Perched on Mount Washington's Summit - Mount Washington State Park
Written: Jul 09 '04
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Pros: Outstanding views, arctic tundra, incredible weather, multiple hiking trails, cog railway, auto road
Cons: can get very crowded
The Bottom Line: Don’t worry about the weather (unless you’re heart is set on a view) because any time on Mount Washington and at Mount Washington State Park is simply amazing
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| jps246's Full Review: Mount Washington State Park |
You probably couldn’t pick a niftier place for a state park - Mount Washington State Park is a 59-acre park encompassing the summit of New England’s highest mountain.
Not only that, the park is surrounded by the 750,000 acre White Mountain National Forest, which provides an almost endless amount of outdoor activities for everyone.
Where is it?
The park is located on the summit of Mount Washington and encompasses the summit area of the mountain, along with portions of the mountain’s sides just below the summit. Beyond the park limits the White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) extends towards the valleys and across the other nearby peaks of the Presidential Range.
Mount Washington is located in Northern New Hampshire, about 3 hours north of Boston and about 6 hours north of New York City. Major highways nearby are Interstate 93 which runs through Franconia Notch, about 30 minutes to the west. Nearby roads include Route 16 through Pinkham Notch on the eastern side of Mount Washington and Route 302 on the western side of the Presidential Range.
There are three ways to access the park itself. You can take one of the many hiking trails to the summit of Mount Washington (roughly starting at about 3 ½ miles and going up to over 10 miles), you can take the Mount Washington Cog Railway (roughly $35 per person, round trip), or you can drive up Mount Washington via the Mount Washington Auto Road (roughly $18 per car and $7 per adult). Because the park is on the summit of the mountain, there are no other ways to reach it. Both the Cog Railway and the Auto Road are operated by private companies and have no relationship to the state park. In addition, the hiking trails are maintained by the WMNF staff and not the state park staff.
Hiking to the park
While not a technically difficult hike or climb, you need to know that Mount Washington at 6,288 feet is the highest mountain north of the Carolinas and east of the Mississippi River. The mountains surrounding Mount Washington along the Presidential Range are lower, but similar in height. The summits of all of these peaks reach above treeline (the altitude at which trees stop growing) and all are exposed to the full force of the weather and the elements
Mount Washington has the well deserved description as home to the “world’s worst weather,” and “the most dangerous small mountain in the world.” The highest recorded surface wind gust was recorded by the Mount Washington Observatory at 231 miles per hour in April of 1934. Winds often reach well over 100 miles per hour and conditions with windchills that can often the conditions on Antarctica (while the temperatures are more mild, when windchills are factored in, conditions can be at times equivalent). These conditions can occur during any month of the year – the average temperature in the Presidential is below freezing and snow has been recorded in every month of the year. Conditions can change quickly and without warning and anyone hiking on Mount Washington should be prepared for the worst.
Just remember, if conditions are bad, they will only get worse the higher you go and the climb will continue to be just as strenuous, if not even more so. There is nothing wrong with turning around. A hiker/climber who lives to finish the climb another day is a lot better off then one frozen to the mountainside. Many people have died on Mount Washington - don’t become a statistic.
For the best guide to the trail network surrounding Mount Washington and climbing to its summit and Mount Washington State Park check out the Appalachian Mountain Club’s White Mountain Guide.
The Cog or the Auto Road
The two other way to get the park involve either riding the Cog Railway or driving up the Auto Road. Both have their pluses and minuses and both are fairly expensive.
The Cog Railways is the more expensive option, where a typical family of 4 can end up spending over $100 for round-trip tickets to the summit and back. However, the Cog is a one of a kind type of attraction and is well worth the money. A trip to the summit and back takes several hours – with an hour and a half to the summit, a ½ an hour on the summit and then another hour and a half on the way back down.
The Auto Road is less expensive than the Cog Railway, but isn’t for drivers who are afraid of heights. The road climbs the shoulder of Mount Washington and once it climbs above treeline there is a lot of exposure and on certain portions of the road, it is very narrow and it looks like if you were to go off the road, you’d fall and fall. If you don’t think that you can handle the drive, the Auto Road does offer coaches that will take you to the summit and back for an extra fee.
What’s up there?
So you’re hiking, driving or riding the train to the summit of Mount Washington and the state park, what do you find up there?
First of all if you hit the mountain on a clear day, you have an almost limitless view of New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, Quebec and the Atlantic Ocean (on a very cloudy day, you’re lucky if you can see your hand).
You’ve also got a chance to experience some weather extremes. Even in the heat of summer it’s likely that the summit will be quite a bit colder than the valley floors. It’s reasonable to expect temperatures in the upper 50’s and even down into the 30s and 40s during the summertime. You can also expect strong winds and it has been known to snow every month of the year on the mountain.
Beyond the natural attractions, the summit is home to the Sherman Adams Summit building which houses a cafeteria, restrooms, gift shops, the Mount Washington Observatory and its museum. The building provides a warm respite from what can be the nasty weather outside and has plenty of windows to give expansive views off of the mountain.
Next to the Observatory is the historic “TipTop House.” Originally one of the summit’s hotels for guests during the 19th century, the TipTop House has been reconstructed and restored to what it would have looked like during the time it was open. It costs $2 to get into the TipTop House and the Observatory Museum.
There is also the “Carriage House,” that is open to the public and located on the summit. This houses a gift shop run by the company that operates the Auto Road. The building itself is chained to the ground (large chains run over the roof) so that in high winds, the building does not blow away.
There are several other structures on the summit, including TV and radio towers and the buildings associated with those activities. These buildings are not open to the public.
When’s it open?
The park itself is open year-round, however most visitors stop in during the summertime. In the early spring, late fall and wintertime the mountain is snowed in and the Cog Railway and the Auto Road are both closed. At that point the only way to get to the state park is via one of the trails to the summit of Mount Washington. However all of the summit buildings are closes from right around Columbus Day to Memorial Day. If you are climbing in the wintertime, you will not be able to get into any of the summit buildings and should be prepared to take care of yourself.
Why should I go?
Mount Washington is an amazing mountain. Not only are you over 2,000 feet above treeline and surrounded by the most extensive area of high-altitude tundra in the region (save Mt. Katahdin in Maine), you have a tremendous view of New England, Canada and New York, and you get to experience the natural and human history of the Mountain while you are there.
It’s definitely worth the money that it will cost to either take the Auto Road or Cog Railway, or the sweat you’ll expend from climbing the mountain.
Crowds
At the height of the summer and on holiday weekends during the summertime, the park can get very busy. Between all the people riding the Cog Railway, driving up the Auto Road and hiking to the summit, the crowds at the summit can be overwhelming at times, especially when you’ve spend several hours climbing to the summit to come into what seems like a small city.
Usually the crowds are thinner on days with poorer weather or towards the end of the season.
For More Information
New Hampshire maintains a website for the park at http://www.nhstateparks.org/ParksPages/MtWash/MtWash.html and the Mount Washington Observatory has a website at http://www.mountwashington.org/index.html. The Appalachian Mountain Club also has a website at http://www.outdoors.org/.
Final Thoughts
It’s a one-of-a-kind mountain and Mount Washington is showcased at Mount Washington State Park. Not only that, all three ways of getting to the park are experiences in their own right. Both the Cog Railway and the Auto Road are attractions by themselves and for anyone that makes the climb to the summit, that’s an experience you won’t soon forget.
So don’t worry about the weather (unless you’re heart is set on a view) because any time on Mount Washington and at Mount Washington State Park is simply amazing.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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