Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Mt. Washington can be done either as a day hike or multi-day. "Lake in the clouds" is one possible hut to stay in on a trip like this - it's a beautiful setting.
Huts are dorm style, but are often booked on summer weekends. You'd have to check with the national park.
I'm not sure of your hiking experience, but the hike up Washington is easily followed, as it is highly traveled, but it is moderately difficult as the is a lot of boulder hopping and the direct route is 6 miles with approx. 4000' of vertical gain.
Most of the huts are first come first serve. There's a few huts on certain trails where you can hold a reservation. Check with the Pinkham Notch Visitor center for more info.
We hiked to Tuckerman's this spring. My first hike EVER but i made it okay. It was very cool to see it up close as the spring skiiers were doing their thing up there. Amazing as i was huffing and puffing while skiiers were passing by me carrying all their equipment on their back.
First a little quick disclaimer.....I'm assuming you are in decent shape and have basic knowledge about hiking times, weather, safety, have a good trail map, etc?....if not read up before doing this...Washington can be a piece of cake on a good day, and it can be a killer on a bad one. A good day can turn bad in a matter of minutes, even in the summer.
.....Ok, that said......Most people in fairly decent shape can do Washington as a day hike. It's only 4 miles to the summit from pinkham....but most of the elevation gain is in the last 2 miles (over 2,000 ft. in 2 miles). It is hard for sure....but not horrible, especially if you aren't in a rush. If you haven't ever hiked you'll be huffing, puffing, and your legs will be burning though.
It really depends on which route you want to take. There are TONS of ways to summit it and you can make it as long or short as you want.
The huts will be crowded with summer traffic, and thru hikers coming through now too so try and get reservations or get there early. There is no camping on Washington outside of the shelters.
The closest hut is "Hojo's"...Hermit lake Shelter. It is 2 miles from Rt 16. and a pretty easy but uphill hike to it. Honestly it will only take a few hours to reach even for people who don't hike so then you are left with the rest of the day to figure out what to do. A lot of people get there early and secure a spot, then drop off their overnight gear and summit, returning to the hut to stay the night and hike out the next morning. That said...again it's only 2 miles to hike out so why bother staying the night when it would only take another hour to 2 to get to the car?
The better option would be Lake of the Clouds. It's by far the most gorgeous spot of any of the AMC huts and is between Mt. Washington and Monroe. The hike from there to Washington is not too bad....much easier than if you were to ascend Tuckerman, Huntington Ravine, or Lions Head from Hojo's. Getting to Lake of the Clouds though is much harder than getting to Hojo's.
Doing Lake of the Clouds will make your trip much longer but if you have 2 full days you should be able to do it. There are a lot of ways to reach lake of the clouds and that really depends on where you want to start and how long you want to hike. Overall, you're better off selecting a route and then asking this question as the possibilities are endless as to how to do this hike.
Here's a pic I took while descending Washington towards Lake of the clouds (just to the right of the lakes..Mt. Monroe in the background)....absolutely gorgeous location. This should give you an idea of the steepness of the trail from there too. I was about a quarter mile from the summit of Washington when I took this).
First a little quick disclaimer.....I'm assuming you are in decent shape and have basic knowledge about hiking times, weather, safety, have a good trail map, etc?....if not read up before doing this...Washington can be a piece of cake on a good day, and it can be a killer on a bad one. A good day can turn bad in a matter of minutes, even in the summer.
.....Ok, that said......Most people in fairly decent shape can do Washington as a day hike. It's only 4 miles to the summit from pinkham....but most of the elevation gain is in the last 2 miles (over 2,000 ft. in 2 miles). It is hard for sure....but not horrible, especially if you aren't in a rush. If you haven't ever hiked you'll be huffing, puffing, and your legs will be burning though.
It really depends on which route you want to take. There are TONS of ways to summit it and you can make it as long or short as you want.
The huts will be crowded with summer traffic, and thru hikers coming through now too so try and get reservations or get there early. There is no camping on Washington outside of the shelters.
The closest hut is "Hojo's"...Hermit lake Shelter. It is 2 miles from Rt 16. and a pretty easy but uphill hike to it. Honestly it will only take a few hours to reach even for people who don't hike so then you are left with the rest of the day to figure out what to do. A lot of people get there early and secure a spot, then drop off their overnight gear and summit, returning to the hut to stay the night and hike out the next morning. That said...again it's only 2 miles to hike out so why bother staying the night when it would only take another hour to 2 to get to the car?
The better option would be Lake of the Clouds. It's by far the most gorgeous spot of any of the AMC huts and is between Mt. Washington and Monroe. The hike from there to Washington is not too bad....much easier than if you were to ascend Tuckerman, Huntington Ravine, or Lions Head from Hojo's. Getting to Lake of the Clouds though is much harder than getting to Hojo's.
Doing Lake of the Clouds will make your trip much longer but if you have 2 full days you should be able to do it. There are a lot of ways to reach lake of the clouds and that really depends on where you want to start and how long you want to hike. Overall, you're better off selecting a route and then asking this question as the possibilities are endless as to how to do this hike.
Here's a pic I took while descending Washington towards Lake of the clouds (just to the right of the lakes..Mt. Monroe in the background)....absolutely gorgeous location. This should give you an idea of the steepness of the trail from there too. I was about a quarter mile from the summit of Washington when I took this).
Be sure and fill up on some fresh spring water out of the well halfway up at the lodge. Just outside the Hermit Lake Shelter. Best water I ever put my mouth to, huge difference from the bottled Poland Spring water I took up there with me. Here is a link with more info about Hermit Lake shelters.
The hike to the summit is challenging, but if you're in decent shape you'll do alright. You'll just be wondering where the hell the summit is and why you aren't at the top yet while scrambling over boulders. The last 500 feet can be grueling if the wind has already kicked in. I would suggest an early start. Have fun.
Then you'll be fine....just watch the weather and have fun!
Here's a great website with TONS of info about hiking the whites...might help you choose a route. It really helps to have a trail map while reading these too so you can get a better idea of the trails, the steepness, and distances.
Thank you so much for all the helpful information!
How should I dress, and what are the main & important items I should take with me?
For a summer day-hike I would wear shorts/zipoff pants and a non cotton shirt. Either trail shoes or boots depending on your comfort level and have a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. I would also pack a rain shell, rain pants, a fleece top, hat, gloves and extra socks, water and food. For a shoulder season hike, I would bring additional layers of clothing.
The weather can change quickly as another poster said.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
