NH WMNForest & AMC Closures

EDITED Monday May 4th thanks to  Jason Evertts who pointed  out re-openings in a COMMENT                                                  
  

As reported in an earlier thread ( https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/118797590/new-hampshire-psaaccess) the WMNF had closed the parking lots of virtually every trailhead that can accommodate more than 3-4 cars. (Technically, the trails themselves and the forest remained open. "

However, it now (May 4th) appears WMNF management has decided that cars parked on the sides of the road and people walking to the trailheads may be more dangerous than the small chance of getting Covid in a parking lot, so have reopened virtually all the closed parking.

Full list is here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/whitemountain/home   
 
Rumney remains closed. Bear Notch Rd remains closed, although it is now passable for bicycles.
 
Appalachian Mt Club - announced today that their facilities reachable by car (Pinkham Notch, Highland Center in Crawford Notch, and presumably their camps in Maine) are now not planning to be re-opened until at least July 1st. (They had been planning a June 1 re-opening.) The mountain hut system will be closed the entire year 2020.  [On a personal note here...can you imagine trying to dis-infect one of these very old, all-wooden huts ? ! ]

As of today (May 1) NH's State Parks remain open for "light walks", although all structures in them are closed.  The Governor will announce today (May 1) possible plans for some re-opening of business, but as of today there are no Hotels, Motels, Campgrounds, Inns or "part time rentals" open in NH. (although the last one seems to be abused)  Resturants are closed, although take-out is available in some.

Rescue Teams really don't want to go out and possibly expose themselves.  Rescue??? Think 1968:... get in trouble, get yourself out of it.  I would also think that any rescue that did occur would invoke the State's (and/or WMNF's) fines for 'reckless and endangering behavior'.

Robert Hall wrote: ... The exception is that the eastern drainage of Mt Washington, including Tuckerman's, Huntington, Gulf of Slides and (I think) Gulf of Slides, are closed to all use.
  

Do you mean Gulf of Slides and the Great Gulf?

Thanks for putting together this collection of information. Hopefully this thread can be useful for further updates moving forward.

Thanks for the info.  I cross-checked their "Closed" Trailhead list the other day and actually found a couple less-popular ones that are not on the list.  Looking like those may be doable for hiking purposes.  Regarding "Part-Time Rentals" there are hundreds available, so doesn't look like people are following that rule.  

Derek Ehrnschwender wrote:

Do you mean Gulf of Slides and the Great Gulf?

Thanks for putting together this collection of information. Hopefully this thread can be useful for further updates moving forward.

Great Gulf was not included on the closure. There was a map of the closure on the forest service website, but I'm too lazy to look for it right now.

Andrew Peterson wrote:

Great Gulf was not included on the closure. There was a map of the closure on the forest service website, but I'm too lazy to look for it right now.

Great Gulf is pretty clearly closed, see link: 

https://www.lincolnnh.org/home/news/important-public-notice-white-mountain-national-forest-trails-closed

Nick Votto wrote:

Great Gulf is pretty clearly closed, see link: 

https://www.lincolnnh.org/home/news/important-public-notice-white-mountain-national-forest-trails-closed

The trailhead is closed (skiers rarely use the Great Gulf trailhead anyways, there are better ways to get up there - some of which are closed). But it is not included the closure that completely shut down Tucks, Huntington, GoS. Here is the link to the map: fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO…;

So if you go up there without parking at any of the closed trailheads it's not illegal.  I'm not suggesting that anybody does that though, I was just trying to clarify what was included in the complete closure.

My link didn't work for some reason, here's a screenshot.

huts are closed for the whole year:

A Message from the       Appalachian Mountain ClubYou may have already received a phone       message from us about your upcoming hut reservation XXXXX. If we have       not been able to reach you, please be advised that we have decided to       close all AMC White Mountain Huts in New Hampshire for the remainder of       2020. This includes the AMC White Mountain Hiker Shuttle.
 
      While it is a difficult decision, the health and safety of our guests,       employees, and the members of the communities in which we operate is our       number one priority as we continue to support the national effort to       control the further spread of COVID-19.
 
      We recognize the significant impact this may have on your travel plans.       AMC remains committed to providing the increased flexibility with       reservations and worry-free booking that you deserve during this time.
 
      All guests with canceled hut reservations and lodge-to-hut trips will       have the opportunity to:

• Receive            a full credit transfer for up to two years, or a full refund on your            reservation canceled outside of 14 days of arrival.
• Re-book            your reservation for 2021 before reservations open to groups on May            18th, 2020.
• Move            your existing hut reservation to another available AMC lodging            facility in 2020.

