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Weather Station Tours

Go behind the scenes of our famous mountaintop weather station and get a taste for what it’s like to work at 6,288 feet! You can now schedule your summer 2025 tour.

Guided tours allow you to meet and interact with our summit weather team, learn how they create forecasts, see the instruments they use to capture Mount Washington’s legendary extremes, and experience our unique facility.

Our weather station is located inside Mount Washington State Park’s Sherman Adams Visitor Center at the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Tours are available when the state park is open (May 24 to mid-October). Making your reservation at least 60 minutes in advance of your desired tour is required.

Visitors not hiking to the mountain’s summit can take the Mt Washington Auto Road or Mount Washington Cog Railway Company. Please note that getting to the summit by road or rail requires a fee.

Below are details about booking a weather station tour. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page to get all the information you need about a weather station tour, including our Frequently Asked Questions.

Reservations

Our mountaintop facility is a working weather station, staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Tours during summer 2025 are typically offered three times daily. The Mount Washington State Park Sherman Adams Visitor Center must be open to the public in order for us to provide a tour.

We try our best to accommodate all requests, and we appreciate your understanding if we may not always be able to conduct a tour during your desired time.

Visit this link to schedule a tour. For more information, contact us at info@mountwashington.org or (603) 356-2137, ext. 209.

On the Summit

Once at the summit, proceed inside the Visitor Center and check in with the attendant at our Extreme Mount Washington Museum (located in the lower level of the building). The attendant will advise you where to meet your tour.

Cost

Tours cost $17 per person (children ages five-years-old and younger are free). Discounted pricing for tour groups and educational groups are available on request. Please contact our education team at education@mountwashington.org to book group rates at least one week in advance.

You can also receive a FREE weather station tour as a benefit of membership when you join Mount Washington Observatory. Click here to become a member today!

Members receive the benefit of free weather station tours for their household, among other benefits, with a donation of at least $60.00 per year or $5.00 per month. To book your member tour, you will need to enter your member ID. If you do not know your member ID please use your transaction ID provided from your membership confirmation email. Or contact us at membership@mountwashington.org.

Schedule

Tours are typically offered three times daily at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM, with no tours offered on Wednesdays. Special events, staffing, weather, and other considerations may limit tour availability. Please proceed to register for a tour to view the current schedule and availability.

For those traveling on the Mount Washington Cog Railway Company to the summit, please be sure to book a train that departs from the base station one hour before the scheduled tour time (i.e. for a 11:00 AM tour, please book the 10:00 AM train). If driving yourself up the Mt. Washington Auto Road, please allow yourself at least 60 minutes to arrive on time for your tour and enjoy your drive. For more operational information, please contact the Mount Washington Cog Railway Company or Mt. Washington Auto Road directly to confirm schedules and operational status.

Cancellations, Late/No-Show, and Safety Policies

If you are delayed or need to cancel your tour reservation on the day of your tour, please call our museum staff at (603) 356-2137 ext. 285. Late tour arrivals may not be accommodated, so please plan to arrive on time. Tours cancelled within 48 hours are not eligible for a refund.

Weather station tours may be subject to last-minute cancellations due to unseasonable weather conditions that may limit your ability to reach the summit via hiking, the Mt. Washington Auto Road or Mount Washington Cog Railway Company. Please check weather conditions before your visit on our higher summits forecast and current conditions website page. If you believe your trip might be cancelled due to weather, please contact the Mt. Washington Auto Road at (603) 466-3988 or Mount Washington Cog Railway Company at (800) 922-8825 to check their operational status. In addition to cancellations caused by transportation disruptions, weather station tours may be cancelled due to unplanned situations. Tours cancelled due to transportation and/or Mount Washington Observatory operational disruptions will be eligible for a full refund. To safely access the observation tower portion of the tour, we require visitors to wear sturdy, closed-toes shoes. 

Directions

Our weather station is located inside the Mount Washington State Park Sherman Adams Visitor Center. For directions to Mount Washington State Park on the summit of Mount Washington, please go to our Visit Us page.

Extreme Mount Washington Museum at Mount Washington State Park

Frequently Asked Questions

Once at the summit, proceed inside the Sherman Adams Visitor Center and check in with the attendant at our Extreme Mount Washington museum (located in the lower level of the building). The attendant will advise you where to meet your tour.

Memberships that meet the $60 per year (or $5/month) threshold or above, are eligible for FREE weather station tours that cover everyone in their household. Please use your member number for each household member when registering for a tour.

Please visit our membership page to learn how to join. Annual donations of $60 (or $5/monthly) qualify you and members of your household to many benefits, including FREE weather station tours.

Your member ID is sent to you in the mail, acknowledging your gift, and may take several business days to arrive. If you need to register for a tour prior to receiving your member ID in the mail, please use the “transaction ID” from your email confirming your membership to sign up for a tour.

Please contact membership@mountwashington.org or call 603-356-2137 ext. 235

Tours are typically 30 minutes in duration. Please let us know upon arrival if you need to leave early to catch a train or ride down the mountain.

Nimbus, our resident summit cat and Observatory mascot, has free reign within the Sherman Adams State Park Visitor Center and the Observatory’s Weather Station and Living Quarters. Your chances of seeing our elusive colleague are typically limited.

Once inside the visitor’s center and weather station, tours are available to those with varying abilities, including mobility issues. Unfortunately, our weather station tower is not recommend for visitors with mobility impairments, or a fear or heights or ladders. Please contact Mt. Washington State Park for more information about accessibility at the park by visiting their webpage here, and their accessibility webpage for access information across the full park system.

If you are delayed or need to cancel your tour reservation on the day of your tour, please call our museum staff at (603) 356-2137 ext. 285. Late tour arrivals may not be accommodated, so please plan to arrive on time for your tour. Tours cancelled within 48 hours are not eligible for a refund.  

Weather station tours may be subject to last-minute cancellations due to unseasonable weather conditions that may limit your ability to reach the summit via hiking, the Mt. Washington Auto Road or Mount Washington Cog Railway Company. Please check weather conditions before your visit on our higher summits forecast and current conditions website page. If you believe your trip might be cancelled due to weather, please contact the Mt. Washington Auto Road at (603) 466-3988 or Mount Washington Cog Railway Company at (800) 922-8825 to check their operational status.

If you are delayed or need to cancel your tour reservation on the day of your tour, please call our museum staff at (603) 356-2137 ext. 285. Late tour arrivals may not be accommodated, so please plan to arrive on time. Tours cancelled within 48 hours are not eligible for a refund.

Plan on travel taking ONE hour, whether you travel on the Cog Railway or the Auto Road.

If you plan to take the Mount Washington Cog Railway to the summit, book a train departing from the base station ONE hour before the scheduled tour time. So, for a 10:00 AM tour, please book the 9:00 AM train.

If driving yourself up Mt. Washington Auto Road, please allow at least ONE hour to arrive on time. There can be a line at the base of the road, so it is best to enjoy your ride to the summit with some wiggle room before your tour.

For more operational information, please contact the Mount Washington Cog Railway Company or Mt. Washington Auto Road directly to confirm schedules and operational status.

Tours cancelled due to operational disruptions due to the Auto Road or Cog Railway will be eligible for a full refund.

No, we do not provide transportation to the summit. Signing up for a Weather Station Tour is for the tour only.

You can reach the summit via hiking, the Mt. Washington Auto Road or Mount Washington Cog Railway Company. All questions related to getting to the summit should be directed to these organizations.

Have a question? Contact us by email at info@mountwashington.org or by phone at 603-356-2137 ext. 225.