Our Impressions of the Mt. Washington Area

Mt. Washington is in northern New Hampshire. This is a relatively sparsely populated area in the White Mountains. We have been back to this area several times, mostly staying in Twin Mountain, but most recently in Shelburne (Gorham). It is a very mountainous region that is known for skiing, hiking and ATV riding. It is an area that caters very much to tourists with its many hotels/motels, restaurants, amusement parks and gear rental stores.

The centerpiece of this area is Mt. Washington in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. There are five ways to ascend Mt. Washington. You can:

• drive your own car on the auto road (eastern side of the mountain via Rt. 16)
• ride in a shuttle van that will take you on the auto road
• hike
• bike
• ride the cog railway (western side of the mountain via Rt. 302)

It doesn’t matter which method you choose, you end up at exactly the same place at the top of Mt. Washington. This time we chose the Cog Railway. I have also taken the auto road and hiked it. Our cog railway trip was pleasurable, with beautiful scenery. It was interesting to listen to the brakemen (Tim ascending and Erica descending) talk about the history of the area.

Mt. Washington is the highest peak in the northeastern United States at 6,288 ft. and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The peak of Mt. Washington is notorious for its extreme weather, for example, from 1934 to 1996 it held the world record for the strongest winds ever recorded, 231 mph. Mt. Washington still holds the world record for highest measured wind speed not associated with a tornado or tropical cyclone.

It is a unique area and not one to be visited in a short 1 or 2 days. Attractions are geographically spread far apart on mountainous, winding roads. To rush from place to place trying to take it all in would be a shame. There is so much to see and do.

Attractions

Gorham Historical Society & Railroad Museum (Gorham) The museum is housed in the 1907 former Grand Trunk Railway station. Railroad engines and cars on display, along with a unique model railroad. The hours for visiting the museum are extremely limited. You can still look at the train from outside the building.

Moose Tour (Gorham) is operated by the Gorham Parks and Recreation Department. Our tour guide was Gary. It is a 3-hour tour (7-10 p.m.) in a 14-passenger van, mostly along the banks of the Androscoggin River. In 2023, NH officials reported there were 45 collisions between moose and vehicles. This is down from a yearly average of 68. We decided to take the tour versus our Jeep! When we hadn’t seen any moose in 3 hours, Gary took us to a different area, and we saw about a dozen moose in their natural habitat. Our trip ended up being 5 hours long!

Mt. Washington Cog Railway is a great way to view scenery without having to do the driving! The Cog Railway has been going up to the top of Mt. Washington for 157 years! You can choose to go up with the more original steam powered engines (longer ride to the summit, and a limited number of trips per day) or the “newer” bio-diesel models. We opted for the best seats available for the time we wanted to go (Row 1, seats C, D, E), and went up with a bio-diesel engine. Make sure you bring warm clothing because it can be 30 degrees colder at the top of the mountain than at the base. Dress for where you are going, not where you are.

Santa’s Village (Jefferson) is a fun theme-based amusement park for children celebrating all things Christmas. The admission fee includes unlimited rides, shows, demonstrations and attractions. All tickets must be purchased online. Weekends sell out quickly. Santa’s Village has been open since June 21, 1953. It is best for children under 13.

Story Land (Jackson) is another fun theme-based amusement park for younger (pre-teen) children. Story Land opened in late 1954, a year before the opening of Disneyland. There are rides, shows and multiple attractions. Again, weekends sell out quickly, best to buy tickets ahead of time!

Food and Drink

While there are multiple places to eat in the Mt. Washington region, it is a place we tend to cook at our RV site.

Mr. Pizza (Gorham) has good pizza. It was a nice day and we were able to sit outside next to the water. Good food, relaxed atmosphere, decent price and attentive waitstaff.

Home Base: The Campground

For us, a campground is not our destination. Our RV is self-contained. Except for water, electric and sewer rarely do we use campground services or amenities. We are explorers, not campground reviewers!

We stayed on site 27 at White Birches Campground in Shelburne, NH. The park is clean and well-maintained. The staff was very accommodating. Simple check in. Our pull thru site was a FHU (water-electric-sewer) on packed gravel. The sites are wide apart with a wide grass separation. 30-and-50-amp service was available. Due to poor Verizon cellphone coverage, we had to set up our cell phone booster. We had an open sky for our satellite.

In the past, when we were more focused on visiting Storyland and Santa’s Village, we stayed at the Twin Mtn. KOA. It is a nice place, clean with level sites and FHUs.

Both campgrounds are good places to stay. We would recommend both of them, and would stay at either one again (based on the attractions we were interested in visiting).

Fun Facts

While there aren’t many fun facts about the specific small regions, there are some fun facts about NH in general:

1. The White Mountains were not named for being snow covered, but because of the mica in the granite at the top of the mountain range. The mica shines white; hence, the White Mountains.
2. New Hampshire was originally named North Virginia and then New England before its current name.
3. Although New Hampshire is home to only 1.4 million people, 10 million visitors flock to the state every year.
4. The first alarm clock was invented in New Hampshire.
5. New Hampshire was the first state to have its own state constitution.
6. New Hampshire was home to the first-ever free public library.
7. New Hampshire has the shortest coastline of any coastal state in America.
8. New Hampshire is one of only 9 states to have no income tax

	Shelburne	Gorham	Twin Mountain
Population	345	2,607	670
Founded	1769	1836	1861
Elevation	715 ft	794 ft	1,401 ft
Average Income	$89,375	$55,845	$43,818
Average Housing	$320,000	$249,000	$475,900
Average Age	53 yrs.	51 yrs.	57 yrs.

Websites:
www.GorhamNH.org
www.townofshelburneNH.com
www.twinmountain.com

Summary

This is a very nice, scenic area of the country. It is an area very much focused on outdoor activities and being active. It is a family friendly area, with Santa’s Village and Story Land. For hiking enthusiasts, this area can’t be beaten.

Since beginning our full-time journey to discover the country, we have found something to appreciate in every city and town we have passed through. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we have enjoyed discovering them!

Your partners in travel,
Kathryn and Dave
RVing Nomads

It’s a lifestyle

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