Mt. Washington - Cog Rail Trail - 1-8-2026 - NewEnglandTrailConditions.com

Hiking Trail Conditions Report
	Peaks	Mt. Washington, NH

	Trails:	Cog Rail Trail

	Date of Hike:	Thursday, January 8, 2026

	Parking/Access Road Notes:	$10 in envelope per person and put down your emergency contact phone# or pay at electronic kiosk in hiker/skier lot.

	Surface Conditions:	Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular

	Recommended Equipment:	Snowshoes

	Water Crossing Notes:	not applicable

	Trail Maintenance Notes:	None. Immaculate. When I descended I noticed equipment came up to Waumbek Station today and in the process graded the under pass which is a way to cross under the tracks or skiers, boarders and hikers.

	Dog-Related Notes:	none seen

	Bugs:	a snow flea in snowbank at parking lot

	Lost and Found:	Unfortunately I dropped my 16 oz white nalgene on some slab overlooking toward clay. I was going to get it but the wind gust and I don't know where it blew to. I you find it, keep it.


	Comments:	Morning forecast freezing fog then clearing around noon with clouds and winds lessening. Fog and low clouds til about the West Side trail around 11:30. Saw a half dozen hikers and several snowboarders and a dozen skiers. A hiker started when I did and went up Jewell Spur from cog.They reported low visibility so hard to follow Jewell above treeline and Gulfside. We submitted Washington within minutes of each other and both descended Cog Rail Trail. It was not terribly cold but the wind gusts/sustained wind really last quarter mile seemed to be around 60 to 70 mph Summit after noontime clear and sunny and same for descent until below treeline where it was cloudy but warm and no wind. The surface up and down was either packed or windswept without much ice or drifts. I used snowshoes from car and to car. I carried K-10's but did not feel the need. Recent snow filled in some of the summit rocks nicely.

	Name:	Diane

	E-Mail:

	Date Submitted:	2026-01-08

	Link:	https://
		Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense.