M O U N T W A S H I N G T O N . C O M
	Mt. Washington Auto Road

		Drive your car up... This is the most popular means of touring the Auto Road.  For just $16 per vehicle and driver, and $6 for each passenger, you can climb to the summit in the comforts of your own car.  Included is an audio tour of the road and a free bumper sticker!  Be sure to check your car's engine and brakes, though, for the 8-mile road (averaging 12% gradient) can put a significant strain on your vehicle. Take a Stage Van... Another fun way to travel the road is in the green-and-white Stage Vans, operated by the Mount Washington Auto Road Company.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy the views while they do the driving!  The highly experienced drivers are sure to give the passengers an exciting, informative, and entertaining ride up and down the windy road. Ride your motorcycle... The Auto Road is open to motorycles for the entire season!  What better way to enjoy the scenery than out in the open air, on the seat of your Harley?  There's more!  Each year, in June, the road is closed to cars and open to only motorcycles!  Ride to the Sky is sponsored annually by Harley-Davidson of Meredith. The SnowCoach... In the winter season, when the Auto Road is closed to ordinary vehicles, Great Glen Trails breaks out the SnowCoach!  Take a ride above treeline in the comforts of this modified Stage Van, and experience Mt. Washington's alpine scenery.  Rides usually go up to the "Horn" of Chandler Ridge to an open, windswept area past the 4-mile and 4000' marks. Ride a sno-cat... Sno-cats are used to plow and travel the snow-covered route.  On Wednesdays, you'll find the Mount Washington Observatory and Channel 8 cats on the road; however, you can ride a cat with Great Glen Trails' winter programs, where they'll shuttle you up to the halfway house and let you ski down.  Or, members of the Mt. Washington Observatory can sign up for their EduTrips! Hike it... Another way to enjoy the Auto Road is to take a walk along part of it.  Be sure to keep an eye out for vehicles, though!  In the winter season, you can enjoy skiing or snowshoeing on the lower half of the road with a trail pass from Great Glen Trails.  Above treeline, the weather can become life-threatening, so it is not recommended that you proceed beyond that point without an experienced guide.  There's also an annual footrace up the Auto Road; click here for additional info! Bike it... One day each year, the Auto Road hosts the Bicycle Hillclimb, where cyclists can complete for the ride of their life!  The race is an uphill-only competition, running the entire length of the 7¾-mile road.  There is an entry fee, but perhaps you will be the winner of the next grand prize!  Please note that this is your only opportunity to bike up Mt. Washington.  Cycling is not permitted at any other time of year.  (Nor is it allowed on the trails.)