Mount Washington - New Hampshire Highpoint

There are many options if you want to reach the summit of New Hampshire. Drive, hike, bike, ski or take a cog railway. My wife and I first visited Mt. Washington in the fall of 2001. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about being the highest recorded winds on earth. I still think it is only because you have a station on top to track the winds. Mount Washington is the highest point in New England, it is an Ultra Prominent Peak, number 24 on the List of 57 with a prominence being 6,148 feet, which is nearly its height. The first recorded ascent was in 1642 by Darby Field. The peak was named in 1784 after General George Washington in the time between his military career and his presidency. Years later in 1820, the naming party for nearby peaks continued the theme of mountains named after presidents. Hiking nearby leads to other mountains like Adams, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. The Mount Washington road to the summit was completed in 1861 (with the first automobile ascent in 1899). In 1869 the Cog Railway to the summit was completed. Today, the price to drive to the summit is very expensive. In 2024, I crossed the mountain on my thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. The trail goes directly over the summit. I even camped in the parking lot at the summit. There was no wind for the first half of the night but then it picked up around 2 a.m. Luckly, I was fairly protected by the hillside as the parking lot is down the backside a 100 feet down or so.