The best camping near Mount Washington State Park

Mount Washington State Park is home to the highest peak in the Northeast and surrounded by the 750,000-acre White Mountain National Forest. On a clear day views from the 6,288-foot summit of Mount Washington extend as far as Vermont, New York, Quebec, Massachusetts, and Maine. Mount Washington is one of New Hampshire’s top tourist destinations and visitors can hike, take a cog train, or drive the steep and challenging, auto road to the summit where a visitor center houses a natural history museum, weather observatory, and cafeteria. While there is no camping in the park, nearby Franconia Notch State Park has two campgrounds.

The Mount Washington Auto Road is typically open from mid-May through mid-October; outside of this period, guided snowcoach tours can take visitors to the summit. Hiking trails are open year-round but a winter ascent should only be tackled by very experienced climbers. Fall is perhaps the best time for hikers to visit: conditions on the trail are cooler than in summer (although the temperature falls dramatically at the top) and the rich colors of fall provide a spectacular backdrop. 

• Be sure you are prepared: The Mount Washington summit hike is notoriously one of the most dangerous in the country and conditions at the top are often treacherous. 
• There are several routes to the top but the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, which leaves from Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, is the shortest and most popular. A hiking shuttle is available at the top to return hikers to Pinkham Notch.
• Hikers are prohibited from hitching rides from passing vehicles on the Auto Road.
• A hefty fee is required to drive the Mount Washington Auto Road (although it includes an audio tour, admission to the Mount Washington Observatory museum, and the classic “This Car Climbed Mt. Washington” bumper sticker). The drive is very steep and includes a gravel section so vehicles must be in good condition.