Place to camp

[ityler]

Me and a gorup of friends hiked Mt. Washington back in April 2006. It was with my brother and his friends who were seniors in highschool at the time. It was the best hiking trip ive ever been on. The same group of friends are now planning to go back, April 2008 since this is our senior year and one of the last big events we will all do together. Unfortunatly, we're having trouble finding a place to camp that is near the mountain and relatively cheap. Any thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks

[Bill O]

Is Dolly Copp open that time of year? That's a great campground, right down the road.

[Steve M]

Dolly Copp doesn't open until May 16th and you will find that most if not all campgrounds will not be open until sometime in May.

[KD Talbot]

Barnes Field at Dolly Copp is open year round and is plowed. You put the camping fee in the tube like most spots in the Whites. It's only a few bucks a night. There are no facilities, just a place to camp. Plan on being up to your arse in snow unless a solar flare hits the area between now and April.

KDT

[Steve M]

Barnes Field at Dolly Copp is open year round and is plowed. You put the camping fee in the tube like most spots in the Whites. It's only a few bucks a night. There are no facilities, just a place to camp. Plan on being up to your arse in snow unless a solar flare hits the area between now and April.

KDT

That's true, you could camp just about anywhere in the forest as long as you follow the campsite rules here:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/whit...es_2006-07.pdf

[ityler]

thanks for the information..and the snow isnt a problem, it'll just make things more interesting

[ityler]

another thing though...last time we went most of us were not prepared for the conditions...what are some thigns that we would need for April?

[Bill O]

another thing though...last time we went most of us were not prepared for the conditions...what are some thigns that we would need for April?

Probably the stuff you didn't have last time.

Do you want to elaborate on how you weren't prepared?

[billysinc]

Bring the kitchen sink

Things you might encounter in April on Mt. Washington:

-20f to +60f temps
231mph winds
raging water crossings
mud
snow
ice
rain
hail
sleet
lightning
avalanches

[KD Talbot]

If you're going to car camp, Barnes Field is the way to go. If you're going to backpack on the east side of Washington, then Hermit Lake Shelter is about your only choice unless you go into the Great Gulf. Along with the link above, add these to the restrictions:

CAMPING

Presidential Range-Dry River Wilderness

Wilderness regulations, intended to protect Wilderness resources and promote opportunities for challenge and solitude, prohibit use of motorized equipment or mechanical means of transportation of any sort. Camping and wood or charcoal fires are not allowed within 200 ft. of any trail except at designated campsites.
Hiking and camping group size must be no larger than 10 people. Camping and fires are also prohibited above the treeline (where trees are less than 8 ft. tall), except in winter, when camping is permitted above the treeline in places where snow cover is at least 2 ft. deep, but not on any frozen body of water. Many shelters have been removed, and the remaining ones will be dismantled when major maintenance is required; one should not count on using any of these shelters.

Forest Protection Areas

The WMNF has established a number of Forest Protection Areas (FPAs)—
formerly known as Restricted Use Areas—where camping and wood or charcoal fires are prohibited throughout the year. The specific areas are under continual review, and areas are added to or subtracted from the list in order to provide the greatest amount of protection to areas subject to damage by excessive camping, while imposing the lowest level of restrictions possible. A general list of FPAs in this section follows, but since there are often major changes from year to year, one should obtain current information on FPAs from the WMNF.

(1) No camping is permitted above treeline (where trees are less than
8 ft. tall), except in winter, and then only in places where there is at least
2 ft. of snow cover on the ground—but not on any frozen body of water,
and not on the east face of Mt. Washington's summit cone from Boott
Spur to Nelson Crag (the area above Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines,
including the Alpine Garden area). The point where the above-treeline
restricted area begins is marked on most trails with small signs, but the
absence of such signs should not be construed as proof of the legality of
a site.

(2) No camping is permitted within a quarter mile of any trailhead,
picnic area, or any facility for overnight accommodation such as a hut,
cabin, shelter, tentsite, or campground, except as designated at the facility
itself. In the area covered by Section 1, camping is also forbidden within a
quarter mile of Glen Ellis Falls.

Anyone tired of me posting this yet?

So, don't get the idea you can camp "just about anywhere in the forest".

http://www.outdoors.org/lodging/camp...ke-shelter.cfm

KDT