Mt Washington

[rtrimarc]

This coming weekend, i will be accompanying (chaperoning) friends who are running in the Mt. Waswhington Road Race. They were selected in the lottery, i was not. I am not bitter however...

Anyway, i will be driving the road to the summit before the race starts, and will have about 3 hours up top to be a tourist. As a runner, i will want to watch the finish, but as a hiker, i would like to get out and explore the mountain a little. I have never been on the Washington summit. Any suggestions of hour-long hikes from the parking lot? Other ways to spend my time up there?

I am also the lead schlepper, so any hints on driving down the road? Besides "don't drive off the mountain"?
Thanks all!

RVT

 

[David Metsky]

Head down the Nelson Crag trail to the 5 mile marker on the road, then cut across the Alpine Garden and back up to top via Tuckerman Ravine trail. You'll catch the begining of wildflower season.

-dave-

 

[teleskier]

But leave our warm, dry clothes near the finish line on the off chance we finish the "race" before you get back!

 

[jfb]

From the summit sign, follow the Trinity Heights Connector northwest until it intersects with the Gulfside trail, then go left and follow the Gulfside to the Crawford Path and back to the top. That would take about one hour and you'd see views that are not visible from the Auto Road.

 

[trailbiscuit]

Sit at the snack bar and eat Twinkies! You're not running after all!

You could also head down the Tuckerman Ravine Trail and check out the ravine from above.

 

[Jasonst]

I suppose it all depends on whether or not there are any views. Odds are that there won't be, in which case I would take the twinkie option (or the chili, which ever you prefer.) If it's a nice day, I would either go for Dave's suggestion or take a trip to the Lakes of the clouds or head on over to Boot Spur and check out the views from there. That may take more than an hour though. Good luck!

 

[SherpaKroto]

Road advice: drive in low gear to save your brakes. If you have any concerns about the shape of your brakes, a quick check wouldn't hurt. More problems occur with vehicles descending than ascending.

For a hike: Lakes Hut is a 1.5 miles away. Not the most scenic of your options, but a nice short easy hike. The view down the Great Gulf Headwall is also better than fair (and a very short hike) if you are running late. It would likely be less crowded than any other hike.

But I like Dave's idea