Leanto or No Leanto?

[Shortpants]

We are very lucky that pretty much all Vermont State Parks have leanto sites available. I have found this to be a nice perk to have when tent camping. We usually put the picnic table right inside the leanto and setup the Coleman stove on the table. I like that it gives us a dry space in the case of rain, shade/cool for me and the kiddos, and back when I camped by myself in my little 2 person dome tent, I could pick up the whole tent and put it right in the leanto in case of torrential downpours. It's also nice to not have to lug along an additional screen/shade tent.

I am finding that most of the State Parks in New Hampshire that we have been researching do NOT have leanto sites. What is the case in your local camping options, are leantos common or no? And what about your camping adventures, ever used a leanto?

[michelliot]

Re: Leanto or No Leanto?

Most scout camps have leantos as an option. They're relatively small and can hold 4 people. We used them in the winter predominantly.
Last month I went to county park in Westchester County NY with my son and some friends. They had beautifully stone built leantos that can accommodate 8 people. They even had fireplaces in them by which you could cook from. Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. Very impressive.


Be well..........elliot

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Leanto or No Leanto?

There are a lot of leantos upstate NYS but the only ones I've ever used were on the Appalachian Trail. Great to just sprawl sleep when needed or wait out a rain storm.

[Shortpants]

Re: Leanto or No Leanto?

Wow, those stone leantos are just beautiful michelliot! I'd love to find some of those in our area. We have some old parks that have original log built leantos with amazing stone fireplaces instead of the concrete ones or the little fire rings. There's one fireplace I saw at Coolidge State Park here in VT that had to be a good 10-12 feet long. It had vents to blow heat direct into the leanto and warming trays built into the sides. It was a real work of art.

NYCgrrl, you just brought back a flood of memories from my pre-teen and teen years of my Mom taking us on weekend hikes and the shelters on the trails that were so amazingly unique. My fave was at Amity Pond. Great trails and incredible scenery. The shelter had a notebook in it with writings from all the folks that had used the shelter, we would sit around the campfire at night and read all the entries from other people that had passed through.