View Full Version : crawford notch parking
im heading up to the whites for a week crawford notch-gorham and was wondering about parking at crawford notch
how safe is it to leave my car there for a week?do i need a permit. any info would be great.
thanks jigsaw
Chaco Taco
09-03-2012, 12:01
im heading up to the whites for a week crawford notch-gorham and was wondering about parking at crawford notch
how safe is it to leave my car there for a week?do i need a permit. any info would be great.
thanks jigsaw
Just make sure you pay the usage fee and display the permit in your window. No worries about your car. When are you going because parking may be an issue. Get there early because they fill up and spill over onto the highway by 10 am. You cant leave your car on the highway overnight.
Just make sure you pay the usage fee and display the permit in your window. No worries about your car. When are you going because parking may be an issue. Get there early because they fill up and spill over onto the highway by 10 am. You cant leave your car on the highway overnight.
last time i was there the AT trailhead in crawford notch was was on state park land and did not require the usfs permit for parking. that was 4 years ago though, has it changed?
Chaco Taco
09-03-2012, 13:11
last time i was there the AT trailhead in crawford notch was was on state park land and did not require the usfs permit for parking. that was 4 years ago though, has it changed?
It seems there always some sort of usage fee to pay at the trailheads up here. I could be wrong about CN. I know in Maine at State Parks there are just Pay Fee columns without the paper work.
I parked at Crawford Notch this summer (4th of July week) no problems, but there is a fee. You can buy weekly or annual passes here:
http://www.myscenicdrives.com/store/item/forest-passes/white-mountain
and get current trail info here:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/whitemountain
I parked at Crawford Notch this summer (4th of July week) no problems, but there is a fee. You can buy weekly or annual passes here:
http://www.myscenicdrives.com/store/item/forest-passes/white-mountain
and get current trail info here:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/whitemountain
thats a pass for the national forest. not everything in the whites is on national forest property. there are state parks, namely crawford notch and franconia notch and technically mount washington but thats sort of a meaningless distinction as you have to either hike or pay through the nose to get to it (its only the top of the mountain).
http://www.nhstateparks.org/explore/visiting/rates-and-options.aspx
doesnt mention any fees for crawford notch state park, but for portions of franconia. ive parked for the day in franconia notch without a permit as well, though never overnight.
peakbagger
09-03-2012, 19:26
There are four parking areas at Crawford Notch. The official WMNF lot is on the Mt Clinton Road about 100 yards in on the left. This is the official parking location for Crawford Path and long term parking. It requires a USFS recreation pass or a daily fee at a self deposit station. It is usually cheaper to buy a pass but the number of places that sell them has decreased over the years. If you are drving up I93, the national forest headquarters is the best option. It is busy but a bit out of sight of major traffic. There have been break ins in the past but as it is a key parking lot for AMC if there are issues, they wont last long.
There is also parking at the AMC Highland Center. It is specifically signed for guests only. I am not aware that they have ever towed anyone that it not a guest. Many use it for day hikes to duck the parking pass fees. There is also Shapleigh Lodge at the facility and it makes a good first or last night with an all you can eat breakfast or you can get a bag version for an early hike. Its your call on leaving a car for a week. Adjacent to Highland Center is the Crawford Depot, it is small and did not have any signage on who can park and does not require a pass. It is very obvious from the road but generally is full. Finally there is state owned roadside parking just south of the Highland Center. It does not require a pass of any sort. It is very obvious to the road.
In general the AMC lot if probably the most safe and if you are doing business with them I would park there. Otherwise the other three are about equal for security but given the heavy hiker traffic and AMC's presense they are generally safe. Obviously dont leave valuables in sight and bring your wallet with you on your hike.
Alternatively drive to Gorham and catch the AMC shuttle to Crawford. You can park on railroad street near the police station which is on the town commons. There is heavy state and local police traffic that drives by frequently. This spot is the safest of all and its always good to have your car at the end of the hike.
Finally there is state owned roadside parking just south of the Highland Center. It does not require a pass of any sort. It is very obvious to the road.
.
is this like basically on the AT and the parking is a short ways up a dirt road from 302? if so thats the lot i parked in.
MamaBear
09-04-2012, 16:06
What trail are you starting on? If you're going up Crawford Path, that is a different end of Crawford Notch than Webster Cliff Trail (the AT), which is further down the notch and a different parking area.
Just returned from the mountains this weekend you can get a yearly pass in the town of Lincoln "Loon Mountain" I think exit 32 off I93 at Ranger Station or in town at the Hiker Book Store is were I got mine across from McDonnell's $20 a year.
im hiking the a.t(webster cliff trail)ive come across rholands parking info and it mentions the ethan pond trail parking lot is right near the at
.im shooting for this but was wondering if it was a pay site?
Chaco Taco
09-04-2012, 17:40
Ethan pond is a pay site but is closed. You wont have to pay if u camp there. Its the first campsite to close for season.
You will need a white mountain national forest rec pass on your car valid for time you are there (it's 20 bucks a year or I think 3 dollars per day).
