Presidential Traverse hut to hut: the four stages, when to book and when to go
New Hampshire’s Presidential Range from end to end, sleeping in three mountain huts that serve dinner and breakfast: up the Valley Way to Madison Spring, along the ridge above the treeline to Lakes of the Clouds under Mount Washington, down the Crawford Path to Mizpah Spring, and out to the Highland Center. Short in distance and steep at both ends. What it asks for is judgment: two of the four days are above the trees for hours, in a range the Appalachian Mountain Club calls home to some of the most extreme weather ever recorded.
Start: the Appalachia trailhead, on US Route 2. Finish: the Highland Center, AMC’s lodge in Crawford Notch.
The four stages
| Day | Stage | Distance | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Appalachia → Madison Spring Hut | 3.4 mi 5.5 km | 3,533 ft 1,077 m |
| 2 | Madison Spring Hut → Lakes of the Clouds Hut | 6.2 mi 10 km | 2,667 ft 813 m |
| 3 | Lakes of the Clouds Hut → Mizpah Spring Hut | 4.4 mi 7.1 km | 1,437 ft 438 m |
| 4 | Mizpah Spring Hut → Highland Center | 2.3 mi 3.7 km | 66 ft 20 m |
The stages are the Appalachian Mountain Club’s own, passing under the summit of Mount Washington on the Westside Trail. Distances are measured on the mapped trails and come out 4 to 10% shorter than the miles AMC publishes (3.8, 6.8, 4.8 and 2.4). Plan on AMC’s walking times, which the app gives at the top of their range, and not on the distance. Elevation comes from a terrain model, so climb figures are computed rather than surveyed.
Book the huts first
All three huts belong to the Appalachian Mountain Club and are booked with AMC, online or by phone. Dinner and breakfast are included. The traverse needs a bunk in all three on consecutive nights, so one full hut moves the whole trip. These go first:
- Lakes of the Clouds Hut, which the Appalachian Mountain Club calls its most popular hut
- Madison Spring Hut, the smallest of the three at 52 bunks
In 2026 the three huts were in full service together from 4 June to 19 September, the day Lakes of the Clouds closed. The dates for 2027 were not on AMC’s hut pages when this page was written. Reservations: outdoors.org/destinations/book-now.
When to go
June to late September, while the huts are open. AMC calls that the safest time for most people, and adds a warning that holds in every summer month: when it feels like summer in the valleys, it can be cold and winter-like on the high peaks.
- JanuaryWinter on the Presidential Range
- FebruaryWinter
- MarchWinter
- AprilStill winter above the trees
- MayBefore the huts open
- JuneThe huts open on 4 June
- JulyHigh season
- AugustHigh season
- SeptemberThe season closes from the top down
- OctoberTwo of the three huts are shut
- NovemberWinter is setting in
- DecemberWinter
Let the forecast decide
AMC tells walkers to come ready for the most extreme weather and to always check the Mount Washington Observatory’s Higher Summits Forecast. Decide before you leave home what you do on a bad morning: from Madison Spring you go back down the Valley Way, from Lakes of the Clouds you go down the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. AMC’s own line is the one to keep: if you are ever in doubt, turn around.
The full plan is in the app
The Presidential Traverse is open in full in Treksup, free on iPhone. For the month you choose, it gives you:
- the way down from every stage, and where it comes out
- a packing list with weights, in pounds or in kilograms
- getting there from Boston by bus and hiker shuttle, or with a car left at the finish
- trail conditions from the official sources, with the date they were checked
- a readiness check that can honestly say “not yet”
Page updated 28 September 2026. Treksup is not affiliated with the Appalachian Mountain Club.