Crawford Path, Historic hiking trail in White Mountains, New Hampshire.
Crawford Path is a hiking trail in New Hampshire's White Mountains, running from Crawford Notch up to the summit of Mount Washington. The trail passes through forested lower slopes before opening into open alpine terrain near the top.
Ethan Allen Crawford and his father Abel cut this trail in 1819, making it the oldest continuously maintained hiking path in the United States. It has been kept open without interruption ever since, which is rare for a mountain route of this age.
The path links multiple peaks in the Presidential Range and serves as a connector between different sections of the mountain landscape. The Lakes of the Clouds hut along the route functions as a natural gathering point for hikers exploring this region.
The trailhead sits near Mount Clinton Road at Crawford Notch, where connections to other peaks in the Presidential Range are also available. Conditions on the upper section can change quickly at any time of year, so solid footwear and extra layers are always worth carrying.
The Lakes of the Clouds hut sits along the upper section of the trail at around 5,000 feet (1,500 m) above sea level, making it one of the highest staffed mountain huts on the US East Coast. It is run by the Appalachian Mountain Club and offers overnight stays, which allows hikers to split the ascent across two days.
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