Mount Washington and Monroe via Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail is a 9.9 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Lincoln, New Hampshire that features a lake and is rated as difficult. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail.
Note: There is a $10 fee per person. Some scrambling can be required for this trail. Beware of icy conditions.
Went up Ammo, summited Monroe, up and over Washington and down Jewel Trail. Icy, but very doable with spikes. Very windy in the afternoon, but came prepared! Bring balaclava, googles, waterproof gloves, gaiters, can be treacherous and hard to follow the trail while above treelike!!
Hiked up the Ammo trail. Had to put on microspikes about .75 miles from Monroe summit. Very icy, windy and spitting snow above 4000’ today. Needed to wear a balaclava and goggles. Summmiting Monroe was moderate. Took the Crawford Path to Washington. 70 mph gust and five below zero temps made a challenging traverse. Washington was almost unbearable at the summit unless you hid behind a building. Followed the Cog down. Moderate straight hike down. 5.3 hour round trip, frozen water bladder, no views, but a great day!
Saturday October 24, 2020. Cloudy with intermittent rain 0.5-1 inches. Temp 55-37F at Trailhead 25F at summits. Winds 15-25 mph along trail. Beyond tree line and summit - 45-50 mph with 70 mph gusts. Beautiful Ammonoosuc riverside hike up with innumerable cascades and waterfalls all along. Several river crossings. Beyond tree line visibility was less than 20 feet with wind gusts and rain. Boulder hopping most of the way. Below tree line on Jewell trail was a pleasant hike down. Had to wade through swollen Ammonoosuc river at the very end!
Snowy conditions today, not able to summit. Made it 1.4 miles before the summit. Very treacherous, gorgeous. Glad we are down safe and sound
Amazing hike following the first real snow of the season. Had to bail on the ascent to Washington... waist-high drifts were too much after Monroe.
Hiked 10/17. Night and morning snow added up to 14+ inches. Hoped to peak Mount Washington, but no chance in this weather. Hard to see trail and rocks under the snow. Steep climb with poor footing. Turned back before reaching Lake of the Clouds. Snow covered forest was beautiful! Will be back again to try the summit.
Attempt to get Monroe and Jefferson skipping Washington up via the Ammonusuc Trail. After summiting Monroe and back to the Lake of the Clouds before heading out on the Crawford Path to the Westside Trail to Gulfside Trail. I was hoping to make my way over to Jefferson and then down the Caps Ridge Trail but the winds were so fierce crossing the Westside Trail that I bailed down the Jewell Trail. After 4 miles above treeline in that wind I had enough getting knocked down and didn't want to risk having that happen on the Caps Ridge descent. But it was a beautiful hike nonetheless. Monroe is a favorite of mine and that long exposure in the Alpine Zone from Monroe across the Presidential Range is gorgeous.
This trail should be rated expert. Ice on the steep rocks yesterday going up the Ammonoosuc made scrambling very treacherous. We started in the early morning leaving 3 extra hours as leeway and still got caught for 2 hours in the dark down the Jewell trail boulders.
This was my second time doing the Ammonoosuc Ravine but first time grabbing Monroe and first time taking the Jewel down. The Ravine is an amazing trail. While there are strenuous sections, the trail maintenance is outstanding. From the hut to Monroe is easy and quick. Very much worth it. Great views. Taking the Gulfside to the Jewel was painful. Great views but it’s narrow and tedious. As is the first half of the Jewel going down. Just a lot of uneven rocks which make it tedious. The second half of the Jewel is much better. But all in all a great loo to do.
I could not have asked for better weather on Saturday the 26th. This is an amazing trail and I met so many beautiful people on this trail. I made the mistake of thinking I would camp. There are no campsites to speak of until the hut, and for me the hike became grueling because of the camping gear and food and my photo gear, not a smart move, but no regrets here. As a result I was stranded at nightfall halfway up the mountain scrambling to make camp wherever I could. This is a great trek for ultralight hikers. I made the trail in 2 sections and the summit at Mt Washington was in the clouds. I was too exhausted to hit Mt Monroe. You could definitely hit the Lake of the Clouds Hut and leave your stuff there to summit Monroe and pick it up on the way to Mt Washington.
Took the ammonoosuc ravine trail up. I wouldn’t want to go down it, it’s very steep. Hut is closed to visitors but lake of the clouds was awesome none the less. Did Monroe then Washington. The fog cleared for Monroe but came back for Washington. Jewel on the way down had some awesome and breath taking view once I got out of the fog. The Meandering side to side going down jewel was brutal on the knees. Wished is would have been clear but great hike none the less.