Mount Washington rises in the US state of New Hampshire and is part of the White Mountains within the Appalachian range. At 1917 m, it is the highest peak in the northeastern United States.
On sunny days and weekends, it's important to arrive early, otherwise you'll face very long queues at the entrance to the Auto Road. For this reason, we set off for Mount Washington around 9:00 AM. The drive from North Conway took about 20 minutes. It led north, passing numerous viewpoints and trailheads for some challenging hikes. The vibrant colors of autumn foliage were once again very noticeable. The sheer number of reds, oranges, and yellows is simply indescribable.
How do I get to Mount Washington?
Mount Washington Auto Road
Upon entering the Auto Road, we received a certificate, a car sticker ("This car climbed Mt. Washington"), and a CD. During the 25-minute drive up the winding mountain road, we were told quite a bit about the mountain's history in German. A really good and informative idea. It's fascinating to learn how early and with what effort the first settlers climbed the mountain. Using horse-drawn carts and sometimes even on foot, the ascent took a whole day back then.
Mount Washington Cog Railway
Besides the Auto Road, there's also a very popular hiking trail, the 6.6 km long Tuckerman Ravine Trail, and the Mount Washington Cog Railway, which opened in 1869. However, we found the train ticket to be very expensive at $66.
On the summit of Mount Washington
Finally arriving at the 1917-meter summit, we found a parking spot quite quickly. The weather up here was simply fantastic! Luckily, we had a perfectly clear blue sky and could even glimpse the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. It also wasn't as cold as we had expected. And yet, the mountain held the title "The North Atlantic" for 76 years, until 2010. Worst Weather in the World“Inside. On April 12, 1934, a wind record of 372 km/h was measured at the weather station. As a result, some houses were secured with chains. Besides the fantastic view, we also visited a natural history museum and the historic Tip-Top House. This hotel, opened in 1852, is now an interesting museum about life on the mountain.”.
Covered Bridge at Jackson
After driving back down Mount Washington, we headed back towards North Conway. Halfway there, we stopped at a covered bridge near Jackson. It's even possible to drive across this red-painted bridge.
Mount Washington Hotel
Since it wasn't even lunchtime yet, we decided to drive to Bretton Woods on the other side of Mount Washington. Here you'll find the famous Mount Washington Hotel and the Cog Railway station. We watched the trains coming and going for a while and then headed back. There are also many opportunities to stop along this route and enjoy the beautiful views and small lakes.
We spent the afternoon shopping at the Settlers' Green outlet center. It's not very big, but it had all the stores we needed. After all, it's pretty much the same brands there anyway. It's also worth mentioning that there's no sales tax on clothing in New Hampshire, so you can definitely snag a bargain or two.
