Mount Washington Auto Road

The Auto Road opened in 1861 as a carriage road, built for horse-drawn wagons in the era when White Mountain tourism was booming and grand hotels dotted the valleys. Visitors have been ascending ever since, first by carriage, then by early automobiles, which turned the climb into a test of machine and nerve, and today by their own cars or by guided vans.

The road runs about eight miles from base to summit, gaining thousands of feet as it climbs above the treeline into the alpine zone. That long history places it alongside the region's other Victorian-era attractions and makes the drive itself a piece of American tourism history.

Mount Washington's summit is one of the stormiest places on the planet, where systems from several directions converge and the terrain funnels and accelerates the wind. On April 12, 1934, observers at the summit weather station measured a gust of 231 miles per hour, which stood as the world record for a surface wind for more than six decades and is still the record for the Northern and Western Hemispheres.

The summit sees hurricane-force winds on many days of the year, sudden whiteouts, and rime ice that coats everything in feathery frost. A staffed weather observatory has kept watch at the top for generations, and the extreme conditions are a genuine hazard, which is why the road can close abruptly and why the temperature at the summit can be dozens of degrees colder than at the base.

Drivers can take their own vehicles up, climbing through forest, then stunted krummholz trees, and finally bare alpine tundra with enormous views over the Presidential Range and, on clear days, into several states and to the sea. The grade is steep and the upper sections are exposed, so many visitors choose a guided van tour, which adds narration and lets passengers watch the scenery rather than the edge.

At the top, a state park visitor center, the historic weather observatory, and the summit sign await, along with the famous cog railway arriving up the far side. On a clear day the panorama is one of the great views in the East, and even on a socked-in day, standing in the wind and cloud at the roof of the Northeast is unforgettable.

The road is also the route of storied athletic events, including a foot race and a bicycle hillclimb straight up its brutal grade, and an antique-car climb that celebrates its long automotive history.

Late spring opens the road as the summit finally sheds its winter ice, though snow can linger up high into June.

Summer is the main season, warm at the base but cool and often windy at the top, with the fullest access and the longest hours.

Fall brings spectacular foliage in the valleys below and crisp, clear days that can offer the longest summit views, before the road closes for winter.

In winter the road closes to ordinary vehicles and the summit belongs to the weather observers, snowcats, and the mountain's legendary storms.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.