The RMC Caretaker is in charge of RMC’s facilities at all times. The caretaker’s word is final, and has the backing of the U.S. Forest Service and N.H. Fish and Game.
Keep the camps clean, by following Leave No Trace camping practices: carry in, carry out. Please clean up after yourself. The caretaker is not responsible for carrying out your garbage.
Respect the rights of others to enjoy their stay in the backcountry. After 9:00 PM, please keep noise to a minimum when you are in an RMC camp.
To maintain serenity suitable to the mountain environment, the use of cell phones, tablets and portable TV’s is prohibited inside RMC camps; playing music on your phone or other device also is not allowed.
Group size is limited to ten. Splitting a larger group among RMC’s facilities does not satisfy this requirement.
There is no smoking allowed inside RMC facilities.
Always use camp stoves with caution. Use a stove board and allow adequate ventilation to avoid the danger of carbon monoxide build-up. If you have questions, ask the caretaker.
Outdoor wood campfires are not allowed at any of the camps or within Forest Protection Areas, per the Forest Service.
The caretakers can accept cash or credit cards for lodging and merchandise payments. Canadian money is not accepted at any of our facilities, please plan ahead.
Should an RMC facility exceed its US Forest Service permitted capacity, the RMC caretaker may ask some guests to relocate to another, less crowded facility.
Dogs are allowed at RMC’s facilities, but they must be under voice control at all times. RMC’s caretaker may ask a guests to leave an RMC facility if their dog is threatening or otherwise disrupting other guests, or if a guest has dog allergies. If you bring your dog, please make sure it does not defecate near the shelter, on the trail, or near water sources. Keeping your dog under control at all times will allow us to continue to permit guests with dogs at RMC’s shelters. Other hikers who enjoy being in the backcountry with their dog will thank you.
The area within a quarter mile of all RMC facilities and everything above treeline (where trees are eight feet tall or less) are Forest Protection Areas (FPA). Please support the US Forest Service in helping to minimize the damage to these heavily used areas, by not camping within an FPA. If you arrive late, and there is not room available at an RMC facility, you must move outside of the FPA to camp. Since there are few good camping opportunities in the vicinity of RMC shelters, this will mean travelling at least 1/4 mile below the shelter and camping in an area below treeline. USFS backcountry patrollers routinely patrol the trails in the northern Presidentials. If you are wondering how far you need to go to camp, watch for signage. All trails near RMC facilities indicate when hikers are entering or leaving the FPA. Please refer to the White Mountain National Forest Home Page for more information about Forest Protection Areas.
There is a caretaker year-round at Gray Knob to assist you and answer questions. During the summer months, a second caretaker is in residence at Crag Camp as well. The caretaker visits Crag Camp and The Perch every evening, throughout the year.
On holiday weekends, the RMC’s camps may be very crowded. We encourage you to consider visiting the camps on weekends other than these due to likely high usage. Particularly busy holidays include Victoria Day (a Canadian holiday the weekend before Memorial Day), Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Presidents’ Day. Even in winter, you may be turned away by the caretaker on busy weekends, when a facility’s capacity is exceeded. Please come visit us some other time– besides, you’ll enjoy it more!
The RMC and the White Mountain National Forest recommend that you camp at least two hundred feet away from trails and streams. In addition, the RMC and the WMNF ask you to follow “Leave No Trace” camping and hiking practices.
The RMC’s toilets use advanced, state-of-the-art thermophilic composting techniques. They are likely to be different from other composting toilets you may have seen in the backcountry. Please carefully follow instructions for using the toilets.
All water should be treated before use, by either boiling, filtration or iodine. This includes all regularly used RMC water sources.
The weather forecast is posted every morning, at 7:00 am, at Gray Knob cabin.
The RMC is a diverse organization, committed to equal opportunity in its programs, activities, and employment. This prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation and familial status.
On behalf of the RMC and your fellow guests at the camps, thank you for your cooperation and support!
