Cog Railway

We%26#39;re headed to Attitash, NH in 2 weeks with our 10 year old. One of the things we%26#39;re thinking of doing is the Cog Railroad up Mt. Washington. I looked at the website, though, and it seems kind of pricey....$57 per adult. Is it worth it?

Cog Railway

I did not enjoy my trip up the Cog. A slow ride up a big mountain. Crowded, smokey, no bathroom (might be an issue with a child, especially). Others might love it. This is only my opinion. A better trip might be the gondola ride up Wilcat. Scads cheaper and fun to walk around on top when you get there. NIce views. Of course, the top of Mt. Washington is awesome--I just prefer another way of getting there.

Cog Railway

Love it or hate it The Cog is a ';One of a Kind';. A toddler might find it a problem otherwise it%26#39;s spectacular!

Oops, sorry about the toddler menton. I must have misread your post. I%26#39;m sure your ten year old is tossing daggers at me!

The cog is one of the only steam cog railways in the world. it is an American Society of Mechanical Engineers historic landmark. It is a rare experience.

The Cog is worth the money IF everything is going in your favor...

First, watch the weather - no sense in taking a trip to the summit of Washington if you aren%26#39;t going to be able to see anything. Ask the hotel/motel where you are staying to bring up the Mt. Washington web site during your trip, the site has web cams showing the summit in several directions and one from the valley. Ask to see the views from the web cam and the weather report for the summit. If the forecast is for clouds - wait for a better day, you%26#39;ve got two weeks in the area - wait for good weather.

Second, don%26#39;t wear nice clothes, the engine blows smoke and soot, it%26#39;s coal fired, sit as far front as you can on the way up and even then be prepared to be peppered with soot if the wind is blowing the ';wrong'; direction.

On the way down, doesn%26#39;t matter where you sit as the engine isn%26#39;t fired up on the way down, gravity and the very skilled brakeman will get you to the bottom without the need for the engine.

Third, realize that your time on the summit to explore is limited to about 20-minutes that%26#39;s when ';your'; guaranteed seat on the train down is due to leave. You can stay longer on the summit, but run the risk of sitting on the floor on the way down if there are no seats available. This I believe is the greatest drawback to taking the train to the summit, 20-minutes on the summit isn%26#39;t a long enough time to really explore and view the summit.

I%26#39;ll vote to take the auto road up anytime over the summit (except maybe during the foliage season) the drive up and down is exhilarating, you have all the time in the world on the summit, no soot, all the conveniences of the trip are at hand in the trunk of your car for your visit to the summit and it costs way lot less to get to the same place that you are ready to drop $161 on getting too...take the auto road and then go out for a nice dinner, you%26#39;ll have spent your C-note and change and gotten a lot more for your money.