Mount Washington‘s Tuckerman Ravine is an iconic destination for East Coast skiers, offering backcountry turns quite late into the spring. Most people in the world of skiing and snowboarding know what the ravine looks like when there’s snow on it, but if feels near unrecognizable in the dead of the summer.
The Tuckerman Ravine Trail is one of the most popular hikes to the summit of Mount Washington. It starts at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, running around 2.4 miles to the Hermit Lake Shelters before heading up the ravine. From the lower portions of the trail, hikers can access other popular routes like Lion Head, Boott Spur, and Huntington Ravine. Round trip, the trail to the top through Tuckerman is just around 8 miles.
The hike in the ravine provides access to beautiful, calm waterfalls, wildlife, and stunning views of the surrounding White Mountains. It also shows just how wild and steep some of the cliffs and slopes that people ski and snowboard really are. Of course snow is a lot less painful to fall on than pure rocks, but Tuckerman Ravine is responsible for quite a few on-snow injuries. So if you’re planning on hitting the slopes, make sure you do so with the proper experience and skill.