The
Mount Washington Auto Road is a great place to get away from
everything! The nearly 8 mile long Mt. Washington Auto Road offers a day of adventure with it's
breathtaking views, the summit, observation deck and the history of
the Mt. Washington Auto Road.
How Should I Prepare Before Heading up
to Mt. Washington?
If you are planning on driving the Mt.
Washington Auto Road, you should prepare yourself for the weather
and the drive. The weather on Mount Washington changes constantly
and is very different from the base of the mountain. The temperature
difference is amazing and you will want to prepare for that. On the
drive up the Auto Road you will usually find some snow on the
mountain until the end of June.
Check out the current conditions on the
Mt. Washington auto road with the LIVE Mt. Washington Webcam
If that wasn't enough, the 2nd highest windspeed on earth was recorded on top of
Mount Washington at 231 Mph on April 12, 1934. So, I hope I made
my point. If not, trust me, it's almost always cold up there. There
are many times that the weather isn't very friendly on Mt.
Washington so be sure to bring warm, dry clothes, forget the
umbrella unless you want the occasional strong blowing winds to tear
it apart for you. For more information on the weather on top of
Mount Washington, see the top right of this page where we set the
weather for the summit of Mount Washington.
The drive up the Auto Road can make one feel a
bit anxious as you peer over the edge of the road and see a thousand
foot drop. As the driver, you probably shouldn't be looking over the
edge and trying to drive at the same time. If there are no cars
around you, stop and look, otherwise, there are several pull offs
where you can stop and take in the scenery. At the peak of Mount
Washington there is a place to eat, an observation deck, a museum, a
US Post Office (with it's own zip code) and 2 gift shops.
What can you Expect on the Mt.
Washington Auto Road?
The Auto Road begins at the "Toll House" where you will
be
greeted by employees. This is where you will pay for the people
in your vehicle and they will give you a packet of information
including a bumper sticker and a CD to listen to on your way up the
Mt. Washington Auto Road. The CD will give you sort of a guided tour
as you climb the mountain. At the beginning of the Auto Road you
will notice the green trees and how nice the road and areas are, as
you begin to get a little higher you will notice the trees getting
shorter and shorter and even a little bent up. These tiny trees are
actually hundreds of years old and have endured some of the worst
weather imaginable. As you near the peak of Mount Washington on the
Auto Road you will see a set of Railroad tracks. The railroad track
are for the Cog Railway trains. These trains transport visitors up
the Mt. Washington, right to the peak of the mountain from Bartlett
NH. Trains go by frequently and it is well worth the wait to sit and
watch one go up the mountain and make the final push to the
observation deck area.
Mt.
Washington Auto Road Facts
Road Width: 16 feet Road Length:
7.6 miles Average Grade: 12%
Traffic: On average, 40,000 cars drive Mt. Washington
Auto Rd. annually. Road Surface: Tar,
exception of 1 mile of the auto road which is gravel, which some
call the scariest part of the Mt. Washington Auto Rd. Fastest Climb: A heart-pounding 6 minutes, 20.47 seconds by Travis Pastrana on September 8, 2010 who drove
a Subaru Impreza WRX with a passenger who shouted out the
upcoming turns during the climb.
Mt. Washington Auto Road Schedule
Early May - May 16
9:00 AM–4:00 PM
May 17 - June 6
8:00 AM–5:00 PM
June 7 - September 1
7:30 AM–6:00 PM
September 2 - 14
8:00 AM–5:30 PM
September 15 - October 5
8:00 AM–5:00 PM
October 6 - 13
8:00 AM–4:30 PM
October 14 - Closing
8:00 AM–4:00 PM
Note: This is a general schedule, please check
for specific days when you intend on visiting Mount Washington as
some days and times are blocked for events on the Mountain. You can
check
here.
Mt. Washington Auto Road Location:
The Mount Washington Auto Road is on Rt. 16 in
Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire. GPS coordinates are: -71.22580
Longitude and 44.28850 Latitude.
the Mt. Washington
Auto Road may not be for everyone, especially those that have a fear
of heights. The mountain is 6,288 feet high. I myself don't like heights but I was able to get
through it just fine the first time I went and now I look forward to
our yearly drive up the Mt. Washington Auto Road. The
