EduTrips Where to Meet
Meeting Place for Mount Washington Observatory Winter EduTrips
Individuals who have registered for a Mount Washington Observatory Winter EduTrip and who have received confirmation that there is space on the desired EduTrip will rendezvous with Observatory EduTrip staff at the northwest parking lot of the Mount Washington Auto Road complex (this lot is also known as the "old" Great Glen Trails parking lot). This parking lot is located on the west side (the Mount Washington side) of Route 16, about 8 miles south of Gorham, New Hampshire, and about 1 mile north of Wildcat ski area. This parking lot is slightly north of the summertime entrance of the Mount Washington Auto Road (this summertime entrance might be marked .SnowCoach.); it is on the other side of the highway from the new Great Glen Trails base lodge. This lot may be signed for employee parking only (and the entry may be discouraging, perhaps with a barricade or movable chain in place), but you are nonetheless most welcome to use it for Winter EduTrip parking -- indeed, it is the one and only designated place for Winter EduTrip parking. It is best to park together with other cars to facilitate plowing should snow fall during your stay. Though the area is plowed out after storms, it would be wise to bring along some sand and a shovel in your car in case new snow falls during the trip.
The routine at the meeting place includes gathering together, introductions, loading overnight gear into the Observatory truck for transport to the snow tractor garage (where it is then loaded onto the tractor), and then walking (with our essential day gear) a few hundred feet to the snow tractor garage for safety orientation, use of restroom, and loading the tractor for the ascent.
(For last-minute questions the evening before or morning of a trip, please call the summit weather station at 603 356-2137 x 280 or 603 466-3388.)