Mt. Washington, New Hampshire — If you’re still hunting for natural snowfall, there’s one drive to take in the Northeast right now.
Today, the Mt. Washington Auto Road opened to the summit for cars for the first time in 2026. The 7.6-mile road to the summit will be fully open today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Opened back in 1861, it’s the first-ever man-made tourist attraction in America. However, a core part of the experience, the Summit building, remains closed to the public. On Sunday, the road will be open only to the winter cutoff point due to expected rain and snow.
While this early opening may come as a surprise, warm weather over the past couple of weeks has rapidly melted snow in upper elevations across the region.
The road is typically open to the public from the spring to the fall. There are winter explorations available, but those are guided.
Perhaps the highlight this year for the Auto Road will be the Climb to the Clouds on August 7-9. Now known as “The Paul Giblin Memorial Climb to the Clouds Hillclimb,” the event will speedily travel up the narrow, steep road. In 2021, Travis Pastrana set the record for the fastest time ever up Mt. Washington, clocking in at 5:28:67 with his 2020 Subaru WRX STI. For context, drivers usually take 30 minutes to reach the summit. With the road becoming fully paved since the record-holding climb, a new record could be in the cards.
Image/Video Credits: Mt. Washington Auto Road (Clark Husted), Bill Marion
