Mount Washington State Park
Encyclopedia
Mount Washington State Park is a 59 acres (23.9 ha) parcel perched on the summit of Mount Washington
, the highest peak in the northeastern United States
. Summer seasonal amenities include a cafeteria, restrooms, gift shops, the Mount Washington Observatory
and its museum. The historic Tip Top House is located adjacent to the summit building and is open (small fee) to visitors from early May to early October. The park is accessible by the Mount Washington Auto Road
, the Mount Washington Cog Railway, the Appalachian Trail
, or numerous other hiking trails from surrounding trailheads including Pinkham Notch
, Crawford Notch
and the Cog Railway base station
.
The land forming the park was originally given to Dartmouth College
in 1951 by the estate of the owner of the Cog Railway. Dartmouth sold 59 acres (238,764.7 m²) to the State of New Hampshire in 1964 for use as a park and then sold the final 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) in 2008 for $2.1M, after a long-term broadcasting lease had expired. A small segment of the summit is still owned by the Cog Railway and used as the upper terminus of the railway.
was the first to climb to the summit of Mount Washington. He supposedly had guidance by the Native Americans.
Construction of the auto road started in 1854. When funds ran out in 1856, the current Mount Washington Summit Road Company completed building it in 1859. At that time, summit buildings were also erected. The Cog Railway completed construction in 1869. In 1908 a major fire destroyed all of the buildings but one; the Tip Top House.
Mount Washington (New Hampshire)
Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at , famous for dangerously erratic weather. For 76 years, a weather observatory on the summit held the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, , on the afternoon of April 12, 1934...
, the highest peak in the northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
. Summer seasonal amenities include a cafeteria, restrooms, gift shops, the Mount Washington Observatory
Mount Washington Observatory
The Mount Washington Observatory is a private, non-profit scientific and educational institution organized under the laws of the state of New Hampshire. The weather observation station is located on the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire...
and its museum. The historic Tip Top House is located adjacent to the summit building and is open (small fee) to visitors from early May to early October. The park is accessible by the Mount Washington Auto Road
Mount Washington Auto Road
The Mount Washington Auto Road is a toll road that extends from New Hampshire Route 16 in Pinkham Notch to the summit of Mount Washington in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The road climbs from an altitude of at the bottom to at the top, an average gradient of 11.6%...
, the Mount Washington Cog Railway, the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
, or numerous other hiking trails from surrounding trailheads including Pinkham Notch
Pinkham Notch
Pinkham Notch is a mountain pass in the White Mountains of north-central New Hampshire, United States. The notch is a result of extensive erosion by the Laurentide ice sheet during the Wisconsinian ice age. Pinkham Notch was eroded into a glacial U-shaped valley whose walls are formed by the...
, Crawford Notch
Crawford Notch
Crawford Notch is the steep and narrow gorge of the Saco River in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, located almost entirely within the town of Hart's Location...
and the Cog Railway base station
Marshfield Station
Marshfield Station is located in the township of Thompson and Meserve's Purchase, at the base of the Mount Washington Cog Railway in New Hampshire, USA. It was formerly a transfer point from passenger train service to the cog train taking tourists to the hotels at the summit...
.
The land forming the park was originally given to Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1951 by the estate of the owner of the Cog Railway. Dartmouth sold 59 acres (238,764.7 m²) to the State of New Hampshire in 1964 for use as a park and then sold the final 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) in 2008 for $2.1M, after a long-term broadcasting lease had expired. A small segment of the summit is still owned by the Cog Railway and used as the upper terminus of the railway.
History
In 1642, Darby FieldDarby Field
Darby Field was the first European to climb Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Of Irish ancestry, if not born in Ireland, he was in Boston, Massachusetts, by 1636 and settled in Durham, New Hampshire, by 1638, where he ran a ferry from what is now called Durham Point to the town of Newington,...
was the first to climb to the summit of Mount Washington. He supposedly had guidance by the Native Americans.
Construction of the auto road started in 1854. When funds ran out in 1856, the current Mount Washington Summit Road Company completed building it in 1859. At that time, summit buildings were also erected. The Cog Railway completed construction in 1869. In 1908 a major fire destroyed all of the buildings but one; the Tip Top House.