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Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)

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Paula Champagne

Adventures for Families

Our all-inclusive programming make planning family vacations easy.


We combine outdoor adventures with kid-friendly mountain hospitality in breathtaking locations throughout the Northeast. Our experienced staff lead a full program of activities for you and your kids, enabling you to enjoy the camaraderie of other families who share your outdoor interests. For families with younger children (ages 4-6), our "Wee Wanderers" program provides guided activities to help young kids explore the outdoors at their own pace, while ensuring that the whole family enjoys their time in the outdoors.

Plan your Family Adventure

FAQs

Who guides family adventures?

AMC’s family adventures are led by experienced AMC guides who come from various backgrounds, including outdoor education and environmental studies. All guides go through rigorous training and have a minimum of Wilderness First Aid certification.

What is the level of difficulty of AMC Family Adventures?

Program participants should be able to complete a moderate 4-hour day hike in a backcountry setting. Parents or grandparents will participate with children in all programs, and are in the best position to judge the abilities of children or grandchildren.

Our program staff will base each day’s activities based on group ability.

Families looking for a little more challenge may want to consider a Family Adventure with a hut overnight option. Families with younger children might consider our Wee Wanderers program. All family programs and activities have a recommended minimum age to best match ability.

Can you provide a sample daily program schedule?
TIME  ACTIVITY 
7-8 a.m.  Group breakfast, with a rundown of the day’s camp schedule and weather 
9-11 a.m.  Morning activity, such as a nature walk, stream exploration, hike, or paddle 
12-1 p.m.  Group lunch 
1-2 p.m.  Free time to explore or relax 
2-5 p.m.  Afternoon activity, such as a hike to Lowe’s Bald Spot, pond studies, forest ecology, canoeing, or fly fishing. 
5-6 p.m.  Social hour 
6-7 p.m.  Group dinner 
7-9 p.m.  Evening program, such as an evening campfire and sing-along, sharing stories, or taking a night hike. 

 

What are the meal options on an AMC family adventure?

A breakfast buffet, trail lunch, and buffet dinner are included with your guided program package. Vegetarian options are always available. At least one kid-friendly dinner option, such as macaroni and cheese, fajitas, and chicken fingers is available daily. Dinner is usually served buffet-style so kids can eat early. Please notify us during registration of any special dietary requirements. We can accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free diets, and most food allergies, with advance notice.

2-5 p.m.  Afternoon activity, such as a hike to Lowe’s Bald Spot, pond studies, forest ecology, canoeing, or fly fishing.  5-6 p.m.  Social hour  6-7 p.m.  Group dinner  7-9 p.m.  Evening program, such as an evening campfire and sing-along, sharing stories, or taking a night hike. 

 

I come here hiking all the time. The AMC staff are an added bonus ‐ they helped me find new trails to hike and taught me new things about plant life and animal behaviors. Great to have interesting and informative people here that added to my experience.

AMC Visitor

I kept trying to get my boyfriend to come out here and visit because he didn’t believe there was such a huge, beautiful park right outside of NYC. We finally made it and were surprised to find a visitor center right by a hiking trail. The best part was the AMC naturalist who gave us all kinds of information about wildlife, trees, plants, and bears...something we never experience where we live.

AMC Visitor

You are one of the very few to ensure your map products are accurate and of the best quality for the public and the trails program. Thank you so much for that. With all the blogs and sites available, it’s so refreshing to work with someone who wants to get it right.

AMC Trail Manager

I became involved with AMC because of my love for the outdoors, and the organization’s myriad types of trip offerings, at all levels, led by experienced guides. Hiking, skiing, bicycling, water sports, even international travel, you name it—AMC has it all!

AMC Member

I’m proud to support the variety of work from Maine dark skies to regional trail maintenance projects. I’ve also enjoyed AMC maintained trails and huts from NJ to NH.

Outdoor Enthusiast