There were a total of 106,734 people making the trip up the five-mile highway, which celebrated its 90th anniversary this season. It was the most users since 1976, which saw 115,286 visitors, according to Whiteface Mountain Sales and Marketing Manager Lauren Garfield.

She added that there were a total of 36,808 vehicles, which included cars, trucks, buses, campers and motorcycles. On top of that, there were also 1,255 bicycles. The busiest single day of the season was Aug. 31, which saw 2,181 visitors and 714 vehicles.

There were also 2,673 visitors who took the Whiteface Summit Shuttle bus this year, according to Garfield. It was a new initiative this year that offered visitors a trip up at a reduced rate. It aimed to cut down on congestion and wait times — as there are limited parking spots at the summit and only a finite number of vehicles allowed up at a time, resulting in lines at the toll booth at times.

The busy year builds on three years of sustained increases to highway visitation, which cratered during 2020 when it was operated on a limited-use basis, without access to summit facilities, during the coronavirus pandemic. The usage stats for the last 11 years are below:

A rare early-morning rainbow is seen from along the Whiteface Mountain Veterans’ Memorial Highway on Thursday. (Provided photo — Scott McKim)

¯ 2015: 78,752 visits

¯ 2016: 96,178 visits

¯ 2017: 89,252 visits

¯ 2018: 82,052 visits

¯ 2019: 104,289 visits

¯ 2020: 68,449 visits

¯ 2021: 84,064 visits

¯ 2022: 77,570 visits

¯ 2023: 80,383 visits

¯ 2024: 98,014 visits

¯ 2025: 106,716 visits

The paved highway climbs roughly 2,300 feet from the toll house, taking visitors to the summit castle, with either stairway or elevator access to the mountain’s 4,867-foot summit. The fifth tallest in the state, its bald summit offers 360-degree views, with prominent features including Lake Placid and numerous other High Peaks.

The highway is expected to reopen in mid-May 2026. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/48mkbdar.