For more than 160 years, the Mount Washington Auto Road has carried visitors up the east side of the mountain, first by horse-drawn carriage and now by car, van, and, once a year, on foot.
The road starts on Route 16 near the Glen House, just north of Pinkham Notch, and climbs through the forest, above treeline, and across the open upper slopes to a parking area just below the summit. Above treeline it has some of the most dramatic driving views in the East, and some of the most unforgiving weather.
The Carriage Road
The road opened to the public in 1861 as the Mount Washington Carriage Road, eight years before the Cog Railway reached the summit. Visitors, many of them staying at the Glen House hotel near its base, rode up in horse-drawn wagons called stages.
The name stuck. Today's guided van tours up the road are still called stages.
The first car, and the oldest auto race in America
On August 31, 1899, Freelan Stanley and his wife drove a small steam-powered car of his own design to the summit, the first automobile ever to make the climb. By one account the trip took a little over two hours. The first gasoline-powered cars followed in 1902.
In 1904 the road hosted the first Mount Washington Hillclimb, often called the oldest auto race in the United States. A 1905 race up the road was billed as the "Climb to the Clouds," and the hill climb still runs under that name today. See the Climb to the Clouds hill climb for the next race, scheduled for 2027.
Drivers who pay the toll today still go home with one of New England's best-known souvenirs: a bumper sticker that reads "This car climbed Mt. Washington."
Races up the road
Bicycles aren't allowed on the road except during organized events, but races up the road for cars, runners, and cyclists turn it into one of the toughest courses in the country:
- Climb to the Clouds: the auto hill climb that began in 1904, with drivers racing against the clock to the summit. The next is scheduled for 2027.
- Mount Washington Road Race (June): hundreds of runners race the full 7.6 miles to the summit.
- Newton's Revenge (July): a bicycle race up the road.
- Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb (August): whose winners have included the professional cyclist Tyler Hamilton.
Dates and registration are on the Auto Road's events page.
Driving it today
The road usually opens for the season in stages in spring, with weekend driving from late April and daily driving from late May, and stays open into late October or early November, always weather permitting. It can close at any time when conditions on the summit turn bad.
- Drive it yourself or take a guided stage tour with a driver who narrates the history and sights along the way.
- Use low gear on the way down to spare your brakes, and stop to let them cool if needed.
- Bring warm clothes. The summit is often much colder, windier, and foggier than the base.
- Check the road's own road status page before you go.
In winter
The road closes to cars for the winter, but the Auto Road runs SnowCoach tours in tracked vans, usually up to treeline at about 4,200 feet. On rare calm days they continue to the summit.
Daylight today
- Sunrise
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- Sunset
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Plan your trip: hours, tickets, vehicle rules, and tours change from year to year. See the Mount Washington Auto Road for current details, and our Weather page for conditions on the summit right now.