White Mountains of New Hampshire

October 2, 2024

New Hampshire is crowned by the highest peak in the northeastern United States, Mount Washington. The rugged summit tops the White Mountains of New Hampshire at 6,288 feet.

To get to the top of Mount Washington, we drove the 7-mile Mount Washington Auto Road (or as I would rename it, White-Knuckle Auto Road.) This privately developed highway has no guard rails and lots of scary hairpin turns. There is also a cog railroad you can ride to the top, but it is ridiculously pricey at nearly $100 a person. We opted for the do-it-yourself option, which still cost a whopping $65 to drive our own car. At these steep prices, you would think the developer could add a few guardrails or maybe widen the road a foot or two.

*Mount Washington Auto Road, or the White Knuckle Highway*

Once we made it to the top, we did enjoy the miraculous view. There is a nice visitor center and museum that tells all about the wild weather that has been recorded at the summit. The highest wind gust in the world was reported here in 1934 at 231 miles per hour.

*Up in the clouds at the top of Mount Washington*

The White Mountain region in New Hampshire is breathtaking with many mountain streams, rivers and lakes. We enjoyed camping at Lafayette Campground at Franconia Notch State Park.