WMNF incident database
Mount Washington

How Many People Have Died on Mount Washington? 114 Hiking Deaths on Record

As of 2026, 114 people have died hiking Mount Washington in the documented record — out of 160 incidents in this database, 40 of which were survived. This counts hiking and backcountry incidents only — widely-cited mountain death tolls that include railway, auto-road, and aviation accidents run higher. The causes that recur most here are fall, medical, hypothermia. Higher counts partly reflect how heavily a peak is hiked, not just how dangerous it is — it’s hiked safely far more often than not, but it rewards real preparation.

160
Incidents
40
Survived
114
Fatal

Most common causes on Mount Washington

  • Fall62 incidents
  • Medical27 incidents
  • Hypothermia23 incidents
  • Avalanche17 incidents
  • Lost8 incidents
  • Other6 incidents

Where incidents happen on Mount Washington

Trails and locations named in 34 of the 160 records. Not every report specifies a location, so treat this as where incidents are documented, not a complete map of risk.

Trail or locationIncidentsDeaths
Tuckerman Ravine1910
Ammonoosuc Ravine93
Crawford Path87
Lion Head Trail64
Jewell Trail61
Huntington Ravine5—
Dry River43
John Sherburne Ski Trail22
Peabody River22
Near the Lizzie Bourne monument22
Glen House Bridle Path22
Central Gully, Huntington Ravine21

One record each: Gulfside Trail, Raymond Cataract, Great Gulf Trail, Yale Gully, Huntington Ravine, Glen Boulder Trail, The Chute, Damnation Gully, Huntington Ravine, Near Lakes of the Clouds Hut, Near Cog Base Station, Nelson Crag, East side of the summit cone, Pinkham Notch Road, Jefferson Brook, Cog Railway service trail, Alpine Garden Trail, Sherburne Ski Trail, Wamsutta Trail, Airplane Gully, Cog Railway tracks, Cutler River drainage / Mount Washington Auto Road, Mount Washington Cog Railway, Appalachian Trail / Madison Trail / Great Gulf Wilderness.

When incidents happen

Documented incidents by month. Darker = more. Incidents cluster in July; winter incidents skew toward ice and traction, summer toward heat and exhaustion.

JFMAMJJASOND
Survived4251596321
Fatal15131391098109853

Based on incidents with a known date. Use it to plan the season — not to assume any month is “safe.”

Mount Washington deaths by decade

Across the documented record (1849–2026), Mount Washington averages 0.6 hiking deaths per year — about 0.9 per year over the last 20 years. Averages flatten real variation: a single winter storm can account for several deaths in one year, and none the next.

DecadeIncidentsDeaths
1840s11
1850s22
1860s11
1870s22
1880s11
1890s10
1900s22
1910s10
1920s44
1930s88
1940s44
1950s99
1960s1010
1970s1212
1980s1313
1990s1717
2000s1712
2010s1911
2020s365

Rescue records are documented far more consistently in recent decades than in the historical archive, so rising incident counts reflect improving records as much as changing risk. The fatality column is the more comparable series.

Every documented incident on Mount Washington

Each links to the full sourced report.

Planning to hike Mount Washington? Most of these were survivable with preparation. Check current conditions and the best-day forecast for Mount Washington and the Mount Washington summit weather forecast before you go.

Frequently asked

Is Mount Washington dangerous to hike?+

Mount Washington appears in 160 documented incidents in this database, including 114 fatal. The most common contributing factors here are fall, medical, hypothermia. Higher counts partly reflect how heavily a peak is hiked, not just how dangerous it is — Mount Washington is hiked safely far more often than not. Check the forecast, carry the Ten Essentials, start early, and be willing to turn back when conditions or daylight run short.

How many people have died on Mount Washington?+

This database documents 114 deaths on Mount Washington out of 160 recorded incidents. The record reaches back into the historical archive and is updated as new reports are reviewed, so it captures the documented fatality record plus a growing, primary-sourced sample of rescues — not a complete tally of every call.

Which trails on Mount Washington have the most incidents?+

Of the records that name a location, Tuckerman Ravine has 19 (10 fatal), Ammonoosuc Ravine has 9 (3 fatal), Crawford Path has 8 (7 fatal), Lion Head Trail has 6 (4 fatal). Counts partly track how heavily each trail is used, so a busy route will out-count a harder one. Many reports don't name a trail at all, so this is where incidents are documented rather than a complete map of risk.

What is the Mount Washington death rate — how many people die per year?+

Across the documented record (1849–2026), Mount Washington averages about 0.6 hiking deaths per year — 114 deaths over 178 years. Over the last 20 years (2007–2026) the rate is about 0.9 per year, from 18 recorded deaths. These are hiking and backcountry deaths only; totals that also count railway, auto-road, and aviation accidents run higher. Averages also flatten real variation — a single bad winter storm can account for several deaths in one year.

Part of the WMNF Hiker Incident Database. This tracks hiking and backcountry incidents — widely-cited mountain death tolls also count non-hiking fatalities (railway and auto-road accidents, aircraft, skiing, natural causes at the summit) that this database doesn't. Counts reflect the documented record, not every call NH Fish and Game responds to.