Roadside New Gloucester: Things you can see on your daytime ride around town
| Tom Driscoll |
Mt. Washington is clearly visible this time of year from the Upper Village in New Gloucester.
Looking west from the intersection of Route 202 and Bald Hill Road, you can best see the snow-capped 6,288-foot summit when the following conditions are present: the leaves are down, the sky is clear, and the sun is shining from the east (earlier in the day).
For highway safety, the driver should keep their eyes on the road, and the passengers can try to see the mountain. If there are no other vehicles around and you can safely slow down a bit, you may enjoy a brief but stunning tip-top sighting.
Spring is the best time of year to see Mt. Washington from the Upper Village. Later, when the hardwood trees have leafed out for the summer, a ridgeline just to the west blocks the line of sight, and when the mountain snow has melted, the distant summit blends in with the foreground.
Winter viewing is possible, but the snow-covered New Hampshire White Mountains blend in with Maine’s snowy white coastal plain and foothills, making for little contrast.
Summer viewing is rare as the atmosphere is most often cloudy or otherwise obscured, the line of sight is blocked by trees, and the summit is no longer white and reflecting the sunlight.
Keep looking and you will eventually have your “Oh wow… I see it!” moment.
“Roadside New Gloucester” is an occasional dispatch about some noteworthy things you can see while passing by in your vehicle – things you may not have seen before but you will likely not be able to unsee in the future. –T.D.