Park near the Crawford Depot. very safe, or at least, safe as any place.
im hiking the a.t(webster cliff trail)ive come across rholands parking info and it mentions the ethan pond trail parking lot is right near the at
.im shooting for this but was wondering if it was a pay site?
thats the lot i am talking about. it is in crawford notch state park and you DO NOT have to pay or have a permit to park there. dont let any of these other folks tell you otherwisde.
Ethan pond is a pay site but is closed. You wont have to pay if u camp there. Its the first campsite to close for season.
hes talking about parking, not camping
MamaBear
09-05-2012, 09:15
That's what I thought - you were going up Webster Cliff, and you'd park at the Ethan Pond Trail parking area. The 302 separates these two trails that make up this portion of the AT. Otherwise you'd have to shuttle or hitch down to there from Crawford Depot/Highland Center. Since it is a NH State Park, the regular WMNF fees shouldn't apply, which is what tdcozi said. I'm sure others will set us straight if that's not correct. It has been a year since I've been there, and since I have a yearly WMNF pass on my car, I don't think too much about parking fees.
Chaco Taco
09-05-2012, 14:37
hes talking about parking, not camping
Oh he said pay site and Ethan Pond, just assumed he got his Crawford question answered and was asking about EP
I'm sure others will set us straight if that's not correct.
i'm sure others will chime in (as they already have) set anything straight on the other hand....
i would assume its free unless when you get there they now have signs posted requiring a fee. no one is trying to pull a surprise on anyone, it would be posted if you had to pay.
thanks guys i'll figure it out when i get there.cant wait hope the weather is decent.
somers515
05-30-2017, 12:43
This is an old thread but one I was thinking about since I parked overnight in Crawford Notch this past weekend. I couldn't find the answer online and I saw a lot of people parking on the shoulder of Route 302. I wanted to share what I found out in case it helps anyone.
First talking about parking in the north part of Crawford Notch:
I parked in the WMNF parking lot just 100 yards in from Route 302 off of Mt. Clinton road. There is a self-deposit station, $3 a day. I arrived around 9:15am Saturday morning and I got the last official parking spot.
As peakbagger describes above, if you have business at AMC, then I would think parking at the AMC Highland Center would be acceptable.
There is also an extremely tiny lot at the train station there, again I would assume if you have business there and there is a spot go for it.
Everyone else was just parking on Route 302. I called and spoke to someone at Crawford State Notch Park 609-374-2272 and she said they were just talking about the parking this morning. She thought where there are no signs saying you can't park, then if you park along the shoulder completely off the roadway she thought you'd be good. They never heard of anyone complaining to them that their car was towed for parking along Route 302 there. They were remarking how the amount of people parking along the roadway has grown tremendously in the last 5 years. It may change, so I'd be very careful about signage in case they change it. I'd also likely call right before coming to confirm it's still ok.
Now taking about parking in the middle of Crawford Notch:
Near the Willey house the large lot on the east side of Route 302 that has a sign that says "no overnight parking" so you can day park there for free but obviously there is no overnight parking there. However and this was news to me that I wish I knew, there are several parking spots near the picnic area on the west side of the road just a few feet south of the Willey house that you can park overnight in. I was told you don't have to call ahead and let them know you are parking there but you are encouraged to if parking overnight. I asked about parking in the shoulder near the Willey House and she said oh I wouldn't recommend that there and besides that parking lot is not usually full.
Finally when talking about parking near the south part of Crawford Notch:
This is where the AT crosses 302, people park along the shoulder of Willey House Station Road (not to be confused with the Willey House parking lots in the middle of the park). I was told that they occasionally have break-ins and smashed windows of cars parked there so be extra cautious.
I'm not from the area, so please correct me if I'm incorrect on any of this or anyone knows of any other good overnight parking spots in or near Crawford Notch. Thanks!
Slo-go'en
05-30-2017, 13:52
I'm not from the area, so please correct me if I'm incorrect on any of this or anyone knows of any other good overnight parking spots in or near Crawford Notch. Thanks!
Parking overflow has become a big problem on weekends and a serious problem on holiday weekends. There's a big parking lot near me on RT2 which primarily services the Madison hut, but also is the start of dozens of trails on the north slope of Mt Madison and Adams. At least 40 cars can fit into the parking lot, but there are often cars parked 1/4 mile up and down the highway either side of the parking lot. This is a familiar sight at all the trial heads. Even the more out of the way trails are starting to get busy.
Parking overflow has become a big problem on weekends and a serious problem on holiday weekends. There's a big parking lot near me on RT2 which primarily services the Madison hut, but also is the start of dozens of trails on the north slope of Mt Madison and Adams. At least 40 cars can fit into the parking lot, but there are often cars parked 1/4 mile up and down the highway either side of the parking lot. This is a familiar sight at all the trial heads. Even the more out of the way trails are starting to get busy.
Appalachia Parking lot? I parked there at daybreak last October, got one of the last open spots. Climbed up Madison and came down, and there were several more cars in a lot I considered full, plus all the cars parked along the road. I couldn't believe the number of cars. I've since found that was perfectly normal for the Whites, especially the Presidentials. I'm spoiled by my Maine hiking areas.