Continuing our fall foliage adventures in New Hampshire, we drove from North Conway to the base of Mount Washington for a driving experience not to forget on the Mount Washington Auto Road. We had been warned that the drive was not for the faint hearted, and indeed we held our breath for quite a bit of the journey up, and down. Read on to find out why….
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Mount Washington
At 6,288 feet hight, Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains National Forest.
One of Mount Washington’s main claims to fame is that it experiences the ‘world’s worst weather’ at it’s peak, which explains why there is an Extreme Weather Museum at the summit.
There are several ways to reach the summit of Mount Washington, including:
- a challenging hike,
- using the cog railway on the western side of the Mt Washington, or
- driving up the iconic Mount Washington Auto Road on the eastern side – more about this later.
Travelling to Mount Washington via Pinkham Notch
We set off from North Conway first thing in the morning to get to the Mount Washington Auto Road opening time at 10am. The 30 minute drive there from North Conway was just stunning – driving on quiet, winding roads through the multicoloured trees of the White Mountains National Forest.
Pinkham Notch
We made a pitstop at the Pinkham Notch Visitors Centre which was serving breakfast canteen style to walkers on the Appalachian Way. The building smelt of wood fires and pinecones which really made me want to put my hiking boots on.
We picked up some breakfast scones and a cup of strong tea to fortify us for the next part of our journey.
What is the Mount Washington Auto Road?
The Mount Washington Auto Road is legendary, and one of New England’s top adventures – it’s a 7.6-mile privately owned toll Road to the Sky which winds around Mount Washington all the way to the summit.
Okay, so that doesn’t sound so bad, but the Auto Road is not for the faint hearted, and there are warning signs at the bottom:
“Attention. The Mt Washington Auto Road is a steep, narrow, mountain road without guardrails. If you have a fear of heights, you may not appreciate this driving experience. Guided tours are available.”
We decided to take our chances….
Background to the Mount Washington Auto Road
The Mount Washington Auto Road was opened in 1861 as the Mt Washington Carriage Road, after a 7 year construction phase. Originally it was built to allow horse-drawn carriages to take tourists to the summit which it is why the road is referred to as America’s first man-made attraction.
The road was later adapted for automobiles, and quickly became a hillclimb route for modern cars. 1904 saw the advent of the first Climb to the Clouds race event, which has run ever since. The current record for ascending the Mount Washington Auto Roud is 5 minutes, 28.67 seconds, a record set in a Subaru car in 2021.
The start of the Auto Road
2025 prices were $45 per car and driver, plus extra $20 per passenger, which includes entrance to the Mount Washington Observation Museum at the summit. We were also given a much cherished bumper sticker stating “This car has climbed Mt Washington” – a little premature as we were still at ground level, but hey!
You can download a free guided audio tour on the Mount Washington Auto Road App before you set off.
The Auto Road starts off gently, climbing through the trees and pretty fall foliage, before becoming much narrower. There were pulling over places if required – either to admire the views, or to calm your nerves!
Rising above the tree line
At some point we popped out of the safety of the trees and continued on a much scarier section of road with sheer drops by the side of the road, with no guardrails (exactly as we had been warned).
Above the tree-line the dramatic mountain views were incredible, although because of the lack of safety guards on the road side, I was holding my breath for the duration of the second half of the drive.
In total, the road climbed more than 4000ft in elevation from the Pinkham Notch area at the bottom, to the parking lot just below the Mt Washington summit. We were delighted to make it safely to the top, park up in one of the three parking areas, and explore on foot.
At the Summit of Mount Washington
At the top of the Mount Washington Auto Road, the views are the star attraction, and you can see for miles and miles, including all the way to the coast in one direction. Also at the top are the:
Mt Washington Summit Signpost – for obligatory posed photographs.
Trinity Heights Connector – a short 0.3-mile trail.
