White Mountain Trail Heads to Northeast’s Highest Point

Hikers can head to top of the Northeast’s highest mountain on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail.

The 8.4-mile round trip trail heads to Mount Washington, which tops out at 6,288 feet. June through October mark the best time for this hike, as the trail is free of deep snow and ice. Plan for the better part of a day to make the ascent and descent in White Mountain National Forest.

To reach the trailhead, from Conway, N.H., take New Hampshire Route 16 north. In about 23 miles, turn left/west into the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. Park there. The trailhead is on the nature center’s east side. You’ll start at 2032 feet elevation.

A very small segment of your first steps is shared with the Appalachian Trail, but it soon separates to the right/northeast toward Maine. Continue left/northwest at this split.

The trail to Mount Washington follows a rocky tractor road to the bottom of Tuckerman Ravine, but the next two miles is a steady climb on a well-graded path through the hardwood forest. If hiking in autumn, the fall colors can be stunning as you walk beneath a canopy of orange, red and yellow leaves.

You’re not actually walking up a ravine in the traditional sense of the word. Rather, Tuckerman Ravine is a steep-sided bowl-shaped hollow, caused by glacial erosion, on Mount Washington’s southeast face. Geologists call it a glacial cirque. It formed during the last ice age that ended around 10,000 years ago.

Waypoints
At 0.3 miles, you’ll cross a bridge to the south bank of Cutler River. A side path goes about 20 yards to a great view of Crystal Cascades waterfall, and despite the length of your hike, the short excursion is well worth it.

You’ll junction several trails or cross various waterbodies along the way. These make great waypoints to check your map to ensure you’re on the correct route and often are a good place to rest. The waypoints include:
• 0.4 miles from trailhead – Junction Boot Spur Trail; you’re at 2275 feet above sea level
• 1.3 miles – Junction Huntington Ravine Trail, 3031 feet
• 1.5 miles – Cross a tributary
• 1.6 miles – Cross main branch of Cutler River
• 1.7 miles – Junction Huntington Ravine Fire Road, 3425 feet
• 2.1 miles – Reach Raymond Path, 3675 feet; you’re halfway to the top, at least via miles
• 2.3 miles – Reach Lion Head Trail lower junction, 3825 feet

At 2.4 miles, you’ll come to Hermit Lake Shelters and Boott Spur Link. You’re at 3875 feet elevation. The cliff on the right is Lion Head, and the distant crags on the left are the Hanging Cliffs of Boott Spur.

Headwall
If you have an altimeter, once you reach 4160 feet you’re halfway through the hike in terms of elevation. This upper section of the trail involves a steep, unrelenting climb up the exposed boulder headwall. During winter, these steep slopes are used for downhill skiing.

While hiking along the headwall, be careful to not dislodge rocks. They can roll downward and place hikers below you in danger. Also watch your step, looking for wet spots and during spring ice where you might slip off the trail and hence off the cliff.

You’ll reach Snow Arch at 3.1 miles and 4525 feet. The arch is on the trail’s left, though usually only visible in spring and sometimes early summer. It is formed by a stream of snowmelt flowing under the snowfield; the arch does not form every year. Do not go near the arch or try to cross the snowmelt stream, as it is very fragile and can collapse with any extra weight, causing you to be buried in an avalanche.

Leaving the ravine
Eventually the trail leaves the ravine and heads straight west up a grassy slope. At 3.4 miles, you’ll reach Alpine Garden Trail at 5125 feet.

Next you’ll arrive at Tuckerman Junction on Bigelow Lawn at 3.6 miles and 5383 feet.

Cloudwater Spring and the Lion Head Trail upper junction comes at 3.8 miles and 5675 feet.

The last segment of the trail is steep and heads over fragments of rock. Once above the treeline, the fauna turns to alpine tundra.

Unlike most mountains in the Appalachians, Mount Washington is steep and hardly rounded. It began forming around 400 million years ago when the minerals making up its peak sat at the bottom of an ocean. Continents colliding with one another pushed up the mud and sand, which under pressure turned to schist and quartzite. The mountain once stood much higher but has been slowly eroding over time.

At 4.1 miles is Auto Road, a few yards below the lower parking area. Take the wooden stairways the rest of the way.

Summit
You reach the summit – 6288 feet above sea level – at 4.2 miles.

You’ll be surprised at how busy at the summit is. A road as well a historic railways leads to the top. Sure, you could have driven to the peak, but then you wouldn’t be hiking, would you?

From the top of Mount Washington, you can see panoramic views of the White Mountains, nearby peaks, and distant landmarks up to 130 miles away (namely Mount Marcy in New York) on a clear day. The Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine is about 66 miles away to the southeast.

The summit can be windy – the planet’s highest ever non-storm wind speed of 231 mph was recorded here in 1934 – and cool even when temperatures are hot at the bottom of the ravine. Weather also can change swiftly, bringing showers to the peak despite that the hike started with clear sunny skies.

Once you’ve taken in the views, retrace your steps back to your vehicle. Alternately, you can take a shuttle back to the visitor center.

Mount Washington is known for extreme, rapidly changing weather. Bring windproof layers, rain gear, and plenty of water, even in the summer.

The ravine is named for Amherst botany professor Edward Tuckerman, who studied the White Mountains during the 1830s-40s. He “discovered” the ravine, at least for the Euro-American settlers along the East Coast.