Mount Washington

Mount Washington is the highest point in the northeastern U.S. at 6288 feet elevation. Even at that elevation it has an alpine zone starting at just abut 4000 feet.
It’s rocky (understatement) all the way. There is no such thing as level footing.
I’ve climbed 14ers in Colorado and California and yes, yes, they have the altitude and lack of oxygen — no doubt about that — but Mount Washington presents its own obstacles and wonders that are just as worthwhile as any 14,000 foot summit.
Mount Washington — she’s majestic. So majestic that I keep climbing her, now for the annual Seek the Peak hikeathon in mid July to benefit the Mount Washington Observatory. Please do check it out:
and participate if you’re up to the task or donate towards the cause.
It’s the only 4000 footer (a mountain of 4000 feet or higher in elevation) in NH which has a driveable road to the top. As such, it also has ammenities such as a cafeteria, restrooms, water, gift shop, museum, and observatory at the top, open during the late Spring, Summer, and early Fall time periods. Note that the road is operable between sometime in May and October based on snow removal conditions. Also note that there is nothing open at the top in the winter if you prepare for a winter hike to the top. No, you can’t show up at the Observatory and hope they’ll let you in, though it is manned all year long.
There are several ways to enjoy the queen of the White Mountains.
1) You can drive up via the auto road:
for rates at this posting of $ 25 for car and driver with an additional $ 8 for each adult and less for children.
2) You can opt for the cog rail:
for a rate for adults most of the year at $ 62 each roundtrip.
3) You can hike if you’re in physical shape and use common sense to take the 10 hiker essentials, etc. Just remember, if it’s 80 degrees in the valley, it WILL NOT be 80 at the top. It can be quite cold, windy, foggy, etc. so be prepared. I could go on and on but you can read here:
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I’ve gotten to the top all 3 ways and am an avid lover of hoofing it. There are several trails. Two of them I’ve taken have trailheads near the cog rail: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail and the Jewell Trail (going up the first and down the latter is a nice loop ending at the same trailhead and parking lot). They have a bit less elevation gain than some others I’ll detail below.
Other choices from the Applachian Mountain Club (AMC) Joe Dodge Lodge (and a great place to stay before and/​or after the hike) are the popular Tuckerman’s trail and the Lion’s Head trail, both starting out from the Tuckerman’s trail. Do read up on them and their steepness to make your decisions. I’ve taken both up and Lion’s Head down. I’ve also taken Boott Spur trail down but boy! was it ever longer than the others and not gradual as I had thought it would be. All trails except for Boott Spur took me about 4 to 4.5 hours one way up and just slightly less coming down due to the steepnness. And, no, I’m not the fastest hiker and wouldn’t win any contests but it was a sufficient enough pace. Both the Lion’s Head and Tuckerman’s trail are about 8.2 miles round trip with 4200 feet elevation gain. So, using the standby formula of 2 miles per hour plus ½ hour for each 1000 feet of elevation gain, that’s about right for my pace.

Came here with 2 friends and 2 dogs for a backpacking/​hiking weekend. Our hike consisted of starting from Pinkham Notch visitor center, to Lost Pond Trail, to Glen Ellis trail, to Glen Boulder Trail, to Lake of the Clouds (where we setup camp), hiked to the top/​peak, had to end our journey short so we took the shuttle down.
We initially had a longer hike path but we underestimated the mountain so we modified our hike. There were fairly steep parts where you had to climb the rocks. It some areas, it was difficult for the dogs so we had to carry them over certain rocks.
Luckily for us the weather was great and we were able to camp above tree line. I would not do this hike during the winter time with tons of snow. It would be extremely dangerous. I would just take the shuttle to the top, visit the observatory and just take the shuttle back down. Not worth putting yourself at risk hiking this mountain during the winter time. When preparing for this trip, various employees at outdoor equipment stores have told me many people have died on this mountain during the winter times.
There are tons of great views along our hike and we brought a little device to filter the water before consuming. This is such a popular mountain that you will see other hikes on all their trails. It wasn’t crowded when we went and I don’t expect it to ever be overly crowded on the trails. The trails are so long and vast that there will be significant amount of distance between you and the next hikers.
Another way to get up the mountain is through the cog railway. If you have the time, I would take it. It’s definitely quite scenic.
I would highly recommend this place for avid hikers/​campers/​photographers.

The biggest mountain in New England. I hiked up from Pinkham Notch with a group of friends. Climbing this mountain was nothing short of an amazing experience. It was a sunny day and the views were spectacular. The trails are very rocky, but the trail network is very well maintained in my opinion. At Pinkham Notch, there is a nice base station with a little shop as well as bathrooms.
At the top, there is a cafeteria serving typical ski-​resort cafeteria type fare. As an FYI, the food is pricey. There is also a museum that gives a great story about the history of the mountain and the observatory.
If you are going to hike this mountain, just know that it is the real deal. This is not a little walk in the woods. It will take hours to get to the top and almost as long to get down. If you go, make sure you have the proper footwear, clothing, food and water, etc.

