Mount Washington,
New Hampshire
The highest point in New Hampshire is the impressive Mount Washington, in the picturesque White Mountains. More than most mountains, it boasts a myriad of facts and figures that make it unique and memorable for even the most vapid of hikers. It is the 18th highest state highpoint, and although it stands at 6,288 feet and is the highest peak in the Northeast, its bark is certainly worse than its height: it is the site of the strongest recorded wind speed in the world, outside of a tornado or hurricane. 231 miles per hour is impressive enough, but the winds at this spot reach impressive numbers with enough frequency that scientific equipment is permanently in place to measure and record the strong and unique weather patterns.
You can hike the entirety of the mountain from bottom to top and back down again. At least, you can in the summer, though it is not advised to attempt in the winter, given the added elements of snow, ice, and cold, in addition to the extreme weather patterns. Well over 100 deaths have occurred on and around Mount Washington, so do not take the weather here lightly. This may come as a surprise if you visit on a pleasant day, but the fact is that there are more acres of tundra in this one mountain range than anywhere else east of Colorado, and lack of preparation has laid low more hikers than anything else. Weather can change in any mountain quickly, and on Mount Washington it can change violently. Even on our visit, visibility changed by hundreds of yards in a matter of seconds, and the temperature was 30 degrees colder at the top than at the bottom, and that was in the summer.
MW lies along the Appalachian Trail, which will take through hikers over the summit. Your options for ascent are by foot, by car, or by train. You could bike as well, but the steep roads would be akin to biking through the 6th circle of Dante’s Inferno; you’d feel the burn.
If you opt for the drive, it will cost some money, payable at the toll booth where the road up the mountain begins. It is steep in places and there are pull offs for cars to cool their engines, and their brakes. At the top you will find a parking lot, two visitor centers, one for the park and one for the company that operates the toll road, scientific equipment and buildings, and the end of the line for the train that goes to the top.
The train, named the Cog, is a beloved throwback that with the advent of the road is not, strictly speaking, necessary. It is cool, fun, and at the very least, another interesting fact in the history of Mount Washington. The Cog operates on a rack and pinion train system, a type which is used the world over to assist trains that traverse steep grades. While not the first cog or rack system, this was the first cog system used to traverse a mountain, and it is still the second steepest system in the world. Construction reached the summit in 1869, and it has been in continuous use ever since, with exceptions during the World Wars.
Left: The Tip-Top House, a former hotel at the summit, now a museum.
Right: Scientific and transmission equipment. As the highest point around, this is a great spot for communications towers.