Bascom Lodge/CT Hostel?

[weily1]

I have heard that Bascom Lodge has seen declining traffic from hikers over the years. I am curious to what this may be attributed. As I have studied the through hiker's companion, I do not find many/any reasonably priced hostels in CT or MA. What do you folks think about this? What would you say to a reasonable hostel in CT (say in the Falls River area)?

[Jack Tarlin]

Bascom Lodge sees fewer hikers primarily because they raised their lodging rates considerably; closed their inexpensive hiker "bunkroom"; and no longer offer a work-for-stay option for hikers. At present, it is simply too expensive for most folks to stay there......so they don't.

Lodging options in Connecticut are few and far between, as well as more expensive than elsewhere on the Trail. The Thru-Hikers Companion or Handbook will provide more details (esp. with info on places in the Kent/Salisbury area), but most folks don't pay to stay anywhere in Connecticut. You'll have more options as you get into Masachusetts, especially in the Great Barrington/Lee area.

In re. to your last question, a reasonably-priced hiker hostel anywhere in Connecticut or southern Massachusetts would be a most welcome addition to the Trail. Along with Vermont, this is a stretch of the Trail where facilities of this sort are quite rare. Pleae let us know if anything develops.

[Peaks]

I suspect that part of the changes to Bascom Lodge occurred after AMC gave up managing it. Last I heard, it was managed by Nature's Classroom.

[Cosmo]

Nature's Classroom is in it's last season. The State will be sending out a request for proposals for a concessionaire to operate the lodge very soon. We have tried to get some language included that makes it clear that this is a "rustic" setting that should be sensitive to hikers as well as the public that drives to the top. We'll see if this has any effect.

A complication is that Mass MAY be rebuilding the summit road next year. The project is pretty near the top of the list, but we'll see if it makes it through all the wheeling and dealing at the end of the session. If it is approved, one plan is to do the project in several phases, always leaving a road route to the summit. This is more expensive because it requires multiple mobilizations on the part of the contractor for every season. Another choice would be to close the road completely from the fall through the following fall and get the work done in one season. The weather is too extreme for road work between Nov and March/April. This work will make it pretty hard on the eventual concessionaire for the next couple of seasons depending on the eventual outcome of the appropriations and the actual plan by the contractor. There is the possibility that the lodge will not be open for a year while the road work is underway.

For my money, they could close the road, tear it up and plant some trees. But somehow I doubt this will happen....


Cosmo

[Dune]

The Lodge still has bunk rooms ($35 a night) and still does "work for stay".
The illegal garage bunk room was closed. State is clamping down on code violations.
www.bascomlodge.net (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/www.bascomlodge.net)
Of course there are cheaper (and pricier) places to stay in the area.

[Blue Jay]

Actually it will really decline this year, down to zero:banana. They don't even have a log book separating car visitors from hikers.