Mount Washington Cog Railway
Scenic railway · New Hampshire
The world's first mountain-climbing rack railway has hauled passengers up Mount Washington's west slope since 1869. Biodiesel and vintage steam locomotives grind up a 37% grade past treeline, fall color giving way to alpine tundra near the 6,288-foot summit.
Don’t miss
Color nearby peaks: October 6–October 10
Color builds from September 23 · mostly bare by October 29
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Mount Washington Cog Railway’s own coordinates and elevation (1174 m) rather than a regional average. Estimates, not promises — check locally before you plan a trip around it.
Mount Washington Cog Railway on the map
More things to do in New Hampshire
Kancamagus Highway
Scenic drivePeak October 12
New Hampshire's Route 112 through the White Mountains is New England's benchmark foliage drive: 34.5 miles of maple, birch, and beech over Kancamagus Pass, with pullouts at Sabbaday Falls, Rocky Gorge, and the Swift River.
Don’t miss: Kancamagus Pass overlook · Sabbaday Falls · Albany covered bridge
Franconia Notch State Park
State parkPeak October 12
The White Mountains' other great pass carries I-93 as a two-lane parkway past Cannon Mountain and Echo Lake to the Flume Gorge, an 800-foot boardwalk chasm through 12,000-year-old granite walls draped in ferns and, by October, flaming maple.
Don’t miss: Flume Gorge boardwalk trail · Cannon Mountain aerial tramway · Site of the former Old Man of the Mountain
Bath Covered Bridge
Covered bridgeColor nearby peaks October 11
Built in 1832 over the Ammonoosuc River, this 375-foot bridge is the oldest working covered bridge in New Hampshire and still carries daily traffic in and out of Bath village, with fall foliage along the riverbank framing its weathered lattice trusses.
Don’t miss: Built in 1832, still carries daily traffic · 375 feet over the Ammonoosuc River · New Hampshire's oldest working covered bridge
Coppal House Farm
FarmColor nearby peaks October 20
A 1740s working farm in Lee that plows its six-acre corn maze into a new aerial design every year, with sheep, hogs, and Belgian draft horses sharing the fields, alongside a fall sunflower festival, pumpkin harvest, and farm-stand cider doughnuts.
Don’t miss: New aerial maze design each season · Belgian draft horses work the fields · Fall sunflower festival
Frequently asked
- When does Mount Washington Cog Railway peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 6–October 10 (best estimate October 8). Color starts around September 23 and is mostly bare by October 29.
- What is Mount Washington Cog Railway best for?
- Historic rail trip to the summit.
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