Overnight/Weekend Hikes in the Northeast

What are your favorite overnight and weekend backpacking areas in the Northeast (I'm in the Boston area)? New to backpacking in this part of the world and looking to get out before it gets insanely buggy. My fiancé is new to backpacking so reasonable distances preferred but we'd both rather it be awesome than short and easy. 

Bondcliff stay at Guyot. Not short but cool views.  You can make a loop via Galehead.

Moriah/carters are nice, Franconia ridge is great, as ward said the bonds and bond cliff are farther but they really make you feel you’re in the back country

Bondcliff is especially great if you get caught in a downpour while in the alpine zone.   Yay, cairns!

Baxter SP Maine is pretty hard to beat…. Especially if you get a night or two in Chimney Pond (hard to do unless you have a friend in ME to handle the booking….. resident preference).

+1 for Franconia Ridge….. Liberty Springs is a decent tent site then 2nd night at Garfield. 

The section of the AT that traverses the Bigelow range, in Maine. There will be water at the campsites on the saddle between Avery and Little Bigelow, which is often not the case later in the season.

There is no residence preference for Baxter State Park. You do get a discount if you are a resident of Maine (need Maine plates on the car or a Maine license). It is hard to get a campsite at Chimney though because its a small campsite and lots of users want it and there's another permit system for back country camping. They also close a lot of their trails for a couple months in the spring because of mud season. Incredible place though.

Thanks all. Keep 'em coming! Bonus points for anything a little closer to Boston. 

Closer to Boston- Would be more of a camping trip than hiking trip but cardigan in Alexandria is fun with great views, kearasarge and belknap ridge(gunstock mountain) are easy fun ones.. not sure the camping policy on those though I’m sure you can google it 

Baldface loop is a moderate 8 mile hike in the Whites. There’s a swimming hole close to the trailhead, great views above tree line, and a nice lean-to shelter to camp in

Garfield is pretty rad. You can turn pretty much any of the AMC sites in Pemi wilderness into a solid weekend.

Not quite backpacking, but Welch+dickey, watatic, middlesex, or blue hills all earn points for being close to Boston. 

Van H wrote:

Garfield is pretty rad. You can turn pretty much any of the AMC sites in Pemi wilderness into a solid weekend.

Not quite backpacking, but Welch+dickey, watatic, middlesex, or blue hills all earn points for being close to Boston. 

Welch Dickey is a great moderate day hike, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy if you go on a decent weather weekend day. Guaranteed to spend the whole time stuck behind families with crying toddlers taking 1000 photos.

Good point about the AMC sites, will definitely look into that. Love Blue Hills for trail running. 

Way more on the side of 'awesome' than 'short and easy,' but the Presidential Traverse is excellent. Doable in a long day or as a weekend trip - haven't personally stayed at the huts but they seem nice. 

Tony Baum wrote:

Welch Dickey is a great moderate day hike, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy if you go on a decent weather weekend day. Guaranteed to spend the whole time stuck behind families with crying toddlers taking 1000 photos.

Good point about the AMC sites, will definitely look into that. Love Blue Hills for trail running. 

Same goes for Watatic. I grew up on the backside and have a serious love for that mountain but the front side trails get hammered heavily. With that said it is the start of the Wapack Trail. 21 mile hike over several peaks. I forget maybe 5? Watatic, Barrett, Temple as well as North and South Pack Monadnock mountains. Camping can be had about midway at Windblown Cross Country Ski. It’s a heavy one day hike but it can be done. Better enjoyed over two days IMO. Enjoyable hiking over some smaller mountains with some nice vistas but not as grand as what you’ll get further north in the whites.

Mooselauke is a a good overnight with a small lean-to shelter on the Cascade Trail. Good hiking and an amazing summit.

JD1984 wrote:

Mooselauke is a a good overnight with a small lean-to shelter on the Cascade Trail. Good hiking and an amazing summit.

Moosilauke. I not e.  Beaver brook not cascade

Eric Engberg wrote:

Moosilauke. I not e.  Beaver brook not cascade

I stand corrected…. Thanks. Lots of good climbing accessible from the same parking lot as well. 

JD1984 wrote:

I stand corrected…. Thanks. Lots of good climbing accessible from the same parking lot as well. 

Climbing to the south in winter and to the north in summer

Eric Engberg wrote:

Climbing to the south in winter and to the north in summer

What is the climbing area called? I've hiked Moosilauke but didn't know there was climbing there too. We did the hike as a day-hike from the Ravine lodge, but it was only a days' worth. Where would you start to make it a worthy overnight? Thanks!

Tony Baum wrote:

What is the climbing area called? I've hiked Moosilauke but didn't know there was climbing there too. We did the hike as a day-hike from the Ravine lodge, but it was only a days' worth. Where would you start to make it a worthy overnight? Thanks!

The climbing in that is just typically referred to as "Kinsman Notch".  Ice on the south (Moosilauke) side (winter).  For that you actually park down the hill to the east - maybe a mile.  Rock on the north (Kinsman) side in the summer - above Lost River.

For an overnight hike/backpack there are probably nicer options a little bit to the north then on Moosilauke itself?

What do you all use for food storage around here? Are tent sites usually equipped with bear boxes or do y’all carry bear food canisters?