- Where can I find the GPS coordinates of the NE Hundred Highest summits?
- Where can I find information about roadside campgrounds?
- Where can I find information about lodging and dining?
- Can I get around the mountains without a car?
- At what time does the sun rise and set?
- When does daylight time begin and end?
- When do the Forest Service Roads (such as Tripoli Road and the Gale River Loop) close for the winter and reopen in the spring
Q. Where can I find the GPS coordinates of the NE Hundred Highest summits?
A. Thanks to SherpaKroto (a frequent contributor to the online discussion groups) I have an Excel spreadsheet showing the Lat/Long of the summits. Some were recorded on the summit, others come from various cartographic resources. I have not checked them and make no claim that they are correct. One poster on the feedback BB claims that he has found an error.
Q. Where can I find information about roadside campgrounds?
A.There are a variety of sources of information for commercial, state and federal campgrounds in New England:
- For WMNF campgrounds see:
- Official WMNF Campgrounds site.
- National Recreation Reservation Service For online reservations at USFS campgrounds.
- For state parks try:
- For commercial campgrounds try:
A.There are an enormous number of web sites that have various lists of lodging and dining establishments. Right now I am only listing the official state sites, I may add others later.
- For NH the state has a guide that covers many lodging and dining establishments (not all).
- Vermont Life Online listing of lodging and dining establishments.
- Maine Lodging.
- For a hiker's view on eating establishments in the White Mountains see Shamus' posting entitled Food Dump on the AMC BB.
Q. Can I get around the mountains without a car?
A. Public transit does exist in the mountains, but you must understand who it is designed for. It is designed for the person who lives in the mountains, has a car, and wants to travel without the car. It assumes that the passenger will get a ride from home to the bus stop and back. That makes it much less useful to hikers, who will be dropped off at some distance from trailheads. The main bus line connecting the Boston area to the White Mountains is Concord Coach Lines.
Within the White Mountains the AMC runs a shuttle service. This is designed for hikers planning a trip to two or more huts with only one car, and the times of the shuttle are designed for the convenience of hikers going to the huts in the morning, or returning from them in the afternoon. Since none of the huts are very far from the road, the morning shuttle does not leave very early, and the afternoon shuttle does not run very late. The good news is that the driver will usually stop at unscheduled trailheads that are on the shuttle route.
Starting in 2011 the AMC Shuttle connects to the Concord Coach Lines in Lincoln and North Conway: AMC Hiker Shuttle Connects with Concord Coach Lines Stops in Lincoln and North Conway.
A more expensive service, but one that will take you where you want when you want, is the Shuttle Connection, which operates out of Lincoln.
Q.At what time does the sun rise and set?
A.The USNO Astronomical Applications Department has many calculators that will give you about any information you want. I have extracted from it a table for Sunrise and Sunset in NH (North Conway). There is also a downloadable sunrise and sunset calculator available.
Q.When Does Daylight Savings Time Begin and End?
A.According to the USNO Astronomical Applications Department:
Daylight time begins in the United States on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October. On the first Sunday in April, clocks are set ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. local standard time, which becomes 3:00 a.m. local daylight time. On the last Sunday in October, clocks are set back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local daylight time, which becomes 1:00 a.m. local standard time. These dates were recently modified with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. no. 109-58, 119 Stat 594 (2005). Starting in March 2007, daylight time in the United States will begin on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November.
Q. When do the Forest Service Roads (such as Tripoli Road and the Gale River Loop) close for the winter and reopen in the spring?
A. The exact timing depends on conditions. The Forest Service has a Forest Road Status page on their web site,which is updated fairly regularly.