Backpacker Magazine – September 2008

Adventure Weekends: Luxury Hiking and Camping

We've got a selection of cozy shelters and trail-side restaurants from Washington to Maine. Check out these hikes in the Rockies, the Northeast, and the Northwest.

by: Jenn Fields

NORTHEAST

2 days
Mount Greylock State Reservation, MA
Just pack raingear, extra layers, and snacks–the Harbor House Bed and Breakfast in Cheshire (413-743-8959) is your posh shelter for this 23-mile out-and-back over Mt. Greylock, the state's high point. From the Appalachian Trail junction on Notch Road, head south through oak, birch, and fir as you climb to the 3,491-foot summit. Pass views of the Taconics and Hoosacs on the descent to Cheshire. Hike 0.8 mile up MA 8 to the inn. mass.gov/dcr

3 days
Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks, NY
Escape the city and lounge in log shelters in the Hudson Highlands on the Ramapo-Dunderberg Trail. From Bear Mountain SP, head west to cross 1,119-foot Bald Mountain and the black-rock cliffs beyond on the way to West Mountain Shelter. Continue 11.6 miles through swampy dips and steep climbs to the Fingerboard Shelter the next day. Finish on Lake Askoti via Hogencamp Mountain. nysparks.state.ny.us/parks

4 days
Maine Huts & Trails, ME
When completed, this new hut system will have 11 cabins spread out over 180 miles in the Western Mountains backcountry. Each will offer private rooms, mattresses and pillows, hot showers, and home-cooked meals. But you don't have to wait: Poplar Stream Falls Hut opened last February in Carrabassett Valley, and the Flagstaff Hut, 10 miles to the north, will open in December. Plan now for a 35-mile, four-day out-and-back ski or snowshoe connecting both huts. Start at the Campbell Field trailhead. Reach the first hut via the Narrow Gauge Trail, beneath Mount Bigelow, and the Poplar Stream Trail. Continue through wetlands (watch for moose) past Flagstaff Lake to Flagstaff Hut on day two; night three is back at the Poplar Stream Falls Hut. mainehuts.org

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