The Mount Washington Auto Road is a 7.6 mile private toll road that climbs 4,618 feet to the summit of Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern United States (6,288 feet). Mt. Washington is located in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The scenic drive takes you through four distinct ecological zones. It takes most vehicles about 30 minutes to reach the summit. Going down usually takes longer because of stopping and sight-seeing.
America's first manmade attraction, c. 1861
Warning Sign
I'm not sure I would have (could have) driven the road if the weather hadn't been so near perfect or there had been significant two-way traffic. The tourist season was almost over and not many cars drove the road on the day I did. Two weeks prior (Columbus Day) was the busiest day of the year. ~4000 cars! Glad I decided to go later. Before starting the drive, I was told to go up the mountain in normal gear, but to come down in low gear (S1 on my Escape). Stops were recommended on the descent to keep the breaks from overheating. My Escape did fine on the way down. The uphill climb seemed a bit harder on the engine. I kept an watchful eye on the temperature gauge. All was fine.
Around the bend
It goes without saying that the drive was thrilling, terrifying, and nail-biting all at the same time. While the road was paved and in good condition, it was narrow and lacked shoulders or guard rails. There were lots of twists and turns as you climbed more than 4,600 feet in elevation. There were no trees at the higher elevations, which gave you the feeling of driving on the edge. In fact, sometimes I felt like I was driving through the sky. There were times when I questioned my decision to go up the mountain. I didn't look at the scenery too much on the way up. I focused on the road. I tended to drive in the middle of the road, until another car approached. I went around corners (bends) very gingerly. I breathed a sigh of relief when I reached the carpark at the top.
Snow at the higher elevations
The drive down was much less terrifying to me. I stopped several times to rest the brakes and have a look around. The scenery was spectacular. There was snow at the higher elevations, but not much. Soon snow and other severe alpine weather would close the road for the season. After reaching the bottom, I felt a real sense of accomplishment.
I did it!
So, how dangerous is the road? Since opening in 1861, there have been only three fatalities. The first was a stagecoach crash in 1880. Brake failure caused another fatality in 1984, and in 2009, a biker went over an embankment. Non-fatal incidents are not reported. Ironically, the Mt. Washington Auto Road is one of the safest roads in America. I'm really glad I did it. Mom told me I was crazy (many times). Ty stayed in the car the whole time. The drive didn't faze him a bit.
Scenery below