Tent camping at Lake of the Clouds?

[Cristobal]

Hello all,
I am new to this forum and fairly new to New England. I am interested in hiking the Crawford Path, from Crawford Notch to Mt. Washington and back, as an overnight trip. I see that the Lake of the Clouds hut is closed for the season, but I would like to pitch a small tent at or near the hut location. Could anyone tell me if it is legal to do so, specifically if I can tent camp right at the hut site? And if it will be reasonably possible to find a decent spot for tent camping? Thanks for any advice, I have tried searching the net with no luck.
Also, I am anticipating traveling at about 1 mile per hour on this path. Is that a pretty reasonable estimate, overall?

 

[TDawg]

Camping isn't allowed above treeline unless on top of two feet of snow. Gonna have to modify those plans.

Maybe stay at Nauman tent site and day hike it from there?

 

[KV]

I am anticipating traveling at about 1 mile per hour on this path. Is that a pretty reasonable estimate, overall?

Hard to say what's "reasonable." Will you be day-tripping it? Will you have a full pack? How much hiking have you done? What will the weather be like? How long do you plan to be on the trails? Do you have a bail-out option/plan?

All these, as I'm sure you know, are factors. I can tell you that "book time" is based on roughly 1mph but most "beat" book time. You will generally travel faster on the ridgeline than on the steeps (either ascending or descending, depending on the health of your quads and knees, and your balance). I think I would use the 1mph as a general guideline for planning and then adjust as you cover the miles.

Have fun. Be safe. Good that you are asking questions before getting out there.



"Life is a trip. Pack accordingly."

 

[Cristobal]

Thanks for the reply. Nauman tent site to Mt. Washington to Crawford Notch is probably more than my battered legs can accomplish in one day, so I'm thinking I may just cut it a little shorter and turn around at Mt. Eisenhower. Appreciate the advice.

 

[David Metsky]

Camping isn't allowed above treeline unless on top of two feet of snow.

And camping isn't allowed within 1/4 mile of the hut no matter what time of year.

 

[Driver8]

Eisenhower's beautiful and well worth the trip. If you do it, I recommend doing the Ike Loop and catching the Crawford back from its north junction with the loop. The views on both sides of the Eisenhower Loop are some of the most beautiful I've seen.

 

[peakbagger]

It was snowing on Mt Washington this AM and usually this time of year there is a chance of minor snow on the ridge. Legal Camping options are limited this time of year and its typically going to take until Late December for a snow pack to develop to meet the 2 foot rule. No Camping within 1/4 of a mile of Lakes plus no camping On Ammonusuc Ravine trail. There are some legal campsites about 1 mile and 1000 feet of elevation down Edmonds path.

Most folks just do long dayhikes this time of year as they can hike a lot faster than with the gear they would need to camp overnight. A real nice option if you want to camp up high is the RMC Camps on Adams. Its $20 per person per night but the camps are just below treeline so you can camp high and quickly get above treeline.

 

[Quietman]

It was snowing on Mt Washington this AM

In addition to the snow, its also 24 degrees with 65 mph winds. Crag camp might be chilly on a day like today, but you'd be out of the wind!

 

[Cristobal]

Those winds scared me away from the mountains for today. Going to stay close to home and do a simple day hike in Rhode Island. But I'm going to carry the bag I had packed for the overnight, so it will be a good 'shake down' of some of my winter gear that I haven't used for a long time. Thanks again for all the helpful responses.