There are a few different ways to summit the tallest mountain in New England. You can hike it. You can ride the Cog Railway to the top. There is the shuttle from Great Glen or you can drive up it. On a recent trip to Upper and Lower Ammonoosuc Falls we decided last minute to drive up the Auto Road.
My husband and I have driven up it a couple times, but we have never taken our daughter. It was $52 to access the Auto Road. It is a little over 7 miles to the top. The road is narrow, but provides enough room for two cars to pass by each other.
The drive starts up through the woods. It does not take long to get high enough to start to see some beautiful views.
There are several places along the way to stop and enjoy the view.
Unfortunately the day we visited it was pretty cloudy and windy at the top. We were not able to see any views, but we did have some fun playing in wind. Make sure you bring some warmer clothes as there was about a 20 degree difference between the bottom and the top.
Due to COVID-19 the observatory area and facilities were closed. We enjoyed about 20 minutes at the top.
Even though we were a little disappointment that we could not see anything at the top we still felt it was worth the drive up. The high winds were pretty cool to experience. There were still plenty of views along the way that were spectacular. Use caution when driving down the mountain as it can be tough on your brakes. Follow signs of using appropriate gears.
