The Kancamagus Highway (New Hampshire)

The start of the Kancamagus Highway in Lincoln, NH — 36 miles of White Mountain National Forest with no gas, food, or lodging along the way.

The western end of the Kancamagus Highway at Lincoln, NH, where NH-112 meets I-93.

Now before we go a mile farther, you ought to know whose name is on this road — because it belongs to a real man, and his is a hard story. Name's Ranger Boone Merrick, and I'll be telling you the tales along the Kanc.…

Otter Rocks & the Hancock Branch — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

Ghost Rails in the Woods — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

The Lincoln Woods trailhead — the Pemigewasset River's East Branch and the gateway to the Pemigewasset Wilderness, once a vast logging operation.

Take a good look at all this deep green forest around you, because I'm about to tell you it's a lie — or near enough. Pull up a seat, friend. A hundred and some years ago, a man very nearly erased it. His name was Ja…

Moose, Bear, and the Neighbors — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

Climbing into the White Mountains: the granite geology of the Granite State and the northern hardwood forest that lights up in fall.

The Hairpin & the Hancock Overlook — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

The Curse of Chocorua — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

Kancamagus Pass, the highway's highest point at about 2,855 feet, on the shoulder of Mount Kancamagus.

The Overlooks at the Top — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

High and cold up here near the top of the pass, this is a fit place to tell you about the greatest sachem these mountains ever knew — Passaconaway himself, grandfather of the chief this road is named for. They call me…

The Road Itself — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

The Swift River, which the highway follows down its eastern half — a classic White Mountain river of ledges, pools, and rapids.

Sabbaday Falls — a spectacular multi-tiered falls and flume gorge reached by an easy, mostly-flat 0.3-mile walk from a signed parking area.

The Town That Isn't There — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

Champney Falls & the Trails — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

Slow down through here, and let me tell you the saddest, truest tale on this whole road. It happened at the little house you're passing — the Russell-Colbath house, one of the last old homesteads left in these woods.…

Rocky Gorge Scenic Area — a narrow chute where the whole Swift River funnels through solid granite, with a footbridge to quiet Falls Pond.

Written by Ice and Water — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

Lower Falls — the highway's favorite swimming spot on the Swift River, and a stretch where people still pan for flecks of real gold.

The Albany Covered Bridge, a wooden covered bridge over the Swift River built in 1858, just off the highway on Passaconaway Road.

The Last of the Covered Bridges — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

Views toward Mount Chocorua, one of the most photographed peaks in New England, as the highway descends toward Conway.

How to Read the Foliage — a stop on the Kancamagus Highway.

The eastern start of the Kancamagus Highway at Conway, NH — for drivers heading west toward Lincoln. No gas, food, or lodging along the 34-mile route.

The eastern end of the Kancamagus Highway at Conway, where NH-112 meets NH-16.