Highland Center
Built on the site of the historic Crawford House hotel and nestled at the southern base of the Presidential Range in New Hampshire’s Crawford Notch, the Highland Center is our premier White Mountain lodge.
AMC’s Highland Center offers comfortable, friendly accommodations in one of the most accessible locations in the White Mountains. There’s no need to drive to the southern Presidential peaks when you’re staying at the base of Crawford Path, and our hiker shuttle makes it easy to get to other popular White Mountain destinations without worrying about spotting a car or finding a parking spot.
Following our full buffet breakfast, adventure out for a day in the White Mountains. Return to the lodge for a hearty, home-cooked dinner and settle in for a lively conversation by the fireplace or a quiet evening in your private room. In addition to the included meal service, the Highland Center also offers complimentary activities, including guided day hikes to nearby scenic destinations, instructional talks on outdoor skills or natural history, and in-depth evening programs featuring films and guest speakers presenting on topics from astronomy to winter hiking. Guests should call ahead for the daily schedule during their stay.
Highland Center guests have free use of the L.L.Bean Gear Room, which offers boots, backpacks, outerwear, snowshoes, and more. Our on-site retail store offers books, maps, AMC apparel, gear, USFS parking passes, and last-minute items, and our friendly staff are always available to assist with weather, trail conditions, and other information.
The Macomber Family Information Center, open during the summer and fall, is located in the historic Crawford Depot, a former train station renovated by the AMC. The information center houses interpretive displays, an information desk, and a small gift shop that stocks last-minute hiker supplies, guidebooks, and souvenir items. An excursion train runs periodically when Crawford Depot is open.
The Highland Center also houses the official AMC Library and Archives, with thousands of documents, maps, photographs, and other items dating back as far as the organization’s founding in 1876.
Buffet-style breakfast and dinner are included with your reservation, and lunch is available for purchase. Beer and wine are also available for purchase during lunch and dinner hours. For those arriving after dinner service is closed, please call 603-374-8510 to arrange for an alternative option to be prepared for you.
Meal times:
Regular Hours:
Coffee available: 5 AM
Breakfast Buffet: 6:30 – 9:30 AM
Lunch Menu: 11 – 3:00 PM
Beer/Wine: Available: 11 AM – 5 PM and 6 – 8 PM
Dinner Buffet**: Sunday – Thursday 6 PM Sharp (Friday & Saturday 6 – 8 PM)
Memorial Day to Labor Day Hours:
Coffee available: 5 AM
Breakfast Buffet: 6:30 – 9:30 AM
Lunch Menu: 11AM – 3:00 PM
Trail Lunches will be available for pick up starting at 7:30 AM
Beer/Wine: Available: 11 AM – 8 PM. Small snacks will be available with purchase on weekends or purchased for a $1.00 without purchase of beverage. Snack options will vary depending on product availability.
Dinner Buffet: 6 – 8 PM in the Crawford dining room. The patio is officially open and is first come first serve as it is the most desirable dining spot in the summer season.
Please notify AMC’s Contact Service Center at 603-466-2727 if you have food allergies or other dietary restrictions.
Guests are free to use the children’s playscape, which features boulders, logs, and other components that are designed to mimic the natural features of the White Mountains.
Learn more about AMC’s cancellation policies for lodging and programs.
If you are coming from points south, Route 93 is recommended.
If you are coming from points east Route 16 to Route 2 to Route 115 to Route 3 to Route 302 is recommended.
Please contact AMC Customer Service 603-466-2727 with any questions.
The Highland Center is located in the White Mountain National Forest on US-302 in Bretton Woods, NH. From I-93 North, take Route 3 North to Route 302 East (near Twin Mountain), then take Route 302 East approximately 10 miles to the Highland Center.
From the Spaulding Turnpike (NH-16 North), continue straight onto Route 302 in Glen. Travel approximately 21 miles west on Route 302, and the Highland Center will be on your left.
AMC’s Hiker Shuttle connects the Highland Center, Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, and the towns of Lincoln and Gorham with major trails to the huts, allowing hikers to start and end their trip at different points. The stop in the town of Lincoln is coordinated with Concord Coach bus service. AMC’s Hiker Shuttle runs daily for most of the full-service hut season, from early June to mid-September. The shuttle operates on weekends from mid-September to mid-October. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Routes that are accessible on foot from the Highland Center include the Ammonoosuc Lake and Red Bench Trail, an easy 30-minute hike with stunning views; Mount Willard, a moderate and popular two to three hour hike; and Mounts Tom, Field, and Willy, a choose-your-own-adventure route to tackle one, two, or all three 4,000-footers in the Willey Range. You can also access the Presidential Range just across the street via Crawford Path.
For other trip ideas and detailed route information, please inquire with Highland Center staff or purchase AMC’s White Mountain Guide or Best Day Hikes in the White Mountains.
The lodge and Shapleigh Bunkhouse are wheelchair-accessible, including all meeting rooms, the dining hall, and some guest rooms with and without private baths.
Service Animals
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses and organizations that serve the public must allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into all areas of the facility where customers are normally allowed to go. This federal law applies to all businesses open to the public, including AMC managed lodging and visitor centers, where service animals are welcomed.
A service animal at AMC facilities must be under the control of its handler. Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless the individual’s disability prevents using these devices or these devices interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of tasks. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.
These rules do not apply to emotional support animals because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.
For more information about our policies, click here.
Our Commitment to Sustainable Operations
AMC has a long-standing commitment to using its huts, lodges, and sporting camps as models for sustainable operations and environmental stewardship. At Highland Center we compost food scraps. Highland Center also has a solar panel for some electricity needs, composting toilets in Thayer Hall, fixtures that minimize light pollution, and a wood boiler, fueled by sustainable and locally-sourced firewood, for heat and hot water.