Mt Washington — Local services in Hart's Location

We visited on a Wednesday after in late June 2025. We had tickets for 1PM Cog Railway up the mountain.

We parked in the upper lot on asphalt. Inside the building there is an exhibit which was surprisingly empty of people. Probably because the current train was just about to leave and the next one wouldn't be for awhile. We looked around a bit. There is a large gift shop downstairs. There is also a market place for food. There is also bunch of outdoor exhibits on the lawn right next to the tracks. There was a lot to do but if at the same time you're waiting here for other folks to go up and come back down I'd think you'd be bored pretty quick.

It cost us $374 for 3 adults and 2 children to go up the mountain. We kind of splurged on this experience. We know you could also drive up and hike up the mountain but we wanted the cog rail experience.

They trip to to the top was nice and we had a great narrator. Went over the history of the train and how it worked and talked about points of interest along the way. It was perfectly curated. There wasn't too much talking but also enough to not get bored. There were things to look at that even kept some of our ADHD folks without complaining.

At the top itself it was amazing. First thing we did was run over to get pictures with the Mt. Washington State Park sign and the summit sign. There were some AT hikers there as well who was make fun of all the tourist taking pictures of the sign who came up via train or car. The Tip Top House was closed during our visit.

When you enter the Sherman Adams Summit Building, there are bathrooms to your left. Then there is a small post office to the right where you can mail postcards which was cool.

Walking further back there is a large seating area to the right with good views. To the left there is the Mount Washington Observatory's EXTREME Exhibit. It's free but has turn styles and they want you to let them know how you got here, Cog Rail, Drive, Hiked etc. The exhibits itself was pretty cool. There are interactive ones and a small shop area.

There is an information desk in the building as well and then further back there is larger gift shop. There are also food service here to the left as well.

The weather up there was pretty crazy as when we arrived it was bright and sunny and relatively warm but as soon as we left to go back down the clouds came in and visibility dropped significantly. All that in the span of 45 mins. My suggestion is when the view is up there take advantage of it as you don't know when it's going to change suddenly.

The trip back down is on a different train with a different interpreter. The trains aren't the same either so you can't pick which specific train you get to be on. The one going up had much smaller windows which made for a different feel but the one going down had large windows and more unobstructed views.

Overall I would probably not pay the amount to do the Cog Railway again. It was great for that 1 time experience. I would definitely go up and visit Mount Washington again. 45 min stop at the top is just not enough time to really experience it. We were 100% rushed to look at all the exhibits inside and take pictures of all the signs and points of interest and also grab stuff from the shop. It was just non-stop. There are also multiple stores up there too. There was another next to the parking lot area that I forgot to...

This is a review based on my recent hike up mount Washington via the Tuckerman’s Ravine trail. It’s hard to give a precise review due to the fact that other people’s experience may completely vary from mine because of the ever changing unpredictable weather on mount Washington but I will say regardless of when you go it’s always a good idea to pack for chilly weather. We went in mid-august which is probably the best time to go. We were extremely lucky weather-wise; it was about 55 degrees at the peak when we got there which is very good for mount Washington. As a matter of fact the driver on the way back down said that only two weeks earlier, mid-July a man died of hypothermia on the mountain. That should tell you everything you need to know about the weather here. Completely unpredictable. Pack a lot of water of course, your gonna need every drop. I’ve done angels landing in Zion and people say that if you’ve done that then mt Washington should be a cinch but that is completely false. This is way harder. First of all, the altitude gain is a lot higher your gaining 4200 feet over the span of 4 miles. And there’s practically no straight paths, everything after the first two miles is rock scrambles. It’s extremely strenuous and I would not recommend it for anyone who doesn’t have prior hiking experience. The best move would be to take a slow and steady pace and frequently stop for water. Your body will use up energy very quickly in the beginning and you’ll need to stop or you’ll get too worn out. Additionally, I think the hardest and most looked over part of the mount Washington hike is the final stretch. When you reach the summit, there’s a rock scramble and it appears that the peak is right there, like a quarter mile away. Don’t let yourself get tricked! A lot of people think that and they move quickly up the rock scramble using up all their energy very quickly. In reality there’s still another mile to go and people get very faint and lose all their energy. Be prepared. Once you get to the summit the views are stunning and it makes up for the difficult hike up. We personally did not hike down we took the shuttle down but respect to all the people who manage to do both idk how you do that. Bring food as well because your gonna be starving once you get to the summit. All in all, I would say this hike is very difficult but there’s nothing like that amazing feeling of accomplishment once you...

As a tourist myself, I really appreciated this location. The inner hiker anf nature lover in me wished we had hiked it, but there's no way my wife and kiddo would have made it. So drive we did, and while I will go back to hike it someday, I'm glad we drove it this time. The road is twisty and curvy with some steep sections and has no guard rails, but once you get to the top, well.... It CAN be gorgeous, or it can be foggy and disappointing. We were fortunate in that after we got to the top and found it foggy, we faffed about a bit in the gift shop and went to the bathroom, then the fog lifted and we had amazing views. Not all-around at once, you kinda had to chase the openings in the fog, which was fine as you're allowed to climb about most of the peak. There is a photo opp at the summit, but we skipped thst due to the long line.

Dogs are permitted at the peak. There were quite a few so keep yours on a short leash, and if they aren't good in crowds, I'd not recommend bringing them.

I'm gonna repeat, the drive can be intense! There are no guard rails! I'm a super confident driver and trust my skills and my Subaru and mostly trust other drivers, so all went well. But my wife was quite nervous as a passenger. You do need to stop on the way down to let your brakes cool, but there are plenty of turn-outs just for thst purpose with wonderful views. As long as you don't suffer from a fear of heights, go slow and you'll be fine.

There is a fee to drive up the road. It's per person, so check pricing ahead of time. They do accept credit cards.

There is also a cog-driven train that can take you to the top, please look ahead for prices, times, and capacity, as we didn't look into it. I believe I saw a sign near the bathroom that said you can purchase a one-way ticket to ride the train back down, but please verify that before planning to use the service.

So, long story short, if you come here, mentally prepare yourself for the worst weather and poor views att he top, but the path up will most likely be worth it no matter how you choose to go. However, catch it on a good day and the peak can provide breathtaking views.

Photos show our initial foggy view from the top, a wonderful vista showcasing the grandeur of the white mountains after the fog lifted, and one of several beautiful brake-cooling turnouts on our...