If you need to adjust or have any       questions about your reservation, please contact AMC’s Contact Service       Center, Monday through Saturday, between 8 a.m. and 7.p.m. at       603-466-2727. Due to expected high call volumes, we recommend utilizing lodging@outdoors.org to contact us       regarding your reservation.
 
      Additional information about other AMC location opening status and       program schedules can be found on       our website.

That didn't last long:

White Mountain National Forest to Open Trailheads

CAMPTON, NH May 1, 2020 – The White Mountain National Forest has re-opened several trail heads that were closed last week. The decision was based on safety concerns due to illegal parking while trailheads were closed, and to alleviate congestion on other locations during a continued demand for local recreation.

The White Mountain National Forest will continue to implement a phase-based opening of the Forest in alignment with the State of New Hampshire. A limited number of sites will remain closed as the Forest continues to coordinate with local communities, the states of New Hampshire and Maine, and partners to address concerns before safely re-opening. A complete list of what is open and what is closed, including those sites still seasonally closed, can be found at: fs.usda.gov/main/whitemount….

Everyone is urged to take the precautions recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nc…. These safety precautions will help to maintain a safe environment for employees, visitors, and local communities. Many amenities, such as restrooms and garbage, at sites remain seasonally closed. Visitors should be prepared to pack in and pack out.

White Mountain National Forest offices remain open virtually to protect the health and safety of employees and members of the public during the COVID-19 outbreak.  Customers needing information, permits and maps are encouraged to call Forest Headquarters at: (603) 536-6100, Saco Ranger Station (603) 447-5448, and Androscoggin Ranger Station (603) 466-2713 during regular business hours.

Trails listed here: fs.usda.gov/main/whitemount…

Haha. Yeah, I think this perfectly captures the wild knee-jerk decisions of society right now. Everything's closed!no wait its open!! Anyway what the hell could be the harm in heading out into the vast wilderness -- far far away from everyone.   

Wow...Looks like they re-opened about everything!  However, I drove past South Moat parking on Sunday (May 3rd) and it was still closed and barricaded, as was Diana's Baths on Saturday May 2nd.  

Great  news. Wish  vt would  lighten up as well

closeing WMNF was stupid. Lots of other steps that could have been taken to allow for hiking and social distancing.   Have not seen any closed trail heads in VT and  most people  I have met on the trail  have been considerate keeping their distance. 

Now people look at you funny if you dont have a mask on outside.  The same ones who looked at you funny when you had a mask on in the store because the geniuses at the CDC told the sheep NOT to wear masks.  God help us all. 

The AMC huts are closed for the whole year... What does that mean for the water sources for hikers/thru-hikers?  Are streams the only option now? Noob question, sorry.

My guess, and it's ONLY a guess, is there will be a "caretaker" at the hut. (If only to prevent vandalism. I know, REALLY "bad thought" but in this day-and-age???)

Most huts have an outside water spigot, if it's fed by natural pressure it may be available.

======

On a separate thought...most AT thru-hikers have already left GA.  Wonder if there will be more than usual, or less this year.  I highly doubt it will be "business as usual" re' the numbers.

Robert Hall wrote: My guess, and it's ONLY a guess, is there will be a "caretaker" at the hut. (If only to prevent vandalism. I know, REALLY "bad thought" but in this day-and-age???)

Most huts have an outside water spigot, if it's fed by natural pressure it may be available.

======

On a separate thought...most AT thru-hikers have already left GA.  Wonder if there will be more than usual, or less this year.  I highly doubt it will be "business as usual" re' the numbers.

Rob,

      A lot of the AT is closed down south as well. The people I know ended their attempt. 
Virginia, NH, Maine and NC all seem to have closed parts of the trail to everyone. Also looks like certain popular trailheads also are the same.

Closing trailheads wasn’t knee jerk. It was because hundreds of cars were showing up. That means hundreds of people on small, narrow trails. Lots of people who fail to move to the side when you’re passing. Lots of people from hot spots who are now using our gas stations and grocery stores and exposing a low incidence region to the virus. Opening them back up was because out of staters can’t handle a few months of staying at home. It’s pretty typical of cidiots to not respect the wishes of anybody but them selves.
And when you make the comparison to Walmart and hannaford being packed, you’re dumb. Grocery stores are packed with locals. All of who probably don’t have the virus. Trailheads are packed with not locals. See the difference? 

Greg Pouliot wrote: " It’s pretty typical of cidiots to not respect the wishes of anybody but them selves."

Actually this is pretty typical of all Americans.....

Either way I agree that closing the trailheads made sense, at least for a period