Environmental Initiatives

As part of Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center’s commitment to sustainability, energy efficiency and environmentally conscious practices, numerous programs are in place today.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road has had a micro hydroelectric facility on site for over a century. In 2012 we modernized the existing facility with the replacement of both the Pelton wheel turbine as well as the generator. This 10 KW design generator is currently producing around 11 KW which currently covers about 100% of our electric needs in the main lodge annually–excluding snowmaking energy.

Numerous changes were made within the base lodge to move towards higher efficiency lighting as well as the use of automatic timers. Parking lot lights are LEDs that use daylight sensors and timers to conserve energy. The parking lot lights are “full cutoff” to ensure the light does not shine into the sky thereby preserving the night sky in Pinkham Notch.

The Auto Road’s Douglas A. Philbrook Red Barn Museum uses lighting which has been upgraded to all LED floodlights dramatically reducing the electric load within.

In 2017 the entire lodge was upgraded to LED lighting to further reduce energy consumption.

In 2023, a 40 kW solar array was installed on the roof of the Auto Road maintenance building. This 88-panel array covers all of the electrical needs of the maintenance shop, Toll House, Hideaway retail shop, and other outbuildings on the property.

In late 2024 a large solar array was constructed for the Glen House designed to generate all of the electricity needed for the hotel on an annual basis. The array, located in the field below the hotel, consists of 672 panels each producing 595 watts for a total production of approximately 400 kW DC/300 kW AC.

In November 2015, a new wood pellet burning boiler system was installed that heats our base lodge (20,000 sf) and provides for hot water needs in the 3-story building.

Two OkoFEN boilers, as well as a pellet storage unit, were neatly packaged within an 8′ x 40′ energy box adjacent to the lodge. The result was the displacement of 6,000 gallons of fuel oil previously consumed annually with approximately 50 tons of wood pellets that are manufactured locally.

Read here about greenhouse gas emissions in modern wood heat vs oil heat.

High-efficiency Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) pumps for heating and hot water were also added to the base lodge system.

A 2022 Rivian BT1 all-electric truck has been added to the fleet thanks to our partnership with Berlin City car dealerships.

Also in 2013, the first electric vehicle charging station was installed on property to make it easier for electric vehicles to visit us and to help spread the network of charging stations in Northern NH.  As of 2023, there are now four electric vehicle charging stations on property as well as two more at the Glen House hotel.

In the search for cleaner ways to transport people up the Mt. Washington Auto Road, 10 of our modern day “stages” that we use on guided tours have been converted to propane/gasoline. This allows cleaner emissions at a lower fuel cost.

The history of the Glen House hotels on the property here dates back to the mid-1850s. Today’s Glen House is by far the most advanced in technology, construction, and certainly sustainability. Designed to continue the tradition of stewardship that the family has displayed during their more than 120 years of ownership of the property including the Mt. Washington Auto Road, many features in fit with the pristine environment of the location. The geothermal system consists of thirty 500-foot deep wells that use the energy naturally stored in the ground using a closed loop system. This provides heating and cooling throughout the hotel without the use of burning fossil fuels. The spray foam and rigid panels used for insulation contribute to the building’s efficiency with a high-rated resistance to heat flow. Energy consumption is reduced with the use of LED lighting throughout the hotel – from the smallest of decorative fixtures to the parking lot lighting. All of our outdoor lighting is “Dark Sky Compliant”– meaning all of the lights are directed toward the ground, and not into the sky, which preserves the night sky. Our highly efficient Otis elevators are equipped with ReGen drive, a regenerative system, which feeds generated energy back into the building’s grid where it is used for other electrical devices such as lighting. In addition to the hydro generator feeding the lodge, an additional turbine and generator using the same water and source produces an additional 17 kW of energy for the Glen House. The hotel landscape irrigation is gravity-fed from this same water system.

The Auto Road and Great Glen Trails have an active and aggressive recycling program minimizing the recyclables that end up in landfill. This includes glass, aluminum and “tin” cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, batteries, and all white paper. Staff is encouraged to use “real” coffee and tea cups rather than paper and real silverware rather than disposable. Staff is also encouraged to use their own refillable water bottles instead of single-use plastic water bottles.

In 2014, the Mt. Washington Auto Road and Great Glen Trails began an aggressive campaign to not only reduce its use of paper but to manage it more efficiently in order to minimize waste and recycle as much product as possible. The production of print collateral was reduced by up to 38% and printing sources were moved to “FSC Certified paper stock”.

FSC signifies an independent, non-profit organization that helps to protect forests for future generations. Use of FSC-certified paper ensures the printed product has flowed through the FSC Chain of Custody from the FSC-certified forest, to a paper manufacturer, merchant, and finally to a printer that has FSC Chain-of-Custody certification.

For 20+ years, Tin Mountain Conservation Center has been the main beneficiary of the annual Mt Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb. Their careful and skillful stewardship of this event has resulted in worldwide recognition of the Hillclimb. This event has allowed them to raise over one million dollars from the Hillclimb that is used directly for their environmental education programs in local schools as well as programs for the general public.

Great Glen’s Nordic trail system is groomed with highly efficient 4-stroke snowmobiles during the early season and low snow periods. During the main season, we groom with a highly advanced diesel Kassbohrer PistenBully 400 that uses cleaner Tier 4 combustion technology.