Community

Our hostel brings hikers, cyclists, and travelers from all over the world together. Lasting friendships form here, and even marriage proposals!

Adventure

The Notch is minutes from NH’s 48 4000-foot peaks, the Kancamagus Scenic Byway and cycling route, and Loon, Cannon, and Bretton Woods ski resorts.

Solidarity

We prioritize social justice work at home and in our community, and have zero tolerance for racism, homophobia, transphobia, or discrimination among guests or staff.

Make the Notch Hostel your White Mountains base camp.

The Notch Hostel is an 1890 farmhouse in North Woodstock, NH, that two young hikers from Massachusetts purchased and converted into a 30-guest hostel in 2015. Located one mile from downtown Lincoln/N. Woodstock and just minutes from Franconia Notch, Loon Mountain, and the Kancamagus Highway, this hostel is perfectly situated for any White Mountain adventure.

Stay in one of our shared or private rooms and enjoy our guest kitchens, lounge areas, and gardens. Thru- and section hikers on the Appalachian Trail can access us from Kinsman and Franconia Notch, and enjoy slackpacking and other special services. We’re open summer and winter, so come check us out on your next visit to the White Mountains! All our policies are listed here.

Guests consistently rate the Notch as one of the cleanest and most secure hostels they’ve ever stayed at. The porches and fire pits are the place to be on summer nights, and the winter crowd gathers around the indoor stove to share stories from the day. We have dog-friendly rooms and, in summer, a fenced-in yard where pups can run free. The Notch has been featured in NH Chronicle, Guides Gone Wild, The In Solidarity Project, Outside Magazine, The Trek, The Caledonian Record, NH PBS, and more. So what are you waiting for? Come stay at the Notch!

Book your room now!

  • Bondcliff at sunrise on the Pemi Loop.The Single-Day Pemi Loop: Secrets for Success
    Over the last 10 years, the Pemi Loop has grown in popularity with hikers of all ability levels. It logs more mileage and vertical climbing than the Presidential Traverse, and leads you across some of the White Mountain's most celebrated stretches of trail: Franconia Ridge, Garfield Ridge, and Bondcliff. The Lincoln Woods trailhead is conveniently located only two hours from Boston and fifteen minutes from the Notch Hostel's front door. Combine these highlights with the fact that you don't need a car spot -- the Pemi Loop starts and ends at the same trailhead -- and you have the ultimate, single-day endurance hike in the Northeast. […]
  • Who We Are: The Notch Hostel Video Short
    On this day in 2020, I had just made the […]
  • Franconia Ridge Trail12 Scenic Hikes Within 30 Minutes of the Notch Hostel
    Deciding what to hike when visiting the White […]