The Appalachian Mountain Club is one of the United States' oldest outdoor groups. Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded its interests throughout the Northeastern U.S.

The AMC was founded by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Edward Pickering, who invited fellow Boston academics and vacationers to form a group interested in mountain exploration. The group helped map the White Mountains and in 1888 built the first of eight High Huts in the range, designed after similar facilities in the Alps that gave hikers a place to take shelter.

The AMC reported a membership of nearly 90,000 in 2000, with 2,700 volunteers who led 7,000 trips and activities.