- Resort or Ski Area
- Backcountry
- Date
- Jan 17, 2026
- Snow Conditions
-
- Powder
- Packed Powder
Cog Railway Base Station: 2700 feet
Waumbek Station: 4000 feet
Vertical drop: 1300 feet
Estimated Trail Rating: Blue Square, gentle pitch, ungroomed
Time Required: 1 hour round trip
Winter Train Frequency: 4 trains on weekdays, 6 on Saturdays/Holidays, 5 on Sundays
Cost per round trip (one-way tickets are not sold in winter): $59 on Saturdays/Holidays, $54 all other days
$14 for lunch (hot dog or bratwurst to cook in the fire pit, or pb&j )
$4 for s’mores kit
Free coffee, hot chocolate, and marshmallows for roasting
Tickets and additional info (recommend window seat on left): https://www.thecog.com/
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“The Cog” is a popular backcountry route, running alongside the historic cog railway (worlds first, opened 1869) from the 2700 foot Marshfield Station base to the 6288 summit of the northeast’s highest peak Mount Washington
I am too old and out of shape to climb up Mt Washington but there is an alternative …
During winter, the railway runs trains one third of the way up the mountain to the “newly renovated and expanded” (but still very basic) Waumbek Station at 4000 feet. At first it might seem disappointing that the winter train does not go all the way to the summit or even the Jacob’s Ladder tresthe. But of course the top of Mt Washington is notorious for having the worlds worst winter weather, they even promote it. And for perspective, there are only 4 chairlifts in all of New England that have top terminals above 4000 feet (4165 Sugarloaf Timberline, 4133 Killington K1, 4058 Sugarbush Summit, 4035 Cannon Cannonball. Wildcat top terminal technically 3972 according to Google Earth)
Saturday of MLK weekend I thought would be a good day to escape the crowds at the big corporate resorts and check it out. For a beginning backcountry skier, the train offers a lot of advantages:
Waumbek Station: 4000 feet
Vertical drop: 1300 feet
Estimated Trail Rating: Blue Square, gentle pitch, ungroomed
Time Required: 1 hour round trip
Winter Train Frequency: 4 trains on weekdays, 6 on Saturdays/Holidays, 5 on Sundays
Cost per round trip (one-way tickets are not sold in winter): $59 on Saturdays/Holidays, $54 all other days
$14 for lunch (hot dog or bratwurst to cook in the fire pit, or pb&j )
$4 for s’mores kit
Free coffee, hot chocolate, and marshmallows for roasting
Tickets and additional info (recommend window seat on left): https://www.thecog.com/
********************
“The Cog” is a popular backcountry route, running alongside the historic cog railway (worlds first, opened 1869) from the 2700 foot Marshfield Station base to the 6288 summit of the northeast’s highest peak Mount Washington
I am too old and out of shape to climb up Mt Washington but there is an alternative …
During winter, the railway runs trains one third of the way up the mountain to the “newly renovated and expanded” (but still very basic) Waumbek Station at 4000 feet. At first it might seem disappointing that the winter train does not go all the way to the summit or even the Jacob’s Ladder tresthe. But of course the top of Mt Washington is notorious for having the worlds worst winter weather, they even promote it. And for perspective, there are only 4 chairlifts in all of New England that have top terminals above 4000 feet (4165 Sugarloaf Timberline, 4133 Killington K1, 4058 Sugarbush Summit, 4035 Cannon Cannonball. Wildcat top terminal technically 3972 according to Google Earth)
Saturday of MLK weekend I thought would be a good day to escape the crowds at the big corporate resorts and check it out. For a beginning backcountry skier, the train offers a lot of advantages:
- No uphill effort
- No chance of getting lost
- Gentle pitch
- As the train inches up the mountain at less than 5 mph, you can scrutinize the entire route before you ski it
- Zero commitment, if you don’t like the conditions you see, skip the skiing and take the train back down to the base
- There is no ski patrol, but if you get injured, you will likely be spotted before long. Although there are plenty of uphillers, for maximum safety I recommend NOT taking the last train of the day, to guarantee another train after you to “sweep up”
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