The Mount Washington Auto Road—originally the Mount Washington Carriage Road—is a toll road in southern

Coos County, New Hampshire Coos may refer to: People * Cowasuck, also known as Cowass or Coös, an Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe in northeastern North America * Coos people, an indigenous people of the Northwest Plateau in Oregon * Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lo ...

that extends from

New Hampshire Route 16 New Hampshire Route 16 (NH 16) is a , north–south state highway in New Hampshire, United States, the main road connecting the Seacoast region to the Lakes Region and the White Mountains. Much of its length is close to the border with Maine. ...

in Green's Grant, just north of

Pinkham Notch Pinkham Notch (elevation 2032 ft. / 619 m) 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. Pi ...

, westward across Pinkham's Grant and Thompson and Meserve's Purchase to the summit of

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, ...

in the White Mountains of the US state of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

. The road climbs from an altitude of at the bottom to at the top, an average gradient of 11.6%. The road was completed and opened to the public in 1861.

Operations

The Auto Road may be traversed by private vehicles, and there are also guided tours in vans, called

stages Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * St ...

. The toll on private cars includes a bumper sticker with the text, "THIS CAR CLIMBED MT. WASHINGTON". No bicycles are allowed on the road, except for participants during specific bicycle events (see below).

Weather sensors

The road has a series of sensors located at various altitudes along it. The sensors transmit weather data via a solar-powered radio link.

Events

The oldest auto race in the United States, the

Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race The Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, also known as the Climb to the Clouds, is a timed hillclimb auto race up the Mount Washington Auto Road to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. It is one of the oldest auto races in the count ...

, was hosted on the auto road in 1904. Every year in June, the mountain road is host to the

Mount Washington Road Race The Mount Washington Road Race is a road running event that follows the auto road going from the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire nearly to the mountain's summit (located at above sea level). The race was first held in 1936, and has be ...

, an event which attracts hundreds of

runners Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

. In July, the mountain road hosts Newton's Revenge, and in August the

Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb The Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb is an annual American cycle racing event held in New Hampshire. The event raises money for the Tin Mountain Conservation Center, which promotes appreciation of the environment. Background In Augus ...

, both of which are bicycle races that run the same route as the road race. The hillclimb's most notable victor to date has been former

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...

contender

Tyler Hamilton Tyler Hamilton (born March 1, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racer. He is the only American rider to win one of the five Monuments of cycling, taking Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2003. Hamilton became a professional cycli ...

. The climb is regarded as one of the world's toughest for cyclists—it features a greater altitude gain, and is steeper, than the

Mortirolo Pass The Mortirolo Pass ( it, Passo del Mortirolo) (el. 1852 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Alps in Italy. Also known as Passo della Foppa, it connects Mazzo di Valtellina (province of Sondrio) and Val Camonica (province of Brescia). T ...

, the

Monte Zoncolan Monte Zoncolan () is a mountain in the Carnic Alps, located in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, with an elevation of . It is one of the most demanding climbs in professional road bicycle racing, having been used in the Giro d'Itali ...

, and the Alto de El Angliru, and is far steeper than any of the famous climbs featured in the Tour de France. Another event, although not a race, is the annual MINIs On Top event. Now in its twelfth year, the drive to the summit began with 73 BMW MINI Cooper and Cooper S vehicles and now exceeds 200 cars. The only reason more MINIs do not drive to the summit is the fact there is not enough space to hold all the cars, despite their diminutive size. MINIs On Top (or MOT) is held the Saturday of Father's Day weekend every June.

Gallery

File:2016-09-03 13 12 32 View of Mount Washington, New Hampshire from the bottom (east) end of the Mount Washington Auto Road in Green's Grant Township, Coos County, New Hampshire.jpg, Sign at the bottom of the road, with Mount Washington visible ahead File:Up the Mount Washington Auto Road.jpg,

Fred Marriott Fred Marriott (31 December 1872, Needham, Massachusetts - 28 April 1956) was an American race car driver. In 1906, he set the world land speed record at 127.659 mph (205.5 km/h) at the Daytona Beach Road Course, while driving the Sta ...

in a

Stanley Steamer The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam cars; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced. Early history ...

during the 1905 Climb to the Clouds File:Mt Washington Auto Road Entrance.JPG, Entrance to the Mount Washington Auto road File:Mt Wash road view.JPG, View along the roadway. File:Mount Washington Bumper Sticker.JPG, Mount Washington bumper sticker

References

External links