AMC Zealand Falls Hut — Hotel in Bethlehem

I traveled to this AMC hut in August with my two kids, 6 and 8, and my friend and her two kids of similar ages. We chose this hut and Lonesome Lake because they are doable hikes for kids.||||I thought they were both excellent, but Zealand Falls was my slight favorite, due to it's location at the "falls," which were amazing. I was expecting more of a traditional waterfall, but instead found many different waterfalls along an immense stretch of rock that extended as far as we walked - and that was pretty far. Although it was a touch cold the day we were there, my kids loved trying out the "natural waterslides" (basically stretches of algae covered rock with water running over) and climbing the rocks. For those not keen on cold water, there was plenty of exploring to be done without getting wet. I liked the friendly communal atmosphere of this hut, but I'm guessing this is pretty common to all AMC huts. It rained while we were there, and groups of us who'd only just met played board games together. Two teen girls from another family showed our kids around the grounds for over an hour. AMC huts seem to attract friendly people like this. ||||My kids, having loved the smaller bunk rooms at Lonesome Lake, were a little hesitant about the large bunk rooms at Zealand Falls. However, they were pretty excited by the top (3rd) level bunks at Zealand - a kind of floor surrounds these bunks so you feel like you're in a treehouse. I liked sleeping in the larger rooms. It makes people quick to bond and make friends. The hut even provided free earplugs for light sleepers.||||In terms of the hike, it is 2.8 miles and flat except for the last steep bit. It's not as exciting a hike as Lonesome, more of a meditative walk in the woods, but there were some river crossings to spice things up. It poured rain the whole hike back (a big fear of mine going in), but it turned out to be no biggie and only added to the fun. We were not totally prepared for that amount of rain, but were able to purchase ponchos at the hut.||||TIP: get there early and snag a 3rd level bunk or the semi-private room in the...

I hiked in to the Zealand Falls Hut from the Galehead Hut, so it was my 2nd hut stay in a short section hike along the Appalachian Trail. Because there is also access to this hut via the 2.6-mile Zealand Trail, there is more of a mix of short-hike guests and long-distance hikers.||||The hut follows that standard AMC Hut protocols: Dinner at 6 pm, lights out at 9:30 pm, wake-up call at 6:30 am and breakfast at 7:00 am. Both meals are family-style. || The one difference between Galehead and Zealand Falls was the bathrooms. Galehead identified the bathrooms as male or female. Zealand Falls did not identify the two bathrooms by gender which threw a few guests for a loop. Didn't bother me, but I watched a few guests hesitate in the vestibule of the bathroom building as they tried to figure out which room to use. ||||Because I arrived on a Friday afternoon, an AMC volunteer was in attendance to assist the croo with check-ins and general questions. Mike assigned me to my bunkroom and was pleasant to talk with during dinner and breakfast. The croo did a nice job with both meals and making me feel welcome.||||The after breakfast skit was humorous as the croo explained how to fold blankets and fluff pillows. They actually went so far as to suggest a $20 tip as the preferable amount instead of just reminding guests that tips are greatly appreciated. I don't have a problem with the amount but it felt a little tacky hearing "$5 is OK but $20 is better."||||I will add the same comment I included in my Galehead Hut review - guests need to remember that any food they place on their plates but do not eat becomes trash that needs to be hauled off the mountain. Please leave a clean plate!||||I'm looking to return with my wife in the fall....

The Hut is beautifully made. A feat of engineering in terms of where it is built, providing an incredible view of the valley. Sadly this is where the positives for Zealand Falls Hut end. We arrived at sunset to be greeted by the seemingly relaxed Hut master 'Scott', there is no printed literature around the Hut to provide first time guests with the house rules so we relied on Scots' guidance, or rather lack there of, this is where the friction began. As we proceeded to explore our environment and make ourselves comfortable, i.e sit in front of the wood burner and use the kitchen and facilities, it became clear that Scott was highly fastidious and controlling of his little empire, to the point where we as a group no longer felt comfortable or welcome. It is a shame that this created a very strained and 'walking on eggshells' atmosphere as we felt that we had earned the right to be there after hiking for six hours (not to mention paid for the right to be there). Scott however was very interested in our food and managed to help himself to almost everything we ate. In summation a beautifully made and located hut but could definitely be run and managed better. Hopefully you get a different hut master. On a more practical note, there was no running water as it was the end of the winter season so water had been disconnected to presumably stop the pipes from freezing (this was not explained to us). I found it odd that if this was an existing system that there was no set method for brushing ones teeth, we were told to just spit over the railing by Scott (but there was a 10 minute long lecture on the correct way to wash a plate!). Anyway good luck, the sleeping areas are also freezing and not...