Mt. Washington Auto Road — Attraction in Batchelders Grant Township

As someone who appreciates the outdoors, the notion that you can drive to the top of a mountain placed Mount Washington outside of my top ten places to go for "outdoorsy" scenic destinations as I don't consider crowded readily accessible outdoor venues genuinely outdoorsy.

I am happy to admit that I was wrong.

There are plenty of stops along the way where you can cool your tortured brakes and wander around with surprising seclusion. The scenic vistas are plentiful. Please pay attention to the warnings of changeable weather. It was partly/mostly cloudy on the day I went and found myself in beautifully sunny skies to completely enveloped in a cool misty cloud during my visit.

Be prepared to pay...$20/person for the 8 mile ascent to the top. There is a train that you can take to the top and also to take back down (for a fee) They also offer a van tour (also for a fee).

The price of admission buys you an audio CD, a bumper sticker and some other papers. You can return the CD when you exit (which I did - it was just a spoken history of Mount Washington which quickly became background noise for me)

Several people told me that it was a terrifying drive on a narrow 2 way, 2 car wide twisty road without guard rails - frequently riding about a foot from the edge of the pavement with an awful outcome if you drive off. There is some truth to this but not as terrifying to me. Just be careful and use common sense. The road is wide enough and your entrance fee ensures that it is maintained. I personally found it cool to watch the road you are driving on occasionally disappear in the distance into the sky.

The drive up took less than an hour with frequent stops for pictures - could take longer if it is crowded. You can spend some time up top, there is a food court (of course) a small museum and a gift shop (of course). You can spend several hours on top before getting bored. Take some short hikes if you like on the marked trails. You can brag that you hiked a portion of the Appalachian trial as it passes through.

This is a lovely destination for those seeking their own National Geographic quality outdoorsy pics without actually needing to be in tip top physical condition. Your car does all the work! If you use your low gears on the ascent and descent - especially on the descent, there will be long stretches where you won't really be using your brakes which is good because to drive down normally while riding your brakes would be the death of your pads. You can literally smell the brakes from many cars as they drive past you.

I highly recommend the visit!

Side note: I was wondering as I was using the bathroom at the food court up top. Where does it all go? it's on top of a mountain!

Please excuse any typos or hilarious autocorrects as I am typing this from my...

I've lived in New England almost my entire life, and those "this car climbed Mt. Washington" stickers were very well known. But I've never been! Until now.

What an amazing experience, and something I won't soon forget. The road up has been newly paved, and is a relatively easy enough trip with a competent driver.

If you do not like heights, don't take this road.

If you don't trust your car and/or your brakes, don't take this road.

If you don't think you can handle a narrow roadway, don't take this road.

There is a cog railway that you can take to get to the top of the mountain if you like, I didn't use it so I can't comment on it.

The facilities were surprisingly well maintained and easy to get around. There's bathrooms, food (typical burger/fries/hotdogs/pizza options) and a couple of gift shops. The food prices weren't outrageous, but it was expensive - but that's to be expected considering how much work goes into bringing the food up there. I'd recommend packing a lunch, and maybe enjoying a hot chocolate or coffee at the top...

...because it is cold. And it is windy. Do not make the mistake of thinking you can tough it out and not worry about the cold or wind.

There's handicap accessible parking, but it's weirdly marked up a service access road with several "DO NOT ENTER" signs - so there's some definite mixed signals there.

With effort, I think you could get around some of the areas up top in a wheelchair, but you would need help. You can't fit in, or even enter the gift shop while in a chair. And the bathrooms inside (men) have a handicap stall, but I seriously don't think a chair could easily fit into the stall itself. The main visitor center is accessible though, but you won't be able to get to the top by the famous sign post, in a chair. But let's be honest, it's the top of a mountain, with some of the windiest and coldest temps recorded ever - it's not really built for handicap accessibility, but it does a damn fine job and trying.

The ride down was the hardest part, in my opinion. Even in a newer car, you could tell the brakes were overheating. Take plenty of breaks to let your brakes cool down, and just follow the signs and you'll be fine!

Super fun trip and I'm glad I finally went. My only regret is I didn't...

The most thrilling experience of my life! For what you get, $45 entrance is an absolute steal! I have visited many tourist attractions including Pompei and mt. Vesuvius where you get so much less. Heres why $45 is an insanely great price: The ride itself is incredible thanks to the excellent roads. The paved roads are beautiful and guarantee a smooth ride. With the conditions on the mountain, this is hard to maintain. On the summit is a wonderful Welcome facility for food, wifi, bathrooms , souvenirs and my favorite: a museum detailing the remarkable history of the road and those early climbers/ engineers. It dates back to the late 1800’s! They offer valuable advice with rest stops so that you can rest your engine , take a breather and take in the sights with repeated advice on using your low gear to descend. Once you leave the facility, theres a beautiful building that once again offers prestine restrooms, gorgeous mountain views and wifi. Theres an engrossing barn thats free and has all the info including cars, signs, carriages that were used since its inception. Together with a great mini doc on the history of visitors to the mountain dating back to the 1860’s! The staff is really helpful and kind and their welcome center is super comfortable , I spent an hour just wandering around. The entire facility including the mountain and surrounding areas are prestine and beautiful. They even have a cool river! They have a cute train you could take up and down the mountain 🚞 I spent over 5 hours with this experience and could have easily added another 2- for $45, its nothing! I would have easily paid $100 and still be happy 💜 They give you a cool sticker 🫧 This is an excellent excellent experience. I am forever grateful to have discovered this and will be talking about y’all for the...