page_title: High Huts of the White Mountains
section_title: Lakes of the Clouds
hierarchical_section_title: High Huts of the White Mountains / Hut history / Lakes of the Clouds
caption_attribution_description: English: Lakes of the Clouds at sunset.
context_page_description: The High Huts of the White Mountains are eight mountain huts in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, owned and maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club. They are modeled after similar huts in the Alps and positioned at intervals along the Appalachian Trail, allowing "thru-hikers" who hike the entire Appalachian Trail to benefit from their services. They are generally separated by six to eight miles, about a day's hike.
  Hikers can reserve overnight bunks at the huts, which hold from 36 to 96 people each. They offer full service from June through mid-September, serving dinner and breakfast. Three huts stay open the rest of the year as self service, allowing guests to cook their own food in the kitchen.
  The huts are staffed by a team of five to nine caretakers—often called "the croo"—during full-service season. Each crew member works eleven days on, three days off. During the eleven working days, they must make four trips back down the mountain to get food and other supplies, carrying heavy loads. At the beginning of each season, fuel and supplies are flown into the huts by helicopter. The huts were built and are maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club's construction crew.
context_section_description: Lakes of the Clouds Hut (44°15′32″N 71°19′08″W) is the highest and largest hut in the system. It was built as a shelter in 1901 in response to the deaths of two hikers the previous year who were caught in a storm on their way to an AMC meeting atop Mount Washington. It was rebuilt as a hut in 1915, and was renovated in 1922, 1927, 1947, 1969, and 2005. Although it is the highest of the huts, at an elevation of 5,030 feet (1,533 m), it is the most easily accessible due to its proximity to the summit of Mount Washington, accessible both by car and by the Mount Washington Cog Railway. It is located adjacent to its namesake Lakes of the Clouds, two small alpine tarns, and just below the 5,372 ft (1,637 m) summit of Mount Monroe. The hut provides bunks for 90 hikers. It is sometimes called "Lakes of the Crowds" due to its size and popularity.
caption: Lakes of the Clouds Hut at sunset
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