Mount Monroe and Mount Washington via Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail
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Mount Monroe and Mount Washington Hike Overview
Mount Monroe (5,371’) is the fourth tallest 4,000 footer and Mount Washington (6,289’), which as you probably know, is the tallest mountain in the Northeast! Both summits offer breathtaking 360-degree views, and this hike will quickly become one of your favorites in the White Mountains.
Trail Details
Trail: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail > Mount Monroe Loop > Crawford Path > Great Gulf Trail > Jewell Trail
Miles: 10.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 4,220 feet
My Trail Time: 5 hours hiking, 6 hours total
Hike Overview
Although you can hike Mount Washington and Mount Monroe separately, I recommend hiking them together as a loop via the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. The hike is one of the most beautiful, with waterfalls along the entire trail.
The hike to Mount Monroe and Mount Washington is very strenuous, with the total distance over 10 miles and about 4,000 feet of elevation. The trail is steep, but if you are up for a strenuous hike, you will not be disappointed!
Mount Monroe and Mount Washington Hike via Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail Guide
October 6, 2018
**Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and throw away your trash properly.
Alex and I hiked Mount Monroe and Mount Washington on a B-E-A-Utiful Saturday. We were camping after our hike, so it was nice to know we could take our time since we didn’t have to drive two hours home after. Also, the drive up to the mountains was SO GORGEOUS!! Talk about peak foliage! We knew we were in for an amazing hike, and little did I know, this hike would forever hold a special place in my heart.
We began our hike on Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail at 9:00 AM on a crisp October morning with about a million other people haha. Because it was peak foliage, there were so many people hiking. We also met a park ranger before starting the hike who advised the higher summits may have winds up to 60-80 MPH!
The first mile on Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail was fairly flat, so it was a nice warm-up for what was to come. The second mile followed along a brook that eventually became the Ammonoosuc River and ascended gradually. We then came to the first of many waterfalls on this hike! The Gem Pool was a beautiful spot with a waterfall cascading into a small pool of water.
After taking in the beauty of this spot, it was time to CLIMB! This was where the real ascent began. Luckily, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail consisted of boulder stairs, so it made for a fun ascent. After hiking a short while, we came across the gorge. This was one of the most beautiful parts of the hike to Mount Monroe and Mount Washington. There was a waterfall running down the side of the mountain and a clearing rewarding us with beautiful views! We took a small snack break at the gorge while soaking in the beauty of the trail.
Once snack time was over, it was time to continue the climb to Mount Monroe! Don’t you worry though, the trail only got steeper haha! The next section on Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail was the toughest part of the hike. The trail was absolutely beautiful, so it helped distract us. After a mile, we arrived at the Lakes of the Clouds Hut. We, unfortunately, were following another couple who happened to take a wrong turn, so we were not on the correct path. And neither were the 10 other people following us lol. But that’s okay! We were good sports about it, and we were above the treeline, so we could see where we needed to go. I’m still not sure how we missed the signs!
At this point, our bodies were tired, and we just wanted to get to the summit. We saw Mount Monroe’s summit to our right and the STEEP incline we had left. Mount Monroe Loop was only 0.4 miles to the summit from the Lakes of the Clouds Hut, but it was steep. We moved our butts up the last bit of the trail and were rewarded with beautiful foliage views from Mount Monroe’s summit!
We arrived at Mount Monroe’s summit around 11:00 AM, so we made great time! We originally were only going to hike Mount Monroe, but one of the hikers we met recommended hiking up to Mount Washington and descending the Jewell Trail since it’s less steep than the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail. The Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail was also very wet, so it would have been sketchy going down. We decided to take the woman’s advice and hike on over! I mean, why not?? Mount Washington was only 1.4 miles from Mount Monroe!
After eating our lunch and hanging out at Mount Monroe’s summit, we decided at 11:45 AM it was time to start the trek over to the tallest mountain in the Northeast. Crawford Path seemed like a never-ending rock pile, but it went by quickly since we were above the treeline and surrounded by beautiful views. We met another couple from the Boston area and chatted with them until we arrived at Mount Washington’s summit. Alex kept mentioning having them take a picture for us when we got to the summit, so he wanted to stick with them. He kept mentioning this during the hike, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time.
When we arrived at Mount Washington’s summit, it was just about to go into the clouds, so we decided to take a quick walk around he summit before heading inside to warm up and eat more snacks. We really like snacks if you haven’t figured that out already! Sadly, we were separated from our Boston friends and couldn’t find them. Alex still wanted to get a pic of us together, so we went to a secluded part of Mount Washington’s summit where the clouds hadn’t taken over yet and set up a self-timed picture. Or so I thought.
The winds were picking up, so all I wanted to do was start our hike back down. I counted down from 10 thinking the picture would have been taken by then and started to turn away from Alex when he grabbed me and turned me to him. (I’m crying writing this btw.) The love of my life, my best friend, my soulmate asked me to marry him. In my favorite place doing something I love. He knew this was going to be our last hike of the season, so he made sure he proposed on the summit. I seriously love this human so much. Obviously, I said yes :)!! The little sneak was recording the whole thing! I literally could not stop crying. I was SO surprised! I was so sure that I would know when Alex was going to propose because he is not good at hiding his emotions lol, but I had no idea! After crying and celebrating, we decided to start our descent down Mount Washington at 1:00 PM. The winds were picking up SO much and the clouds were moving in quickly, so we knew we had to get moving.
We had to keep an eye on the signs we were following during our descent because it got tricky. We had to make sure we were following signs for the Great Gulf Trail/Jewell Trail and then turned off towards Jewell Trail. We almost missed the sign for Jewell Trail because we were engulfed in clouds at that point and visibility was low. Mount Washington isn’t known to have the craziest weather for nothing! The winds were picking up too, so we hauled our butts quickly down Jewell Trail. Once we were below the clouds, we had some breathtaking foliage views. It was amazing!
Even though Jewell Trail was a gradual descent, we were still descending for five miles… so it seriously went on forever. Or at least in our minds, it did! It was an uneventful hike down Mount Washington once we were below the treeline. We did, however, step on a ground wasp nest, and got stung, so that was exciting… helped us finish the hike quicker since we were RUNNING haha!
Jewell Trail ended at the Cog Railroad Station, so we had a bit of a walk back to our car parked in the lower lot. At that point though, we didn’t care. We were happy to be off the mountain. Our legs were super sore as you can imagine. Oh yeah, and we were ENGAGED!!!
The hike to Mount Monroe and Mount Washington will forever hold a special place in my heart. And the hike was a very beautiful hike. Tough, but beautiful. I would highly recommend the hike to Mount Monroe and Mount Washington if you are looking for a beautiful and challenging hike!
Have you hiked Mount Washington with Mount Monroe or each alone?
Hey, I’m Nichole!
I am the creator behind Nichole the Nomad, the home of my explorations around the world, mountain hikes, and beautiful pictures taken along the way. I have a deep passion for capturing the world in a beautiful light and sharing my experiences.
I created this blog to share my travels, show how beautiful the world is, provide tips and tricks for traveling, and encourage you to explore. Whether you want to travel across the world or explore what’s in your backyard, I hope this blog inspires you to get outside and find your adventure!