Mount Washington Cog Railway profile

This trip takes you to the top of 6,288-foot-high Mount Washington, infamous for its bad weather but famous for its vistas when the clouds part.

England may have invented the railroad, but the United States invented the mountain-climbing cog railroad. The first such successful cog—a standard railroad with flanged wheels, but with the addition of a gear engaging a toothed “rack” rail in the center of the tracks—was the Mount Washington Cog Railway, which opened in 1869 and has been in operation ever since. The trip takes you to the top of 6,288-foot-high Mount Washington, infamous for its bad weather, but famous for its vistas when the clouds part.

Choices

Sit back and enjoy this unforgettable journey through history, technology and nature on the Mount Washington Cog Railway! Vintage steam and modern biodiesel locomotives power the dramatic ascent through three climate zones to the top of the highest peak in the Northeast. The narrated, three-hour round-trip excursion includes a one-hour layover at the summit.

When to go

Summit excursions run daily from early May until mid-October. While always spectacular, the White Mountains region is at its colorful peak during fall foliage season. The Cog is now a year-round attraction, with trains running every day through the winter to a newly expanded Waumbek Station at 4,000 feet.

Good to know

A fleet of seven custom-built biodiesel locomotives are the railway’s workhorses, but from Memorial Day weekend until mid-October, one of its two original coal-fired steam engines operates at the beginning and end of each day. During peak periods, a third midday steam trip is added to the schedule.

Worth doing

Numerous hiking trails, including the Appalachian Trail, converge at Mount Washington State Park on the summit. Your one-hour layover allows time to explore the Visitor Center, weather museum, rooftop observation deck, and the Tip Top House, a restored bunker-like hotel and museum built in 1853. The surrounding White Mountains National Forest offers a variety of recreational activities.