One convenient weekend trip in New England is Lincoln, New Hampshire. Located in the White Mountains, Lincoln and the surrounding area is known for hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities. Alex and I visited in July 2015 with the goal of hiking Mt Washington, the highest peak in the Northeastern United States. Mt Washington also claims to have “the world’s worst weather”!

Day 1

We drove from our home state, Rhode Island, up to Lincoln. It was 3.5 hour drive for us, but only a little over 2 hours if you drive from Boston. We rented a condo in North Woodstock, a nearby town, through HomeAway. It was not only cheaper than most hotels around, but it was quite large and had a kitchen and living room. We checked in and then drove around the area. Seeing a mini-golf course, Hobo Hills Adventure Golf, we decided to stop and play a round of mini-golf.  If you have young children, they also have a hobo railroad that takes you along the river and mountains.

Later, we stopped at a local pizza place, Via Roma, for a quick dinner. It was located nearby on what is considered the town’s main drag, aptly named Main Street. On this street, there is also a grocery store, gas stations, other restaurants and an ice cream shop (which happened to sell Del’s Lemonade, a Rhode Island specialty). We went to bed early as we were planning to wake up early to hike Mt Washington the next day.

Day 2

Unfortunately, when we woke up, it was pouring rain and our plans changed. We decided that we shouldn’t go hiking Mt Washington in the rain since the muddy trail might become unsafe. We chose to spend the day going to some other attractions in the area. Lincoln, New Hampshire and its surrounding area has a lot to offer so we decided to get some food and then figure out our plan for the day. We set out to find a breakfast place and stopped at the Texas Toast Eatery. It was highly recommended to us and it ended up being absolutely delicious! At breakfast, we googled attractions, and decided to go to the Polar Caves.

We drove about 30 minutes south to the Polar Caves. There are nine different granite caves that you can squeeze into and explore. The park also has other activities, like the Maple Lodge, where you can learn about maple sugaring and buy some delicious treats, or the Rocky Ridge Way, a nature trail that goes around the caves. It rained on and off, but we had an amazing time climbing through the caves.

After the Polar Caves, we drove back up to Lincoln, and drove by Clark’s Trading Post and decided to stop. Clark’s Trading Post is known for its trained bears and we watched one of their shows. It also has other attractions like a train ride and carnival-like activities such as Merlin’s Mansion, where the house “turns upside down.” They even had Segways! We waited in line and each got to drive a Segway around for 5 minutes on a little track. It started pouring, so we hung out in some of the shops there for a while.

We ended the evening by driving back to our rented condo and eating dinner at the nearby Gordi’s Fish and Steak House, which was founded by Olympic skiers! It was nice and cozy inside, was a minute from our condo, and had homemade root beer.

Day 3

We woke up early the next day. Originally, we had planned to check out and drive home straight away. But because of the rain, we decided to wake up early, check the weather, and possibly attempt hiking Mt Washington today. Thankfully, it was sunny and warm, with no rain in sight! The forecast was clear, so we decided to hike and then drive home right after!

So we drove through the gorgeous White Mountains to the Visitor Center at Joe Dodge Lodge in Pinkham Notch to climb the Tuckerman Ravine trail. Many people visit the top of Mount Washington, but not all hike. Most visitors drive up in their car via the Mount Washington Auto Road or they take the scenic Cog Railway. If you do decide to go by foot, there are several paths to choose. Tuckerman Ravine trail is a popular one, as is Lion’s Head (which Alex has previously hiked).

Hiking Mt Washington: Tuckerman Ravine Trail

Alex and I parked, took a quick bathroom break, checked the map at the center, and started hiking! We began around 8am. The first section, 2.4 miles, is a gradual uphill climb. We saw families climbing and people with dogs hiking up the trail. Eventually, we reached Hermit Lake Shelters. The shelters are a campsite and are also the last bathroom facilities on the trail. We took a short break there, then continued on to the nearby hand pump to fill-up our water bottles. It was the most refreshing, cold water that we have ever had, and not just because we were already thirsty!

At this point, most families with younger children turned back around, and did not continue further up the trail. We were now at the base of the ravine and the path would become steeper and a lot narrower. Alex and I continued on, but we did take breaks along the way.

Tuckerman Ravine is beautiful! But as the path narrowed and we climbed higher, it did get a little scary. The edge of the path quickly drops off, and as someone who is afraid of heights, it freaked me out a little. However, as long as you stay on the path, you’ll be fine! I was happy with our decision not to climb in the rain the day before, because I could imagine, in the rain, the path becoming slippery and dangerous.

In the wintertime, people actually ski Tuckerman Ravine! It is so steep, I couldn’t imagine skiing it; and, when we got to the top of the mountain, there is a list of all the people that have died on the mountain and some were skiers on Tuckerman.

Final Stretch

The last hour of the hike was the worst! You reach an enormous field of giant rocks. The apex of the mountain is so close, but yet feels so far away. It was very challenging to climb over boulder after boulder. Halfway through, I laid down on a rock and took a much-needed break. I jokingly told Alex that there was no need to finish the climb, I was just going to live here from now on.

The Summit

After a rest, we powered through and made it up the mountain. We arrived in the parking lot, and climbed a set of large stairs along with those who simply drove up the mountain. It was hilarious and annoying to hear those who drove complaining about the stairs when you just climbed the mountain.

We made it to the top around 1:45pm, so it took us roughly 6 hours to climb up the mountain. Someone in better shape than us could do the hike substantially quicker. We took an obligatory picture with the sign that says “Mt Washington Summit, 6,288 FT.”

Then we headed to the snack bar to eat a well-deserved lunch. We were starving!

The weather on top of the mountain was fairly nice when we were there! However, Mount Washington is known for some of the worst weather and for weather that can change in a second. Thankfully, it was sunny skies and only a few clouds on the day we climbed. We had clear views of other mountains, and it was absolutely gorgeous!

Since it took us 6 hours to get up, we decided to take a car down. Hikers who don’t want to hike down can pay for a van shuttle to return them to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. We paid for the shuttle, returned to the car, and hit the road. Alex ended up driving straight home and then we went out for a celebratory dinner at home in RI.

Overall Advice for Hiking Mt Washington

• Pack layers! It gets colder and winder as you climb. We started the hike in shorts, but when we got to the top, we both put on sweatshirts and pants! Weather changes fast on Mt Washington!
• If you hike, pack supplies. Food, water, survival supplies, etc. Always prepare!
• Bring money! We bought food at the snack bar on top of the mountain. And we needed to pay for the van to return to our car. You may plan on hiking back down, but you may be tired or the weather could worsen, so have a backup plan.
• People have died on this mountain. Don’t overestimate your own abilities and use common sense. The weather may look perfect but it can and will change. Once again, be prepared for the worst case scenario.
• If you don’t want to hike, you can always drive or take the cog railway! But we highly recommend ascending Mt Washington one way or another!

Overall, we had a great trip to Lincoln, NH and we really enjoyed hiking Mt Washington!