For those who are unfamiliar, Mt. Washington in NH is the highest peak in Eastern US at 6,288ft1. Sure, it’s clearly no 14er, but it’s very steep, and the weather is the worst in the country. In fact, the highest wind speed ever recorded on Earth was recorded on the peak (231 mph)1. It’s steep and unpredictable, but it is a beautiful mountain.
So, if you want the easy beta, we got you covered.
First, you have to go in the summer to avoid the ice (everything is easier defrosted). Hiking Project and/or AllTrails should have updates for you about when everything has melted, but usually by June it’s pretty clear. This hike is usually just a day hike for people (it took me 4hrs to summit), though there are backpackers doing the Appalachian Trail (AT) around as well. The trail you want to take up is the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail (Hiking Project; AllTrails). It starts off quite nicely; maybe a little muddy as it rains a lot on the mountain, but still, it is easy hiking. Once it gets steep, though, it doesn’t really stop. Above the treeline, you are mostly hiking on steep, flat rock. The wind picks up a bit here and the temperatures drop some. Eventually you will hit a lovely “hut” that has water, bathrooms, and a cafe. In fact, folks on the AT sometimes stay the night there. This is a great spot to talk to some folks and restock anything you need. Up until this point, you loosely follow a stream, so you could have filled up water along the way (given a water purifier, of course), but there is plenty of water stations at the hut to refill. I stay quite well hydrated while hiking and I was nearly done with my Nalgene by the time I arrived at the hut, so I refilled there.
At this point, you can see the summit…it is hard to miss the meteorological equipment…so you think you are very close. You’re not far, but it’s not as close as it seems. The main reason for this is the grade of the incline. You traverse along the AT/Crawford path (you really just follow signs that point you to Mt. Washington), but mostly the trail to the summit is akin to a fairly steep staircase. By then you’ll be in the clouds, so you shouldn’t be too warm at all. In fact, this is where people start to add layers. Even in the summer, people have died from exposure up there…like I said, you really can’t predict the the temperatures/weather up there well.
The good news is, as long as there’s visibility, it is very hard to get lost. The community/the park does an excellent job maintaining and marking the trail, so the only thing you really have to worry about is keeping your energy up (e.g., snacking). Eventually, your set of stairs opens up to a wide peak, and you’ll see all kinds of equipment near old, burly looking buildings. You can snap a photo at the summit sign, and you’ll see other people that drove up or took the cog up. Inside the main building is an extensive gift shop, water, bathrooms, a cafe, and a museum. You can easily spend an hour looking around and resting up there. There’s also a table to sign a permanent summit log and a temporary log denoting the time you left and which trail you took down should someone call after you.
For the descent, you could of course take the same trail down, but most take the Jewell Trail (Hiking Project; AllTrails) for a nice loop. Should you choose this trail, make sure you have something like the Hiking Project map downloaded or speak with the rangers as you do have to take a connecting trail to get there. If you follow signs for the Gulfside trail, you’ll eventually hit the Jewell Trail and be good to go. This trail is probably a similar difficulty (though much drier), and you get to see the other side of the mountain. You follow along a ridge for a long time, so you get an unimpeded view of the Appalachians. The only sad part is you will see the smoke from the diesel engine taking folks up/down the mountain…but otherwise the view is fantastic for a lot of this trail. The cairns can be a little harder to find here, but it’s not too bad. This trail is still quite steep, and long, so even going down, it took me about 3hrs.
As you might hope, the Jewell Trail spills you back at the parking lot for the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, so it is a full loop. There are bathrooms at the parking lot as well should you need them. By then, you’ll be wicked tired, but you’ll feel rather accomplished. There are harder ways to get up and down the mountain, but this loop is a very nice option!
Stay safe out there, and make sure you research this mountain before trying it!
1 – https://www.nhstateparks.org/find-parks-trails/mt-washington-state-park
thedihedral.com 
Up Ammo, down Jewell is a great choice. I’d recommend checking the Mt Washington Observatory Higher Summits forecast, NOT AllTrails for weather. Weather can be vastly different near the summit than a normal area forecast would provide. Also, the huts do not have a “cafe”. You can usually purchase coffee, juice, and sometimes something like a muffin. But it isn’t guaranteed. And “resupply” is a bit misleading. They do have some items, but again nothing guaranteed and it’s only what the “croo” carries there on their backs. This is a fantastic hike, but it can be a dangerous one depending on weather. Hikers shouldn’t rely on the hut for food or supplies.
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had ot do a double take at the start….Mt. Washington? and yes there are wo…..one on Vancouver Island
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I recall going up there as a child, but honestly couldn’t say how we went up! For all I know we drove.
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