I’ve hiked/​climbed upto 18,000 feet when I was in Nepal so, this «6500 feet» so called Mountain should be an easy walk in the park right? Not really! I’m not sure if I consider this a real mountain especially when people can just drive up to the top wearing a high heel or jeans. But nevertheless, the hike (which was only around 4 to 5 miles) to the top was challenging and definitely worth it. It took us exactly 5 hours to the top. I was aware of the notorious whether condition of Mt. Washington — so we were pretty well prepared as far as clothing and water supply. There was some foggy moments mid way through the Lion’s head trail but nothing to drastic. The trails are really steep and rocky so be prepared to do some crawling and climbing. So a good hiking boots would definitely be a better choice than a regular running sneaks. If you do plan on wearing a sneaks — make sure to say good bye to sneaks after the hike :) Also, once you reach the top — there’s few options to get down besides hiking. We took the shuttle since one of our member wasn’t ready to hike down. The shuttle takes you to Pinkham Notch and will take around 30 minutes. If I had to do it again — I would definitely hike down.
The view from the top is definitely beautiful but sometimes the cloud can really cover up everything by the time you get up there. So, take your time taking pictures and enjoying the view as you go up along the trail.
So, if you’re into outdoors and/​or hiking and are in the area — definitely go for it. However, make sure you have everything ready as far as clothing/​water. What about food? Take some granola bars/​snacks to chew along the way but I’m sure you can go without it for few hours. Also, there’s a cafeteria once you reach the top.

FIRST THINGS FIRST… I climbed this mountain with my own 2 legs, not my car. Not sure I can take the reviews that involve a car seriously! Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
What a fantastic, yet challenging mountain to climb! I made the trek with a group of 3 others including a best friend. We set out around 7 or 8 am to get an early start. Stopped at the dunkin donuts close to the base to fuel up.
It was an amazingly beautiful 2012 late summer day. The weather all week hadn’t been that great, but this day was fantastic.
–lots of pictures taken, lots of scenery to ooh and ahh, some crazy climbing up…
…we made it to the summit in 4 hours… ppppheeeeew
Took a good 45 minute– 1hr. rest inside to rest, eat and finally take some summit pics (oh, and buy a few souvenirs)…and on back down we went.
OK, the way down is WAY harder. mainly because your muscles are exhausted and allowed to cool down up top, which isn’t the greatest thing I might add. Going down also took us 4 hours, but was extremely tough particularly for my buddy. We had plans to train a LOT more and get conditioned for this climb – if you don’t train a bunch beforehand – you will be sore I promise you!
So, up and down in 8 hours. Lots of pics taken – amazing views and sense of accomplishment. Very sore leg muscles. My buddy was really feeling it and managed to say that he «will NEVER do this climb again!».
We had a blast and I would absolutely climb this mountain again in an instant!

Just gorgeous! Spectacular views of the White Mountains and the auto road is super fun. Just make sure you are comfortable with mountain driving as this is super steep and can be stressful even for experienced drivers. They charge per car plus passengers but once you’re at the top, you can hike, buy things at the gift shops, purchase food, and take lots of amazing pictures.
When coming down, some people aren’t super comfortable with the steep roads even in 1^st gear, and they brake too much. Pull over and cool off your brakes! Don’t ride the brakes any more than necessary! Just safer for all of us. That being said, stay calm and enjoy the gorgeous scenery. Well worth it!

What a beautiful hike! This was my 2^nd hike (1^st was monadnock) and I went with my bf and 2 of our friends (all experienced hikers except for me). I wore sneakers because I don’t own hiking boots yet– and after this trip I’ll definitely purchase a pair! My feet were fine in sneakers but I think hiking boots would give me more stability/​traction.
We started at 10am and it took us 4 hours to summit. The hike up wasn’t difficult. A bit rocky at the top so we scrambled up for the last mile or so. We took Tuckerman’s trail halfway up and then Lion’s head for the rest of the way. We hung out at the top for about 2 hours and then headed back down. I must say– it was a little weird that so many people drive up there. It was packed full of non-​hikers and they were quite interested in asking us questions about the hike.
The trip down was a different story! We took the Nelson Craig trail (5 miles) and we didn’t reach the bottom until 9pm (left at 4). We had heard that this trail was more scenic so we thought it was a good idea. I felt fine for the 1^st 3 miles but I began to get verrryyy tired towards the end. This trail is very steep and there are a lot of rocks to slide down. I’m very short so it was kind of difficult for me. Since we left so late the sun set and we finished the last 1.5 miles in darkness (which was actually fun). Also, the trail ended up not being as scenic as the way up :/​. My legs were jelly by the end of the hike but I was sooo happy!
I would definitely recommend the trails we took up. Next time I’ll be taking a different trail back down!