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View Full Version : Gentian Pond Shelter & Campsite



poison_ivy
10-04-2004, 13:47
Last shelter in New Hampshire. It's right on the trail, perched on the edge of a cliff over Gentian Pond with a terrific view. It could easily sleep 12. Water is on the trail just south of the shelter. There are also four tent platforms north of the shelter, but they don't have the terrific view.

- Ivy

Footslogger
10-04-2004, 17:14
Nice day's hike out of Gorham. I got caught in an absolute downpour on my way to Gentian Pond last year on my thru. That shelter was a very welcome sight. Had it all to myself (for about 3 hours that day). Just enough time to get my wet clothes/gear hung out to dry and eat dinner. Just as I was getting my dinner ready the sky cleared and I had a wonderful view of the shadows in the valley as the sun was setting.

Hadn't thought much about Gentian Pond after my thru until I read the initial post. Thanks, Poison Ivy for causing me to stop and reflect.

'Slogger
AT 2003

Undershaft
11-05-2006, 12:38
Gentian Pond is a great shelter. I'm normally a tent guy, especially if there are platforms, but G.P. is one of the nicer shelters I've been to. Beautiful location, great water source, great view of the Presidentials and the Androscoggin river, Good privey, and good moose watching down at the pond. It's also in a pretty convenient spot at the base of Mt. Success which is a B*t*h especially late in the day (although the views from the top are outstanding and very pretty right before sunset). Don't force yourself to push on past this shelter, it's a great place to stay.

peakbagger
11-06-2006, 13:44
A couple of notes about Gentian, avoid the water that flows out over the falls from the pond (right near the shelter). The stuff from the pond is usually a bit rank. The actual water source is slightly south on the AT at an inlet brook. Gentian gets a lot of use by weekenders as there is a logging road that comes quite close to the shelter.

khaynie
11-06-2006, 14:13
Last shelter in New Hampshire. It's right on the trail, perched on the edge of a cliff over Gentian Pond with a terrific view. It could easily sleep 12. Water is on the trail just south of the shelter. There are also four tent platforms north of the shelter, but they don't have the terrific view.

- Ivy

It took my SOBO mind a minute to recall this shelter as I was thinking right before Vermont. It was our first shelter in NH.

My memory of Gentian Pond is that it was quite nasty. The Pond was low and there was a lot of algae; smelled rotten. However, the views from the shelter were nice. It was full when we were there so we wound up tenting on one of the platforms along with an Outward Bound group and ten thousand mosquitoes.

grizzlyadam
11-06-2006, 15:25
i stayed at the gentian pond shelter last night on the last night of what ended up being a two week hike from monson to gorham. it was cold and there was about an inch of new snow this morning when i woke up. the views were great and the pond was covered in a thin layer of ice. i was the only person there and probably had been in quite some time.

cascader
09-10-2009, 08:13
I stayed (alone) at Gentian Pond shelter last October ('08) and stopped in a couple weeks ago (Aug 31) on my way N thro' the Mahoosucs. I was surprised to find there'd been a slight Trail relocation in between the two visits. The AT no longer goes right by the shelter, as it used to. Now, at the stream where you get water south of the shelter, the northbound AT goes off to the left, bypassing the shelter, and the trail to the shelter is now blue-blazed. There's a temporary sign for the shelter that says it's .2 miles. Shelter still in great shape as was the area generally, stream running well.

warraghiyagey
09-10-2009, 08:18
Stayed there in '06 and '08. . . there was a moose there feeding in the pond for a couple hours around dusk. . . . beautiful place, climbed across to the rocky cliff facing the shelter and looked at the stars for awhile, very beautiful place. . .

Jim Adams
09-10-2009, 22:53
in '02 the resident moose used to stick his head into the shelter every morning...read about it in the trail register and sure enough he was there in the morning.

geek