Mount Washington and Monroe via Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail

Decided to take the less common route to Washington. Successful day with Washington not being completely in the clouds. Although sadly disappointed that the highest peak in the Northeast doesn't have a complete 360 view without buildings in the way... thankfully we summited Monroe and got the views we wanted. Loved all the water throughout the trail even on the way up to Washington from the hut.

Start further down the road from the cog railway adds some nice trails and distance and convenient parking. Great and very challenging hike. Ammo trail up can be very wet as it goes along the river and has a lot of drainage. Couple miles before the tree line/hut gets very steep and is tough slogging. Rocks on Crawford Path and the upper part of Jewell are brutal - take your time. Views going down Jewell are great and the lower part of Jewell is really nice (and completely empty of people when I was there). My phone says it was 13 miles (I started from the trailhead further away) but it’s probably around 11 or so.

Ammonoosuc Ravine trail is beautiful but challenging in damp weather. plan accordingly to have several water crossings, waterproof boots are a must. We we're in fog/rain but enjoyed the hike up. I wish there were more/better blazes, but it was a bit of a treasure hunt, nothing to panic over.

It's a direct route to the Hut which was nice. After a quick bathroom break we hiked to Monroe. Again, the view is probably amazing, we saw white. We were there, however, for the Flags on the 48, which was cool. Backtracking to the Hut was easy and the hike up to Mt Washington summit was not bad. The boulder fields are rough and I was definitely glad that those were done when we reached the top!

We passes three amazing young 20ish kids lugging 60-90lb packs of food from the summit to the Hut. That made me feel like a fool for complaining about a few silly boulders.

Well, well, well.
This hike doesn't have many reviews so I hope I can help some of you who might be thinking of doing this.
I started at 8:45 from the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail. The ranger at the beginning told me I should try the loop that connects mount Washington directly to the parking lot. I wasn't planning on this but debated it the entire ascend. About 15 minutes into the hike, you cross a river. Almost everyone I spoke to got lost here because there is no clear trail path. Cross the river. Go to your right. You will see the trail shortly. The majority of the hike has no markers.
The first mile is pretty standard hiking. Rocks and roots and some pretty cascades. You will see Gem Pool.
The next two miles to "the hut" are fairly steep. Your second mile on the trail has many small boulders to climb up and the last mile is mainly slabs of granite.
I reached the hut by noon. It was fairly crowded with a little merchandise store and snacks for a couple bucks. And a place to fill up water! The area around the hut had the most wind for me, so I put on my flannel and wind breaker and headed up to mount Washington.
This was a very difficult ascent because you are climbing rocks the size of your feet and never know which ones will move. It took me about an hour and a half of slow walking and I made it to the summit via Crawfords Path!
It's good to know though, you probably won't get a picture with the summit sign since the tourist who drive up maul it. There were 40+ people waiting for a picture when I was there. I said "nah" and headed down to save time.
I ended up going back the way I came along Crawfords path. It took me another hour and a half and was back to "the hut" by 3. It was packed with people, but many of them weren't hiking down it camping for the night!
My descent was a lonely one. I didn't see many people and the trail wasn't marked well so I was nervous for most of it. It took me about two hours, but let me tell you, it was a hard two hours.

Did I see kids?
Yes, only to the hut. Not to MW.

Did I see dogs?
Yes, many!

Traffic?
Going up in the morning, lots of people.
Going down in the afternoon, a handful.

Easy, moderate, difficult?
Difficult, for sure!

Things I'm glad I packed?
Wind breaker!
Two nalgenes as opposed to one
FOOD

Is the information on here correct?
It's actually over nine miles according to the trail markers! 3 miles to the hut and 1.7 to MW
9.4 miles!!

Perfect day, started at 7 and made Monroe by 9:30ish. Incredible views, the hike over to Washington is tougher and further than it looks. Boulder hopping the first mile of descent was tough, but Jewell trail was pretty moderate after that. Definitely worth the effort!