Mt. Washington questions

Does anyone have any info on Mt. Washington? I'm bringing a non-climber buddy up to NH in July. We plan on going up washington. How many hours is the hike? Is there adequate parking at the bottom? Are there different routes? What kind of temps might we expect? Thank you in advance.

6-8 hours round trip is normal, assuming the weather cooperates.

Plenty of parking under normal circumstances. A Saturday morning on a holiday weekend with beautiful weather could get crowded.

Several different routes, do some simple research.

Temps could be anywhere between 70F and deadly cold i.e. sub zero with wind chill - they call it "The worst weather on Earth" for a reason. Mt. Washington has killed people in every month of the year, don't under estimate it.

If your friend doesn't mind mild scrambling, go up Huntington Ravine and down Tuckerman's, unless the latter is too crowded in which case Lion's Head is likely also to be busy, but around Boott Spur and down the Glen Boulder trail is beautiful with great views of Tucks before you descend into woods and return (with a link trail) to Pinkham where you started.

Unsolicited advice: skip Washington. Especially in the summer - there's a road to the top, it's a tourist trap.

Any of the other presidential peaks would be nicer. There are many beautiful hikes nearby. The most iconic hike is the Franconia Ridge. I'd do that.

jdejace wrote:Unsolicited advice: skip Washington. Especially in the summer - there's a road to the top, it's a tourist trap. Any of the other presidential peaks would be nicer. There are many beautiful hikes nearby. The most iconic hike is the Franconia Ridge. I'd do that.

Agreed 100%....I've been hiking mountains in the Whites my whole life, and I'd have to say Washington is one of my least favorite summits.....believe me, if you end up climbing it the next time you see a "This car climbed Mt Washington" sticker, you'll be pissed.

Of course if you want to do it because it's the highest, go for it. But I'd recommend, Adams, Madison, Franconia Ridge (though that'll be packed), and especially Mt Bond and some of the lesser traveled peaks.

It might be touristie but the chilli dogs are delightful.

Sub zero ? In the summer?

Maybe this is possible, but it seems so highly unlikely it's the same as saying you might get hit by a meteor.

Russ Keane wrote:Sub zero ? In the summer? Maybe this is possible, but it seems so highly unlikely it's the same as saying you might get hit by a meteor.

Jon H said, "sub zero with wind chill", and that means like +20F with a 40 MPH wind. Mt. W normal summer lows are ~+40F and the "highest monthly record low" is +24F, so without looking too deeply into frequency of ~+20F temps, I think we can say it can get dangerously cold pretty much any time of year.

Most of the deaths on mt washington have occurred in the summer from hypothermia.

I was on Mt. Washington around the July 4th holiday a few years ago, it was in the mid 30s with high winds...

If you end up on Washington, I would suggest avoiding the Tuckerman ravine trail. Probably my least favorite trail in the White Mountains. Head up from the West Side and the Ammonusuc ravine trail... a much nicer approach. The Huntington ravine trail is a great option as well, if you're ok with some 3rd class hiking. Just don't come down it.

There shouldn't be any parking issues, no matter which trailhead you end up at. The Pinkham Notch visitor center is nice, they sell maps, offer advice, and have anice 3D topo map of Mt. Washington.

Another great option, and one that I vastly prefer to Mt. Washington, would be to summit Mt. Madison via the Madison Gulf trail through the Great Gulf wilderness. Descend via the Osgood trail. I think this hike is much more representative of what makes the White Mountains special and unique from other mountain ranges.

Mt. Adams is great as well, try the King Ravine trail for a fun adventure.

These are all big hikes. Very rugged trails with a lot of vertical. 12 miles in the Whites is very different than 12 miles out West.

PS:

Here are the facts on July weather on Mt. Washington (the warmest month) -

July avg temp: 49F
July avg high temp: 54F
July avg low temp: 44F
July record high: 71F (1953)
July record low: 24F (2001)

A.T thru-hiker here. Washington is a tourist trap for sure. One of the most dangerous mountains amazing alpine terrain and fat loud Harley people eating hot dogs. Gift shops and restaurants on top also "this car climbed mount washington", I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Franconia notch is absolutely incredible if you enjoy weather. Garfield is beautiful and remote. Saddleback in Maine is one of my favorites along with the Bigelows. If you really want to experience something amazing, bring your shoes and do some padless bouldering as you take the four hour 1.5 mile hike (I think 5 ish miles total but the notch is 1.5 and takes 2-4 hours) through the Mahoosuc Notch north of Mt Washington. I guess you can attempt to bring a small pad but I'm not sure if you will make it. Also follow the A.T. blazes (white) through the notch. You need to drive to it. Its not a mountain but damn, is it incredibly fun.

