Just spent the last several days in the Northern Presies doing Hut traverse, Lakes to Mad Hut, was awesome, as usual, with all kinds of weather...as usual!
Neil, you have Washington as your goal ("Best of Washington"), but have included Kings Ravine as approach, which is doable, but a long trip indeed.
K Rooney stated this as associated with Mt Adams, Jeff, Mad, ect, which is correct. If you went this way, might as well do an entire traverse!
Kings Ravine is no doubt a challenge climb, with all the large boulders at the ravine floor, to the headwall, all fun scrambling. (We went down it yesterday just for a change, and is probably much harder that way! )
By comparison, Great Gulf trail is the next best thing, with a large 1600ft headwall approach more direct to Mt Washinton.
If you divert off trial slightly to the left side of headwall, just above last water runoff, then you got the best scramble in the east with 1000 vert ft of class 3 bouldering!
The bottom half of the GG trail is long and easy, but you can make a complete loop from Great Gulf trail, up headwall, up summit, then down Nelson Criag, to Jackson Road, to Madison Gulf (or ??), back to Great Gulf and out.
That would be one heck of a decent daytrip loop too!
I did this on an overnight BP trip about a month ago, was awesome!
The east routes up from Pinkham, which includes Huntington, or Tucks, or Hillmans' will be more crowded on approaches. (Never heard of Hillman's done with no snow, could be damaging to brush and alpine veg., and NOT cool IMO)
We did "Ammo" up to Lakes on Sunday, was nice with the waterfalls and mixed slab, but all quite easy....and I know you (Neil) are looking for the tougher routes.
So, my "best of Washington" would be from Great Gulf.
And Huntington Ravine as "Standard" best daytrip.
But as Giggy pointed out, they are all the best!
The Presidential range is unique in all aspects, best scrambling in the east.
Jeff