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View Full Version : Camping/Tenting Areas Not Listed on AMC White Mountain Maps



Driver8
06-02-2012, 00:51
So I plan to backpack this summer in the Whites. In some areas, such as the Carrigain/Hancock neighborhood and between Tripyramid and Whiteface, the AMC maps don't show any shelters or camping areas out among the trails. As a newbie camper, I would like to tent in areas where there will be other people camping nearby on a safety in numbers theory until I get more comfortable with wilderness camping, and I envision later in the summer doing peakbagging backpack trips where I would want to tent in areas such as those mentioned above.

So the question: are there camping areas where there are likely to be other campers nearby in some of these more remote parts of the Whites? If so, is there a reliable, thorough guide to these sites which I can find online or in book form?

To start with, I will doubtless either camp at places where I can drive and camp next to the car (Moose Brook, Dry River, etc.), or go to bigger on-trail campgrounds marked on the maps, such as Franconia Brook or Nauman. Just would like to know of the options, if any, for camping where other tenters will be near.

Thanks in advance for your help.

jakedatc
06-02-2012, 09:03
if it isn't marked and not in a protected area (above treeline, special regulated areas) then 200 feet off trail and 200 feet from water, 1/4mi from shelter areas. Some places may get higher use but the purpose of the fairly loose guidelines is to spread people out, not concentrate them together to limit the impact. do some reading about site selection for what to look for in a camping spot. ie avoid low spots where rain will collect.. not near standing water b/c of bugs.. practice bear bag hanging

Slo-go'en
06-02-2012, 09:58
If you want to camp near people - often way too many people - you will have to camp at developed, designated camp sites, of which there are many scattered around. Nearly all of these involve an overnight camping fee and operated by the AMC. The car camp grounds are operated by the forest service or the state.

While in theory it is possible to camp in the woods using the guide lines posted by jakedatc above, in practice this can be difficult due to the dense forest, all the big rocks and tree limbs and branches which litter the ground along with the steep slope of the terrain.

jakedatc
06-02-2012, 14:04
Yea.. depends where you go. i have not done enough recently up there. I was looking at the Hancocks-carrigain loop and there was a non designated "spot" in one trip report i saw. i'm sure the good places get semi established

rickb
06-02-2012, 15:33
[QUOTE=Slo-go'en;1295252. Nearly all of these involve an overnight camping fee and operated by the AMC. [/QUOTE]

Slo-go'en is absolutley correct with regard to the sites along the AT. As for most of the designated backcountry campsites & shelters in the Whites away from the AT-- they are neither manned by the AMC nor fee-based.

Some of these sites will be very popular on weekends and even during the week, and others will be empty.

Driver8
06-07-2012, 21:56
Thank you all for your helpful feedback. I lost this thread in the wake of the last virus attack. Thank you Jake, for pointing me back to it. Much appreciated, all.

Chaco Taco
06-12-2012, 21:35
Im used to the south where you can set up anywhere and campsites are everywhere, esp along the AT. Up here, you just need to read the rules and understand your distances when it comes to walking off trail. Obviously the higher you are, the less likelihood there is for camping. The Alpine Boundaries are important to pay attention to plus revisitation areas. When you have a privy, use it. Thats what its there for. Camping needs to be low impact as well. I met a fella a couple of weeks ago that gave me a list of some pretty good spots that are legal in The Whites. There are "camping spots" that have been basically settled and cleared that aren't technically legal in terms of the guidelines set forth in the "rules". I think the main thing the rangers encourage is no fires, anywhere.
You should be good to just stop when you are ready and just camel up on water. Don't camp near the junctions. The topo shows some possible spots.

stonedflea
07-02-2013, 13:14
I met a fella a couple of weeks ago that gave me a list of some pretty good spots that are legal in The Whites. There are "camping spots" that have been basically settled and cleared that aren't technically legal in terms of the guidelines set forth in the "rules". I think the main thing the rangers encourage is no fires, anywhere.


chaco, is there any way you'd be willing to share that list? i'll be setting out with my dog in a couple of weeks to finish our hike from '11. i'm a little nervous about finishing tent spots in the whites since we can't stay at the huts. any information about tenting along the entire range would be much appreciated. :) thanks!

hikerboy57
07-02-2013, 13:25
chaco, is there any way you'd be willing to share that list? i'll be setting out with my dog in a couple of weeks to finish our hike from '11. i'm a little nervous about finishing tent spots in the whites since we can't stay at the huts. any information about tenting along the entire range would be much appreciated. :) thanks!

if they aint legal, we dont discuss them here. theyre not that easy to findanyway, unless yuu know where they are already, even with directions. you ar better off planning based on established sites.rmc runs 4 sites near madison and adams, in addition to valley and osgood as tenting spots

Feral Bill
07-02-2013, 13:49
if they aint legal, we dont discuss them here. theyre not that easy to findanyway, unless yuu know where they are already, even with directions. you ar better off planning based on established sites.rmc runs 4 sites near madison and adams, in addition to valley and osgood as tenting spots

Above treeline is not just illegal, It is a very bad idea. When it was legal I learned this the hard way.