I love the Whites.... But I think it gets dramaticized a bit. Dangerous hiking? More extreme than hiking out west?

Come on, hiking in the higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains, even in the summer, how is this "easy" or less rigorous and demanding?

Well you can find yourself in a thunder lighting storm in alpine terrain from blue sky to that in under an hour. highest wind speed there is i think 230 mph without fact checking myself. Hail storms are not super uncommon. I have gone up on nice sunny calm days and found myself in 60+mph hour winds with sleet and nothing in any weather forecast calling for it... try that shit without a rain jacket. People die.

In the summer when its nice and warm people greatly underestimate the possibility of rain and wind chill. The weather changes there are extreme and change extremely quickly.

Elevation has little to do with Washington I think its only like 6,000 something feet.

Its the way the landscape around the mountain and the mountain itself is arranged. It creates very extreme weather.

Tylerpratt wrote:Elevation has little to do with Washington I think its only like 6,000 something feet.

It does in the Northeast because it's the tallest mountain, so it gets pummeled with no protection by any weather that decides to hit it from whatever direction. Hence the typical temp swings and wind (as you noted).

Aspect also plays a part in hiking difficulty. Depending on what elevation you start, it can be a very serious effort getting to the top of some of these "small" northeast mountains. Add muddy and rooty terain to slow you down and it's certainly no cakewalk, compared to a lot of the Western comparables. Out West you reach treeline and alpine much quicker, if not even starting in the alpine zone. Further complicating this, consider the latitude of the location. We're much further north than, say, Denver, Reno, or Flagstaff. It kind of offsets their extra altitude in terms of harshness of weather.

I post this as academic info pertinent to some of the discussion raised.

Kevin Heckeler wrote: It does in the Northeast because it's the tallest mountain, so it gets pummeled with no protection by any weather that decides to hit it from whatever direction. Hence the typical temp swings and wind (as you noted). Aspect also plays a part in hiking difficulty. Depending on what elevation you start, it can be a very serious effort getting to the top of some of these "small" northeast mountains. Add muddy and rooty terain to slow you down and it's certainly no cakewalk, compared to a lot of the Western comparables. Out West you reach treeline and alpine much quicker, if not even starting in the alpine zone. Further complicating this, consider the latitude of the location. We're much further north than, say, Denver, Reno, or Flagstaff. It kind of offsets their extra altitude in terms of harshness of weather. I post this as academic info pertinent to some of the discussion raised.

You're right, it was careless of me to write that elevation has little to do with the danger.

All mountains are dangerous.

I've hiked all over the country.. What makes the White Mountains unique to me, is the ruggedness and wild feeling of the terrain, especially on some of the lesser traveled trails. It's not something that I have encountered anywhere else, East Coast or West.

It's not better or worse than big mountain West Coast hiking, just diffierent. And for that reason, absolutely worth a trip.

Any recommendations for an easier but still scenic hike in Franconia or elsewhere in the Whites for this summer? By easier I mean if it is 8 hours, you are not scrambling most of that time, and if you are, than shorter. I was looking at Falling Waters/Bridle loop in Franconia but it seems like a bit much for us. The longest hike we've done was 7 hours in the Maroon Bell wilderness last year. The hardest probably Quandary and Mt. Evans but only due to altitude. Did not summit either due to weather. 

normajean wrote:

Any recommendations for an easier but still scenic hike in Franconia or elsewhere in the Whites for this summer? By easier I mean if it is 8 hours, you are not scrambling most of that time, and if you are, than shorter. I was looking at Falling Waters/Bridle loop in Franconia but it seems like a bit much for us. The longest hike we've done was 7 hours in the Maroon Bell wilderness last year. The hardest probably Quandary and Mt. Evans but only due to altitude. Did not summit either due to weather. 

If you wanna stay in Franconia then go across the street to either the Kinsmans or Cannon. The hike up to Lonesome Lake then onto N. Kinsman is a wonderful hike. Flume and Liberty are a little further south down 93 and more manageable than Lincoln Lafayette. Summit Flume via Liberty and then back to Liberty. Flume Slide trail is a must avoid