Located in Coos County in the state of New Hampshire, Mt Washington is the highest mountain in the northeastern part of the United States. It's also the mountain with the highest prominence to be situated east of the Mississippi River. Part of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, Mt Washington is technically part of the very small township of Sargent's Purchase. Most of the mountain is included in the White Mountain National Forest, but parts of it are also in the Mount Washington State Park.
The highest point in the state of New Hampshire
The elevation of a mountain tells us how high it is above sea level and is different to a mountain's prominence, which is the term given to denote how tall it is from its base to its summit. The prominence of Mt Washington is 6,148 feet (1,874 m), while the elevation of Mt Washington is 6,288.2 feet (1,916.6 m). It's the highest point in the state of New Hampshire.
Elevation of Mt Washington
The climate of Mt Washington is strongly influenced by its elevation. The highest parts, including the summit, have an alpine or tundra climate with extremely low temperatures, while areas of lower elevation on Mt Washington have a subarctic climate with slightly milder temperatures in general. At its summit, Mt Washington receives over 280 inches of snowfall annually.
Key Areas to Know about Mt Washington
Other key areas around Mt Washington include the Mount Washington Auto Road, which has a base elevation of 1,527 feet (465 m) and a top elevation of 6,145 feet (1,873 m), resulting in an elevation gain of 4,618 feet (1,408 m), and the Mount Washington Cog Railway, which begins at an approximate elevation of 2,700 feet (820 m) and ends at an elevation of 6,288 feet (1,917 m), just short of Mt Washington's peak.
Two plateaus can be found on the east and south side of Mt Washington. The Alpine Gardens plateau is located east of Mt Washington's summit and begins at Chandler Ridge, with an elevation of 5,200 feet (1,600 m). Bigelow Lawn is the name given to the plateau on the southern side of Mt Washington, which has an elevation ranging from 5,000 feet (1,500 m) to 5,500 feet (1,700 m). Most hikes up Mt Washington begin at the Pinkham Notch mountain pass, which has an elevation of 2,032 feet (619 m).
