Rebecca Mendez

Rebecca Mendez

Backpack the Franconia Ridge Loop

08/30/21

We just finished this hike and although it was beautiful (minus having no views on Franconia ridge due to weather) it was extremely challenging to do with backpacksif you’re not accustomed to it. All of us have done big hikes in the white mountains but not with heavy packs— to give you an idea. The 7-8 miles on the second day can really tire you out for the last day if you’re not in shape. Also very important to note now: there are no official tent sites at either of the locations mentioned. You have to be .25 miles from amc huts and technically 200ft off trail so stealth camping was the only option. We did find a spot the first night by wandering away from lonesome lake off the trail that leads up to Kinsman ridge. It looked like people had already been there so we didn’t feel as bad impacting the ecosystem. Definitely get there early so you have time to find your stealth spot and enjoy the lake. The next day we found a stealth spot about 1/4-1/3 mile down the green leaf trail from the hut (we had stopped at the hut to ask for directions to the “designated tent sites” mentioned but no one knew anything about it). It looked like there were a bunch of flat little spots where people had camped so that was nice. I wish the article had been clearer about where down the mountain these were to save us some anxiety. Hope this helps!

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