To The Top Of Mount Washington

Mount Washington is the highest peak in the northeastern United States. The mountain is located in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Its peak reaches a height of 6,288 feet.

The weather on the top of Mount Washington is extreme and the summit is known for having “The Worst Weather in the World”. The Mountain holds the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the earth’s surface at 231 miles per hour recorded during the afternoon of April 12, 1934. Winds exceed hurricane force on average 110 days each year. In addition to the record wind gust, 1934 was also memorable on the top of Mount Washington for its record low temperature of -47 degrees (Fahrenheit) on January 29.

Wind chills in the winter have often have exceeded -100 degrees (Fahrenheit) and snowfall averages about 21 feet per year on the mountain. Snow can fall on the summit in every month of the year. Due to the extreme weather conditions, one hundred and forty six people have died around the mountain in the last one hundred and sixty years.

The mountain is the site of a permanently staffed, non-profit scientific Observatory Station which reports the weather as well as other aspects of the sub-arctic climate of the mountain. The Observatory also conducts research in the areas of summit weather, instrumentation, regional air quality, and climate. The Sherman Adams summit building, which houses the Observatory, is closed to the public during the winter and hikers are not allowed inside the building except for emergencies. Since its establishment in 1932, the Observatory has made contributions to research efforts in ice physics, short wave radio propagation, the constitution of clouds, and atmospheric composition.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, the mountain was developed as an international tourist destination, with the construction of the Mount Washington Auto Road and the Mount Washington Cog Railway, both of which are still in use today. In fact, the Mount Washington Auto Road, also known as the “Road to the Sky”, is famous for its “This Car Climbed Mount Washington.” car bumper stickers which have been seen all over the world and are commonplace in the northeast United States. If you see one of these bumper stickers, it means that the proud owner of the vehicle has used the Mount Washington Auto Road to travel to the summit of Mount Washington. If you decide to the make the journey using the “Road To The Sky“, it will take your car thirty minutes to make the nearly eight mile ascent (as long as the weather is reasonable) . This summertime-only road is steep and does not help the longevity of your car’s brakes. On the way down, make sure your car is in low gear, and stop often to cool your brakes. The road is narrow, winding, and without guard rails.

If you prefer to see the summit in a warm, heated coach, The Mount Washington Cog Railway features coal-fired steam engines, with tilted boilers that compensate for the uphill angle of their ascent. The track connects to a cog rack running parallel between the traditional rails. A toothed cogwheel connected to the drive shaft of the engine securely engages the rack allowing the engine to climb upward along the slope of Mt. Washington. Each engine, staffed with an engineer and a fireman, pushes a single passenger coach that is staffed with a brakeman who is well versed in the history and operating procedures of the trains.

However you get to the top of Mount Washington, whether you hike, bike, travel by rail, or go by car, you will certainly find that the view is breathtaking. You can see Canada, the Atlantic Ocean, and five New England States. Remember though that the summit has the world’s worst weather, so make sure you travel in season and always check the weather forecast first.

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