Bucket List · Bucket list route
Presidential Traverse
Madison, Adams, Jefferson, Clay, Washington, Monroe, Franklin, Eisenhower, Pierce. Most of the traverse is above treeline on a mountain that once recorded a 231 mph wind gust. It is the classic New England mountain day.
- Distance
- ~23 miClassic north-to-south
- Climbing
- ~9,000 ft
- Summits
- 7 to 10
- High point
- Mount Washington, 6,288 ft
- Typical time
- 7 to 14 hours
- Record wind
- 231 mph, measured here
The Presidential Traverse links the summits of the Presidential Range in a single push, usually run north to south from Appalachia trailhead to Crawford Notch. Roughly 23 miles with 9,000 feet of climbing, and something like 12 to 15 miles of it above treeline on the exposed alpine ridge.
That exposure is the whole story. Mount Washington's summit has some of the most violent recorded weather on earth, with a measured 231 mph gust and conditions that can go from T-shirt to survival in under an hour, in July. The traverse is not technically hard. It is hard because there is nowhere to hide.
How to get in
- Self-supportedPoint to point, with a shuttle
No permit or fee. The standard is a car shuttle between Appalachia trailhead on Route 2 and the Highland Center or Crawford Notch. The AMC hiker shuttle runs in season and solves the problem cheaply. Some people run a 'single Pres' out and back or use the auto road for logistics on Washington.
Respect the ridge
- Read the higher summits forecast from the Mount Washington Observatory, not a valley forecast. They are frequently describing different planets.
- Carry full layers. Shell, insulation, gloves, hat, headlamp. People die of exposure on this ridge in summer.
- Know your bail-outs. Every col has a descent route into the valley or to a hut. Learn them before you start, not during.
- The huts are lifelines. Madison Spring and Lakes of the Clouds are on the route and sell water, food, and shelter in season.
- The rock is relentless. The Gulfside Trail and the Washington approach are boulder fields. Ankles work hard.
Questions runners actually ask
How long does the Presidential Traverse take?
Fit trail runners typically take seven to fourteen hours for the classic 23 mile north-to-south route. Weather, not fitness, is the usual reason people take much longer or turn back.
Do I need a permit?
No. The only logistics are a car shuttle between the northern and southern trailheads, and the AMC hiker shuttle covers that in season.
Go to the source
Entry rules, dates, standards, fees, and odds change every single year, and the interesting races change them the most. Use this guide to build the plan; use the official site to confirm the details before you book anything.
If this is your kind of thing
Need the races in between? The hard part of a bucket list year is everything else on the calendar: the qualifier, the tune-up, the long run with a bib on.