Mount Washington Cog Railway - A Unique View of the Fall Colors
Written: Sep 25 '06 (Updated Nov 05 '09)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: fun and unique trip, stunning and beautiful views
Cons: expensive, weather can make or break trip, not enough time at the summit
The Bottom Line: Be prepared to adjust your expectations according to the weather, but this is a great trip to make if you can afford it.
|
|
|
| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Mount Washington Cog Railway |
In all the years we’ve traveled up to (and now live in) the Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire, we never rode the Cog Railway up Mount Washington. Oh, I’d driven the auto road several times, but we’d never taken the much-celebrated train trip. Armed with discount tickets, we finally made the trip recently to take in the fall colors. It’s been something of an early year for fall colors here in the mountains.
Mount Washington is the highest peak in the northeast, as well as having a reputation for “the world’s worst weather”. This year the first snowfall on the summit following the spring and summer melt-off was recorded on August 12th. Yup, while everyone else was sweltering throughout the country, we could see snow.
The number of tourists who wanted to visit this mountain, even back in the 1800’s, spurred meat-packing magnate Sylvester Marsh to construct a railroad to the top of the mountain. On July 3, 1869, The first cog train made the climb up Mount Washington.
A cog railway differs from a standard train in that it’s construction allows a train to go up much steeper inclines. In the case of the Mount Washington Cog Railway, that’s good because the steepest part of the 2.8 mile track rises at a rate of 37.4%! In the center of rails is a cog rack into which go the cogs mounted on the train. The spur gears drive the train, rather than the wheels which are mounted on the rails for support and guidance.
Reservations are pretty much needed, even in slow season. They can be made by calling 1-800-922-8825 or 603-278-5404. We were on a weekend during the fall, and people were being turned away as all the trains for the day were full when we arrived mid-morning.
The base station for the Mount Washington Cog Railway is located near the Bretton Woods Ski Resort off of Route 302. It’s six miles along Base Road from Route 302 to the actual train station. Approaching from the west, you can clearly see the train tracks cutting up the mountain, while the ride from the east along Route 302 provides a beautiful trip through Crawford Notch.
The weather can make or break the trip on the Mount Washington Cog Railway, although it can be an interesting experience either way. I’ve driven to the summit of Mount Washington on the auto road when the summit was socked in by clouds. It was a different experience to drive up into the clods at the time. Don’t think you can judge the day based on where you are, or the weather in the Valley below the mountain. I have driven from my job in the Valley to my house and had the sun shining clearly around the hotel only to find my house, which is located on a small mountain comparatively, socked in by clouds and fog. The same is true for Mount Washington. I have seen the peak of the Mountain hidden in clouds while the rest of the area was bathed in sunlight and clear blue sky.
We were fortunate in that we had a fairly clear day with just a few wisps of clouds to travel through. The passenger train was crowded as it sat in front of the engine. My kids sat next to the window, the two older ones in front of me and I sat with my son as it is two to a seat with an aisle in between, in traditional passenger train fashion.
The fall colors we saw were absolutely beautiful. I heartily recommend the Mount Washington Cog Railway on a clear day during the fall as I think it’s a trip that can’t be beat. The view as we went up seemed to stretch on forever. We were told on the way that depending on the time of day you can often see wildlife near the tracks as well. We heard plenty of rustling in the trees, but no actual animals.
We all liked the trip, especially hearing the clanking of the cogs as we went up and came back down. Coming down was interesting as my kids thought it was freaky. They expected to go down faster than we came up, but this isn’t the case, which is the whole point of the cog system.
The views on the summit are stunning. Reportedly on a clear day you can see four states and into Canada, as well as the Atlantic Ocean. Our views didn't go quite that far, but were stunning nonetheless as we saw the colors of fall throughout the forests, mountains and valley around us. I will never forget for my entire life the views I saw that day as it was perfect timing with green throughout the landscape, highlighted by the changing colors of red, orange, yellow, and gold.
The biggest drawback is only being able to spend 20 minutes at the summit of Mount Washington. We’ve been up there before, but not for a couple of years. 20 minutes doesn’t give enough time to see much up there, especially when you take into account the view, the Museum, Tip Top House, or the gift shop. We’ll drive it again soon just so we can spend time experiencing all that there is to offer at the top. In addition, there’s a weather observatory up on the summit, although to participate in any events which might take place there you have to be a supporting member.
My kids were hungry and thirsty early into our trip and had to settle for the snacks and juice boxes we’d brought along. We had a more substantial lunch when we got back down, although the food at the restaurant at the base was pretty much in line with cafeteria/fast food.
Round trip tickets on the Mount Washington Cog Railway don’t come cheap. Adults (ages 12 and up) pay $57.00. Children ages 4-12 pay $37.00. Under 4 is free. Seniors get a $5 discount on an adult ticket. The entire round trip takes about three hours, allowing for a 20 minute stop at the summit of Mount Washington.
I loved the beauty of the trip we took, and would do it again in a heartbeat, although I think I would definitely want the cheap tickets. The regular price is a bit steep, especially for a family. However, seeing the fall colors in the area this was a truly unique experience, one which I might never have again.
Website: http://www.thecog.com
Links of interest:
http://www.cog-railway.com
http://www.mountwashington.com/cog
http://www.mountwashington.org
Other sites to see in New Hampshire:
Attitash Bear Peak Ski Resort ~ Bretton Woods Ski Resort ~ Canobie Lake Park ~ Cranmore Mountain Ski Resort ~ Franconia Notch State Park ~ Kancamagus Highway ~ King Pine Ski Resort ~ Loon Mountain Ski Resort ~ Madison Boulder Natural Area ~ North Conway, NH ~ Polar Express Event ~ Shawnee Peak, Bridgeton ME ~ Six Gun City ~ Story Land ~ Whale's Tale Waterpark ~ White Lake State Park ~ White Mountain National Forest ~ Wildcat Mountain
Some places to stay in New Hampshire:
Attitash Mountain Village - Bartlett NH ~ Comfort Inn & Suites - North Conway NH ~ Hampton Inn - Concord/Bow NH ~ Yankee Clipper Motel
Places to eat in New Hampshire:
Bea's Cafe, Conway NH ~ Cafe Noche, Conway NH ~ Decades Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Delaney‘s Hole in the Wall, North Conway NH ~ Harts Turkey Farm, Meredith NH ~ May Kelly's Cottage, North Conway NH ~ Merlino's Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Moat Mountain Smokehouse, North Conway NH ~ Muddy Moose, North Conway NH ~ Peach's Restauran, North Conway NH ~ Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub, Glen NH ~ Yankee Smokehouse, West Ossipee NH
Books about the area:
Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide ~ 50 Hikes in the White Mountains
© 2006 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
AliventiAsylum
|
 in Movies, Hotels & Travel |
 in Movies |
 - Top 50 |
|
Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
Reviews written: 2077
Trusted by: 687 members
About Me:
Now writing reviews to pay for the "out of network" costs of our health insurance...
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.