock or Lafayette Place might be good options. I have a few questions for any of you who may have done this before:

• 
  Does either site still have running water?

• What should we expect for weather? I am thinking down in the 20s on average.

• We are thinking of camping Thanksgiving night. Are the campgrounds manned that time of year?

I appreciate any info that might be out there!

Phone # Monadnock State Park

(603) 532-8862

Lafayette Place tends to be pretty windy. http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/ includes a link to camping info. (Even if the piped water is shut off, there is a stream flowing through the campground. Probably OK with treatment.)

http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/state-parks/monadnock-state-park.aspx gives info on the Monadnock campground.

Both are trivial to find with a search engine...

Doug

You can camp at Lafayette place then. But the facilities will be closed and likely no running water. I'd assume they blow out the spickets by then to avoid burst pipes. I could be wrong about the water, as I've never camped there at that time.

Website

DougPaul said:

Both are trivial to find with a search engine...

Doug

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I've been to the official websites for both campgrounds, and I know they are open. I was hoping for more practical comments from people who have camped at either site in the winter. I haven't done that, and don't know what to expect. I enjoy both in the spring, summer and fall, but going as late in the year as November is a new opportunity for me. Knowing about the water is a big deal if you are camping with your wife and three daughters, and you can't get that from the website!

HERE is a link to info on the Monadnock State Park Camping. The applicable info is:

Facilities, Services and AmenitiesA camp store, flush toilets, and coin-operated
showers are available in the campground during
the regular season. From November through April,
outhouses are open, but water and firewood are not
always available. The campground road is not plowed
in winter and visitors must hike their gear to their site.

The small camping area near the headquarters is the only camping available in the off season. The new large Gilson Pond campground closes after Columbus day.

I would still give them a call to see if anything has changed.

Casual Hiker said:

I was hoping for more practical comments from people who have camped at either site in the winter.

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I hope you don't mind if I post another website, and I hope this is "practical" enough for you, but the park's website clearly says there is no running water. But as you said, you've already been there.

Half way down, "Lafayette Place" paragraph, last sentence.

Not for nothing, but sometimes folks come here for first hand knowledge and experiences, not just to read a bland, third-hand report on a government website.

Otherwise...why are we here?

Totally agree, dug. Just trying to help. Maybe, I'm just grumpy the Sox completed their season collapse last night.

Enjoy your trip with your family, Casual Hiker.

Can't speak for those listed but have winter camped at Hancock (on the Kanc just west of Lincoln Woods) many times. It's open year round. No water but there's a stream and at least one set of pit toilets are open. It's also only a short distance to Lincoln Woods for heated bathrooms. They plow roughly half the sites - those furthest from the road. Full fee ($20 plus $5 for an extra car last year).

As for weather... Anywhere from zero to 60 with none to a couple feet of snow.

Oh yea. It's been a couple years since I've been there but Ammonoosuc Campground in Twin Mountain has been open in winter. They cater to RVs and snowmobilers but I've tent camped up to the first decent snow. They have hot showers.

Here's what to expect at Lafayette...

It gets cold in the Notch. It's often windy, though the campground trees offer some shelter. There is no running water. There will be an outhouse set up over by the main campground entrance (north end). The "stream" is actually the north branch of the Pemigewasset River. You should be able to get water from there around Thanksgiving time and treat it, and that's probably a better option than trying to prevent your own from freezing overnight if the forecast temps are low (inside your car in an unchilled cooler is another option). You will probably want a campfire (get wood in Lincoln) as between early sunset and the Notch's shadows it will be dark early. Beware boredom. There will probably not be snow yet at the campground, barring an early storm, but there will certainly be overnight frost and ice. The gate at the entrance will be closed to vehicle traffic, you'll be walking in from that lot (by the tunnel under I-93). The Lonesome Lake Trail lot will at some point in the winter be blocked off as it is unplowed and part of a snowmobile route (and still eats a foolish car every now and then).

As a side note, if you're thinking of hiking Cannon, the summit building and Tram shut down from the end of foliage season to the start of ski season.

Stash said:

It's also only a short distance to Lincoln Woods for heated bathrooms.

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Now, that's what I'm talkin' about. Not a big deal for me, huge deal for the girls! Thanks.

I hadn't thought about leaving water in the car overnight in a cooler. Great idea.

Like I said, winter camping will be a new experience for us (except for one Boy Scout trip where it was around 10 below and I had a 20 degree bag. I learned that lesson well). I want this to go well for my family so that we'll do it again in the future. I suppose I could go read every line on every website, but that doesn't give me the real world tips that I get here. I am already going to be much better prepared to have a good time, and to make sure my family does as well. That's a big deal for a first time experience.