The historic Tip Top House – built in 1853, it is believed to be the oldest surviving building on the summit of Mount Washington, and also the oldest mountain-top hostelry in the world (now a museum).
Extreme Weather Museum exhibits which show how Mt Washington scientists track climate conditions year-round despite hurricane-force winds and Arctic temperatures. Entry to the Museum is included in your Mount Washington entrance fee.
The Mount Washington Observatory, which actually conducts the weather observations:
- The highest wind ever observed by Man was recorded here – 231 miles per hour, recorded during a storm on 12 April 1934.
The Sherman Adams Summit Building containing restaurant, toilets, gift shop, and a Post Office with postman stamping mail with a special postmark.
The Mount Washington Cog Railway
If you are super fit you might hike to the top of Mount Washington, if you are a daredevil then you might drive on the Auto Road, but if you are neither of those things, you might catch the Mount Washington Cog Railway to the top. Once steam-powered (from 1869 to 2008), these brightly coloured biodiesel locomotives travel up the mountainside on a cog railway system.
Today the cog railway operates year-round, carrying passengers up an average gradient of 25% to the top of Mount Washington. The round trip takes about 3 hours with an hour at the top. When the trains arrive, they cause quite a stir on the mountain with people taking photos, much to the driver’s annoyance!
The descent on the Mount Washington Auto Road
It took us 30 minutes to drive up the Mount Washington Auto Road, and a lot longer to drive down.
On the way up Mount Washington Auto Road, try cab use your normal gears (‘D’), but on the way down, you have to use your lowest gear (Gear 1). Even in this low gear, the car was wanting to move more quickly, putting a lot of pressure on the brakes.
The average gradient on the Mount Washington Auto Road is 12%, some sections are 18%, and the final section is very steep at 22%.
You are advised to pump your brake, rather than keeping your foot consistently down, and to use some of the pulling over places to allow your brakes time to cool down.
One of the stopping places overlooked the Huntington Ravine Trail coming up the mountain from the valley, lined by stone cairns as far as the eye could see.
It was a relief to get back down into the trees and away from the scary road-side drops, but it had been a drive to remember!
If you want to enjoy the experience of driving up Mount Washington, without actually driving yourself, then you can book a guided tour – even better, a guided sunrise or sunset tour!
Learn more about the Mount Washington Auto Route
Across the highway from the start of the Auto Route you can find the Pinkham Notch Market where you can pick up food supplies or souvenirs.
Behind the market is the Red Barn Museum, a small barn filled with Mount Washington Auto Road photographs, memorabilia and vehicles which have made the ascent, including carriages, cars, motorbikes, and a Segway!
Being flexible when leaf peeping
Kancamagus Highway (the ‘Kanc’)
We originally planned to return to North Conway and pick up the famous, scenic Kancamagus Highway (US Route 112 between Conway to the east and Lincoln to the west) for 35 miles through the White Mountain National Forest – supposedly one of the best fall foliage drives. However, before setting off we consulted a couple of fall foliage websites:
- www. visitnh.gov – Fall Foliage Report
- weather wise app
It looked as though the leaves were in peak season further north, and so we decided to change our plans and drive around the top of Mount Washington before heading west to Vermont.
This route would take us closer to the Great North Woods and passed the Franconia Notch State Park where the leaves looked more colourful on the Foliage Apps.
To be honest, as we drove along our impromptu route, the colour of the trees was similar to how they had been further south, so I’m not sure we gained anything by our detour in terms of the fall foliage colours.
Covered bridges in Lancaster, NH
We stopped for food in the town of Lancaster, off the main tourist route. The Visitor Centre was closed, and the centre of town had a slightly ‘Twilight Zone’ to it, but with two highlights, the:
- Polish Princess Bakery serving delicious breads, bagels, and pastries.
- Iconic covered bridge, one of 100 covered bridges in New England. Built to last, the bridge was built in 1862 and is still standing strong, and colourfully painted red. Lovely!
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