The Mount Washington
Auto Road

If you drive your own vehicle, you can stop as many times as you like using the many turn-outs provided, and spend as much time as you like on the summit.

All traffic must start down the mountain 45 minutes after the official closing time at the base, and continue to the base.

Yes. You are required to alert the attendant at the Toll House that you are going to park overnight.

Car & Driver: 31
Motorcycle & Operator: $17
Adult Passenger: $9
Child (Ages 5-12): $7
Under 5 Years: FREE

Safety considerations dictate that certain vehicles with full passenger loads or heavily loaded with luggage cannot be permitted on the Auto Road.

Also, the maximum wheelbase on any vehicle is 176 inches (This excludes many limousines) and the maximum width on any vehicle is 85 inches including mirrors (mirrors may be folded in to achieve this width).

Over more than150 years, there have been three fatalities on the Auto Road.

In 1880, a stage overturned (in the hands of a drunk driver), and a passenger was killed.

In 1984, a vehicle experienced brake failure about a mile up the road and was unable to make it down safely.

A motorcyclist suffered a fatal crash in 2009.

The Mount Washington Auto Road is owned by the Mt Washington Summit Road Company. It is managed by Olympia Hotel Management.

It is a very good idea to bring something to break the wind and to keep you warm at the summit.

The temperature can be very pleasant and summer-like at the base and feel like winter at the summit.

The Auto Road closes whenever weather and road conditions warrant. It may also be closed for special events.

The Auto Road is closed to private vehicles during the winter. However, the SnowCoach operates from December through March.

The Auto Road is part of the groomed trail system of Great Glen Trails. To use the Auto Road in winter, you need a trail pass and free heeled skis or snowshoes.

Yes, and as with any vehicle operations, it is weather and conditions permitting.

High winds, wet conditions and other safety considerations can close the Auto Road to motorcycles.

Riders may want to join the “Ride to the Sky” event.  This is the annual “motorcycles only” days in June.

The Mount Washington Auto Road has become very popular.

There has been steady growth over the years. In 1935 3,100 private cars reached the summit, 6,600, in 1955,  12,800 in 1961 (the Road’s 100th anniversary year).

In recent years, more than 45,000 vehicles have driven the Auto Road each year.

The average grade of the Mt. Washington Auto Road is 12%.

The steepest section of the road, known as the Raymond Grade is 18%.

For comparison, the steepest grade allowed on a United States interstate highway is 6%. A 6% grade means that for every 100 feet of horizontal distance traveled the change in elevation is 6 feet.

Not completely.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road is 87% tarmac and 13% hard-packed gravel. Approximately 1 mile of the road remains unpaved.

The elevation at the Start Line is 1,565 feet above sea level. The elevation of the Finish Line is 6,100 feet above sea level.

The change in elevation is 4,535 feet from Start to Finish.

At 6,288 feet above sea level Mt. Washington is the tallest mountain in the northeastern United States.

On a clear day, you can see the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York from the summit of Mt. Washington as well as Quebec Province in Canada.

You can also see the Atlantic Ocean.