You’ll start seeing the bumper stickers as soon as you start driving around New England: “This Car Climbed Mount Washington.” You can get your own (even if it’s just for a rental) on the zig-zag Mount Washington Auto Road (Rte. 16, Pinkham Notch, 603/466-3988, www.mountwashingtonautoroad.com [1], 7:30 a.m.–6 p.m. daily mid-Jun.–early Sept.; shorter hours starting in early May and until mid-Oct.) that climbs eight miles to the top of New England.
The history of the road goes back to the mid-19th century, when laborers working 10 to 12 hours a day took seven years to cut a winding passage to the top of the peak. Back then, it was an all-day affair to climb the mountains in uncovered horse-drawn wagons, and could get quite wet if the weather didn’t cooperate.
On that score, Mount Washington’s weather has been called the “worst in the world,” and even in a modern automobile, the drive to the top is always unpredictable (and exciting). But if the day is even partly clear, you are in for a treat, looking down the sheer sides of Tuckerman Ravine [2] and above the heads of the mountains that you were looking up at just an hour before.
Passengers up the road can choose to take a guided bus tour to the top ($29 adults, $25 seniors, $12 children 5–12, free children under 5), or drive themselves (and get their bumper stickers) with the help of a self-guided CD tour ($23/car and driver, $8 each additional adult, $6 children 5–12, free children under 5).
At the bottom of the road, the free Red Barn Museum displays objects relating to the auto road’s past, including antique cars and a carriage that used to climb the mountain.
Links:
[1] http://www.mountwashingtonautoroad.com
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-england/new-hampshire/white-mountains/the-presidential-range/recreation/tuckerman-ravine