Moosilauke Ravine Lodge is a cabin complex on the side of Mount Moosilauke in the White Mountains

White Mountains (New Hampshire)

The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...

 of New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

. The main lodge structure, built on the site of old horse stables, was completed in 1938 under the direction of woodsman C. Ross McKenney from native spruce

Spruce

A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...

 cut on the mountain. It was originally intended as a ski lodge, and hosted some of the nation's earliest competitive skiing. However, the harsh New Hampshire winters made heating the large log structure a severe challenge and during the rise of other large mountain ski resorts in the 1950s, the Moosilauke ravine lodge fell into disuse. It was saved from ruin by Al Merrill, Director of Outdoor Programs and Ski Coach, who championed the value of the beautiful lodge for students and the community.

Today it is managed by the Outdoor Programs Office and staffed by Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...

 and Dartmouth Outing Club

Dartmouth Outing Club

The Dartmouth Outing Club is the oldest and largest collegiate outing club in the United States. Proposed in 1909 by Dartmouth College student Fred Harris to "stimulate interest in out-of-door winter sports", the club soon grew to encompass the College's year-round outdoor recreation and has had...

 students and recent alumni. The lodge is open from mid-May to mid-October, with two weeks starting in the end of August reserved for the Dartmouth First-Year Trips. The staff provides a family-style, home-cooked dinner every night, which is attended not only by Dartmouth students, but by community members, Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...

 thru-hikers, tourists, and even Dartmouth professors. In the summer, the lodge also houses the Trail Crew, a crew of Dartmouth Outing Club students who help maintain the seventeen Dartmouth Cabins & 50 miles of Appalachian trail between Hanover and the Lodge itself.

Layout

The term "Moosilauke Ravine Lodge" actually refers to a complex of buildings. The main building (referred to as "The Lodge") has the kitchen, dining room, the Lougee Lounge and library, a classroom, bunkrooms, and the bathroom facilities. The outlying buildings are mostly bunkhouses, sleeping anywhere between 2 and 12 people. The dining room and library of the lodge are heated, when necessary, by large stone fireplaces.

The complex lies in a valley above the Baker River

Baker River (New Hampshire)

The Baker River, or Asquamchumauke, is a river in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, the United States. It rises on the south side of Mount Moosilauke and runs south and east to empty into the Pemigewasset River in Plymouth. The river traverses the towns of Warren, Wentworth, and...

(originally the Asquamchumaukee) on the southeast flank of Mt. Moosilauke, with easy access to many trails which total over 30 miles in length and range from easy walks to strenuous hikes. From the lodge one can easily access the Appalachian Trail which crosses over the top of Mt. Moosilauke. Here the Appalachian Trail rises above treeline for the first time after its beginning in Georgia. The Lodge purports itself to provide "Rustic Mountain Hospitality" to its guests throughout the season, as well as being "Famous for Fine Food". In addition to providing showers to hikers, the front desk also rents out linens and sells some basic hiking supplies.