Mount Washington

Mount Washington is the tallest summit in the northeastern United States, rising 6,288 feet (1,917 meters) above sea level in New Hampshire's White Mountains. The peak is composed of ancient granite and offers views across four states and out to the Atlantic Ocean on clear days.

The Abenaki people called this summit Agiochook before Darby Field became the first recorded European to reach the top in 1642. The Cog Railway opened in 1869 as the world's first mountain-climbing cog railroad and still carries visitors to the peak today.

The observatory on the summit welcomes visitors to its museum and visitor center, where staff explain their ongoing research on extreme weather. A small crew lives and works here year-round, enduring fierce storms and recording conditions that make this site famous among meteorologists.

Weather changes rapidly here and often brings strong winds and cold temperatures even in summer. Warm clothing and rain protection are necessary since fog and chill can appear at any moment.

The wind speed reached 231 miles per hour (372 kilometers per hour) here in 1934, a surface measurement record that stood for over six decades. The summit experiences some of the worst weather in the world outside polar regions, with blizzards and ice occurring in any season.

Location: Coös County

Elevation above the sea: 1,917 m

GPS coordinates: 44.27049,-71.30330

Latest update: December 12, 2025 23:02