Casual Hiker said:

Now, that's what I'm talkin' about. Not a big deal for me, huge deal for the girls! Thanks.

I hadn't thought about leaving water in the car overnight in a cooler. Great idea.

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You can also get water in the Lincoln Woods bathrooms. They definitely shut off the water at Hancock off-season.

If you go for Lafayette Place, *don't* take the campsites right next to the Pemigewasset -- they are more exposed to all that wind, but also, with the leaves off the trees, they are also even noisier than usual. Go in a couple of rows, and you'll sleep better. Last November when we stayed at Lafayette Place, the gate was open, but they probably close it when the snow gets more than trivial, since I don't think they plow the campground roads.

I would definetly suggest Hancock campground, one of the better winter sites around, and you can fly into Lincoln in minutes for whatever you need.

For the winter neophytes the use of a handwarmer in the bottom of the sleeping bag does wonders. I also use a nalgene bottle ot hot water inserted just before going to bed but some folks object to the potential for the bottle to leak. My favorite device is a Jone handwarmer that used lighter fluid but most folks regard it as "cave man" technology.

Do note, the parkway gets lots of traffic at all hours and noises tend to reverberate when its cold out with no snow. The suggested alternative on the Kanc will be far quieter and potentially warmer as Franconia notch is trathr infamous as being one of the coldet spots in the Whites.

If it's your first time and your not taking along somebody with experience, you might want to consider someplace like the Ammoosuc Campground that has heated rest rooms and showers. You can always skip that comfort, but it might be nice to have that safety net available.

Most years we hike on Thanksgiving weekend and have hiked in anything from shorts, to full winter gear in 2+ feet of snow, so be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.

Hancock is great if you are just easing in to winter camping.

As stated, its close to Lincoln Woods which has heated bathrooms, close to town if you want a steak, quiet, and along the Pemi. Its usually quite vacant, and its very easy to bail if winter camping proves to be intolerable to anyone in your party.

I didn't hear any snowmobiles there but the covered sky will reflect the work lights of the nearby ski area (which I found disappointing).

At the same time it often gets to -20 or below, so you can get some sense of brutal conditions in a "safe" environment. (ie next to ur car).

Even in the dead of winter they drive by to look for non-payers; don't get any ideas.

You should be cautious if you do not have good snow tires or a 4WD. Although the sites are plowed, many are on an incline and there is a layer of ice underneath. If you have several people to help push as your tires spin on the ice, then I would be less concerned.

Picnic tables and fire pits are usually under several feet of snow.

Remix said:

Picnic tables and fire pits are usually under several feet of snow.

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Agreed. A snow shovel is handy if you're expecting snow cover. And there's usually camp wood down at the gas station on town. Not cheap but you can't bring it in from Mass.

Remix said:

Hancock is great if you are just easing in to winter camping.

As stated, its close to Lincoln Woods which has heated bathrooms, close to town if you want a steak, quiet, and along the Pemi. Its usually quite vacant, and its very easy to bail if winter camping proves to be intolerable to anyone in your party.

I didn't hear any snowmobiles there but the covered sky will reflect the work lights of the nearby ski area (which I found disappointing).

At the same time it often gets to -20 or below, so you can get some sense of brutal conditions in a "safe" environment. (ie next to ur car).

Even in the dead of winter they drive by to look for non-payers; don't get any ideas.

You should be cautious if you do not have good snow tires or a 4WD. Although the sites are plowed, many are on an incline and there is a layer of ice underneath. If you have several people to help push as your tires spin on the ice, then I would be less concerned.

Picnic tables and fire pits are usually under several feet of snow.

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These are all great suggestions, thanks. I've never camped at Hancock, and I think I like that option best. Even in the summer Lafayette is pretty loud. My wife and I used to camp their on our anniversary weekend every June, which almost always was the motorcycle weekend. The sound of Harleys reverberating across the notch all day and night gave me an abiding dislike of motorcycles!

Don't forget that Hancock is also not in a notch and about 800' lower in elevation than Lafayette. For Thanksgiving-time, that means significantly better weather conditions. You're much less likely to have any snow on the ground (though you might, this is the Whites) and could be anywhere from 5-10° warmer. Hancock's a good place to camp that time of year, and IMO much better than Lafayette.

Is the Lincoln Woods water explicitly potable now? For a long time it wasn't, with warning signs to use for handwashing only. Those signs disappeared in 2007 but I never heard for certain if the water was drinkable.