Our first trip to an AMC hut and it was fabulous! A short but steep hike starting at Lafayette Campground leads you to this charming "hut" on serene Lonesome Lake. We got there and checked into our bunkhouse, which had been recently updated. We had a room with double bunks for the four of us so we did not have to sleep communally. Very cozy, easily opened screened windows, little ledges on the wall by each bed to store flashlight, glasses, water bottles, etc. Pillows and cases and 3 wool blankets for each bed are provided. Bring sheets or sleeping sack/sleeping bag. The kids played in the lake but it was very cold so they didn't stay in it long. Lots of kids running around - very family friendly. Dinner and breakfast were delicious and there was plenty of food. All is prepared by the hut staff, who are gracious, friendly and knowledgeable. You can hang out in the dining room to play games, talk, read until lights out at 9:30 pm. Wake up call is a musical number at 6:30 am. We were serenaded by a young man on guitar singing about "eggs and coffee and oatmeal and more coffee." It started the day off with a good laugh. Most everyone is up and out by 8-9 am. For more adventure, hike approximately 2 miles up Cannon Mt. and then you can take the Tramway back down (trail does have some areas where you have to climb up boulders and use hands to pull yourself up). This is a great place to go for an overnight with the kids to get them used to hiking and "camping". Highly recommended!

Hiked the 1.5 mile uphill distance to this hut. which is the terminus on the Eastern end of the presidential range huts that include Galehead, Zealand, etc running to the west. Enjoyable hike near Franconia Notch State Park. Much lower elevation than Mt. Washington area so views are not as spectacular, but are still beautiful. We had been at Lakes of the Clouds the previous night. VERY different experience from Lakes of the Clouds, yet still a great place to stay.

Lakes of the Clouds is the biggest hut in the presidential range and I belive that Lonesome Lake may be the smallest (if not, very close). We enjoyed the quiet solitude of this hut vs. the busy-ness of LOTC. Great "still as glass" lake to cool off in and enjoy a nice swim. Completely secluded and peaceful.

Bunk rooms were recently upgraded and we were fortunate enough to have a 4 bunk room to ourselves as Lonesome Lake had vacancies unlike LOTC the night before.

Dinner was spicy pasta (a little too spicy), veggie soup, veggies, bread, and a really good chocolate peanut butter brownie. Very quiet, peaceful dinner with about 25-30 people in this hut. More families and kid friendly than LOTC and children with other groups seemed to enjoy the swimming in the lake, the ability to explore via the loop trail around Lonesome Lake and the board games available in abundance.

Bathrooms are more primitive at this hut vs. LOTC. LOTC bathrooms were inside the hut. Lonesome lake is pit toilets in a little hut outside the lodging buildings. (can be a challenge at night...have a headlamp at the ready!) This was okay EXCEPT the men's bathroom was right over the wall (which did not extend completely to the ceiling) so if you have any modesty or privacy issues with members of the opposite sex being a thin wall away...this is not the hut for you!! This is something I struggled with and might influence whether I return to this hut in the future or not. Also..only 2 sinks for the entire hut. For females this can cause some issues with having to wait quite awhile at times for grooming, etc.

Overall it was still a great experience (LOTC is my current favorite and I would return there without a second thought to it) but the bathroom situation is a definite gut check at Lonesome Lake.

One final thought...the AT runs through here so you will encounter thru-hikers as well. We met a great couple of retired teachers who's experiences on the AT (they started in Maine) were very interesting. They actually exchanged email with us and we got some great pics of the rest of their hike and a notification when they finished...an added unique element to the stay.