Appalachian Trail Information
Welcome, AT hikers!
Making it to or through the White Mountains is a huge accomplishment. Stop in at the Notch to recuperate, relax, and resupply. Hikers consistently vote the Notch as one of the top five hostels on the trail!
We serve AT hikers from both Kinsman Notch and Franconia Notch and are in an ideal location for slackpacking the 16 miles over Kinsman Ridge. We are located 1.0 miles west of North Woodstock on Rt. 112 (Lost River Road), the same road as the Beaver Brook/Kinsman Ridge trailhead.
Picture: Scott “Aquaman” Benerofe stayed with us during his 2022 winter AT thru-hike.
Directions to the Hostel:
From Franconia Notch/Liberty Springs/Flume Visitor’s Center/Rt. 3: We are about 7 miles from the trailhead. Head south on Rt. 3, go through downtown N. Woodstock. From the junction of Rt. 3 and 112 (set of lights in North Woodstock, by Merland’s Tap & Table and the Imperial Palace Chinese restaurant) turn right onto Rt. 112 west. We are 0.9 mi. down 112 W on the right.
From Kinsman Notch/Beaver Brook trailhead: We are on the same road—Rt. 112—about 5 miles east of Kinsman Notch. The hostel is a large white farmhouse with multi-colored prayer flags on the porch.
Included with Your Stay
- Bed, fresh linens, towel.
- Showers (shampoo, conditioner, and soap provided)
- Bikes for riding into town (1-2 miles flat bike ride)
- Laundry (free if combined)
- Coffee, tea, make-your-own pancakes
Mail Drops
Send mail drops to: c/o The Notch Hostel, 324 Lost River Rd., North Woodstock, NH 03262. Non-guests can send and pick up their mail here at no charge. If you are not staying at the hostel, pick up packages from 4-9pm (when staff is guaranteed to be on the property to help you).
Shuttle Info
We offer free shuttles to local trailheads and town for AT hiker guests! During peak season (June 15 to September 15), our shuttles run on the schedule below. Please call or text us to sign up for the specific pick up shuttle you want when less than 12 hours away. We do not run shuttles unless we know a hiker will be there.
7am depart hostel for Kinsman Notch, 7:20am Flume Visitor’s Center
11am depart hostel for Kinsman Notch, 11:20am Flume Visitor’s Center
1:50pm depart hostel for Kinsman Notch, 2:10pm Flume Visitor’s Center
4:20pm depart hostel for Kinsman Notch, 4:40pm Flume Visitor’s Center
6:50pm depart hostel for Kinsman Notch, 7:10pm Flume Visitor’s Center
RESUPPLY SHUTTLE departs at 5:30 pm to Pricechopper; pick up from PriceChopper at 6:40pm. Restaurants nearby.
The Notch Hostel is now offering long-distance/private shuttles! Our drivers are mostly thru-hikers who now live and hike in the Whites all year, so they are happy to help you trip-plan during the drive. Email us via the “Contact Us” form or text 603 348 1483 with your shuttle request, time, date, and number of guests, and we’ll hook you up!
If you need a shuttle that we can’t provide you’ll find a list of recommended shuttle drivers here.
Long-Term Parking
AT Section hikers in need of a place to park a car while hiking can park at The Notch on a space available basis for $7/day. Keys will be placed in a secure location on the day of departure and can be picked up upon return during our check-in hours of 4-9pm. Please contact us in advance for reservations. If parking for more than one week, we offer a 30% discount, over two weeks 40% discount.
Slackpacking
We help hikers slackpack across the Kinsmans, over Moosilauke, and Franconia Ridge to Crawford Notch. For full details, visit our slackpacking the Whites page.
Supplies and Food Sold On Site
Frozen pizza, ice cream, soda, Gatorade and 4 oz. fuel canisters sold on site June 15-Sept 15th.
Town Food/Services/Resupply Info
Post offices are located in both North Woodstock and Lincoln.
Lahout’s Summit Shop in Lincoln is our local outfitter.
Pricechopper is the large grocery store in town; Wayne’s Market is a smaller resupply option closer to the hostel.
The only place that delivers direct in town is Imperial Palace (Chinese/Japanese).
Enzo’s is the best pizza place in town.
There are several restaurants in North Woodstock, just a 1 mile bike ride away.