Car camping around K

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Killington_Lover
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Car camping around K

Post by Killington_Lover »

Hey zoners, I have been a pass holder to sugarloaf for awhile and never had issue crashing in my car when I didn't want to dole out 80 for the local flea motel. The only time I tried it at K (3?) years ago I got booted from the K1 lot by security. Is there anywhere they would not bug you?(skyeship lot?) I have heard about the trailhead between K and Pico. Any advice? And before anyone says its not worth it I have saved approx 15K on hotels in just the last 7 years so I am well adept at winter car camping. car camping is great, being woken up by local LEO or security isn't. Happy trails :wink:
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yiddle on da fiddle
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by yiddle on da fiddle »

suffice to say?..it aint rocket science. MOST Inns and hotels.....you just pull in between a few cars....and its good night Irene. NEVER pubs or such...as the Staties will ASSume youre snockered....and put you through the usual storm trooper bull$hit....plenty of viable crash spots to be had....stay warm....( FYI...many...MANY share houses...will have guesting and the like...$35...50 / nite. Beats shivvering and taking a dump in the woods....
jayisking
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by jayisking »

I actually emailed a contact at K last year to ask this very question. I was told you will be fine if you park at the skyeship lot across the street from the gondola. Worst case scenario, you could be asked to move the car if it was snowing hard and they needed to plow. I've also heard it's a good idea to put something brightly colored on top of the car before you go to sleep in case it snows so hard that your car gets buried and the plows can't see you. Apparently people have died that way.

That's a pretty unlikely scenario though. Otherwise I've had a great time car camping in the winter at Stratton. If you can handle the cold it sure beats paying for lodging or driving long hours in the early morning, and there's nothing like waking up and walking to first chair.
biged
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by biged »

Skyeship lot has been accepted for a while. 30 years ago I also camped at Long Trail, trail head at the pass, the church on Route 4 and a few other places.
yiddle on da fiddle
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by yiddle on da fiddle »

jayisking wrote:I actually emailed a contact at K last year to ask this very question. I was told you will be fine if you park at the skyeship lot across the street from the gondola. Worst case scenario, you could be asked to move the car if it was snowing hard and they needed to plow. I've also heard it's a good idea to put something brightly colored on top of the car before you go to sleep in case it snows so hard that your car gets buried and the plows can't see you. Apparently people have died that way.

That's a pretty unlikely scenario though. Otherwise I've had a great time car camping in the winter at Stratton. If you can handle the cold it sure beats paying for lodging or driving long hours in the early morning, and there's nothing like waking up and walking to first chair.
Seems REAL hard to grasp....lacking an actual K Staff name?... you'll have no cards to play here. Powdr/K does NOT allow campers on their property for overnighting...Liability yadda yadda yadda... they WILL have you moved along..sucks...but...
f.a.s.t.
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by f.a.s.t. »

We went snowshoeing at Gifford Woods State Park just north of Killington on route 100. They have lean-tos there. Maybe you could stay there if they allow it in the winter? A properly equipped lean-to would be like a 5 star hotel compared to your car.

Five minutes from Cannon Mountain is Lafayette Place Campground and five minutes from Loon Mountain is Hancock Campground. Both are open for camping all winter. You drive your car and park right at the tent site. You'd have to pay about $20 a night though. I keep trying to get my wife to go to one of them for some winter camping. She always back out though at the last minute.

If you have an RV, Franconia Notch State Park has 7 RV sites at the parking lot for Echo Lake, right next to Cannon Mountain.
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f.a.s.t.
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by f.a.s.t. »

Back in the 70's when I was about 19 I went skiing, well drinking. I spent almost all my money at the bar, had just enough to buy breakfast and a lift ticket for the next day. After the bar closed, I found one of those public areas with a couch up on one of the upper floors of a lodge. Slept there all night, made it for first chair too.
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ANGUS
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by ANGUS »

I saw one guy spend a majority of the 14/15 season parked across from sky ship. K9 lived in the condo as a guard dog.
I used to stop in to the lot to use my phone. Bad ass condo. 4 chains on the tires. ( If it has four chains on it that dude means business. Don't mess with people like that. ) Never met the guy. I assume he was a K employee. I've seen plenty of other RVs parked down there over the years. I've also seen a full size prevost camp out at S.S. and get first chair. I guess if you drive a bus no one will mess with you. (Ronzoni?)
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freeski
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by freeski »

If you go car camping between Sunday River, Sugarloaf and Saddleback. You can get stickers and other stuff only grown in Maine. For example: asbestos mapple syryp and Mechanic Falls Indica.
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freeski
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by freeski »

You guys were talking about Maine... You should see how much timber is being pulled out of northern NH and Maine. Millions and Millions and Millions of trees. The yards are over flowing and there are 4 time more than there used to be. I saw 20 trucks lined up at 5:00AM to go through the weight placy.
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Killington_Lover
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by Killington_Lover »

Ok so the word seems to be to try the Skyeship lot across the bridge. Any others with advice? Would like to ski K this season again but lodging is relatively unaffordable for what you get. My car rig is much nicer (and cleaner) than any of the sub 100 rooms I have stayed at in K. :bang a mummy bag and air mattress is relative luxury considering it costs a few nights. Had a few hundred days on my last set up and cold at night was never an issue... wind at night however can be quite loud
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freeski
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by freeski »

Back to the way life should be...
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My old camp was bought by a wood boat builder. I hadn't see the place in 4 years. He's continued building the stone wall. Only replacing rotted boards. :like He left my paint and stain. This is on a granite pegmatite. The Bull Branch river runs into the Sunday River behind the camp and down the gorge.

I was into this place for $10K with 2 $K ballon payments to go.
I Belong A Long Way From Here.
freeski
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by freeski »

To the lookers right of the camp is the Mahoosuc Conservation Reserve.


https://www.google.com/search?q=mahoosu ... 66&bih=619" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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TheRat
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by TheRat »

Is that camp on Sunday River Rd. heading out toward Frenchman's Hole? We mountain biked out that way about a month ago. My wife stopped and looked in the windows at a camp. May have been that one.
freeski
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Re: Car camping around K

Post by freeski »

TheRat wrote:Is that camp on Sunday River Rd. heading out toward Frenchman's Hole? We mountain biked out that way about a month ago. My wife stopped and looked in the windows at a camp. May have been that one.
It's between the letter "S" swim area and Frenchman's Hole. It's directly across from the old cemetary. In it graves from War 1812, Civil war and Some Indian thing. The whole bowel is a back country skiing paradise.

http://www.thebetheljournals.info/Fifield_Sketches.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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