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Driving Tours
The Fearless One: The Kancamagus Highway
Backroads of New England: Your Guide to New
England's Most Superb Scenic Backroad Adventures
Excerpted from "Backroads of New England," Text ©
2004 by Kim Knox Beckius. Published by Voyageur Press, Inc. 123
North Second Street, Stillwater, MN 55082 USA 1-800-888-9653
All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Route
Follow Route 112, the Kancamagus Highway, west from Conway
to Lincoln.
New Hampshire's National Scenic Byway with the tongue-twister
name--the Kancamagus Highway--is New England's most superb scenic
drive. You can call it "the Kanc" for short, as locals
do, and you can revel in the pure pleasure of motoring through
this thickly treed mountain gap, as more than a million visitors
do each year.
The 34-mile road cuts an east-west channel through the 800,000-acre
White Mountain National Forest. When the dense stands of leafy
deciduous trees exchange their summer greens for the dazzling
shades of autumn, they are illuminated against the immutable
evergreen of their coniferous counterparts, making this a most
dramatic and beloved leaf-peeping route. Motorcyclists relish
the twists and turns as the highway climbs to nearly 3,000 feet
at the peak of Mount Kancamagus. Easily accessible trailheads
summon hikers, and rocky swimming holes, carved by erosion, lure
families craving relief from summer's swelter.
Though it maintains a legendary reputation among scenery seekers,
the Kancamagus Highway is a relatively new route, as New England
scenic byways go. Some old logging roads and town roads edged
into the rugged National Forest, which was set aside for conservation
by the federal government in 1911, but a connection between Conway
and Lincoln was not completed until 1959. The road was paved
in 1964, and in 1968 it was plowed for the first time, allowing
for year-round traffic. New Hampshire State Route 112 is named
for Chief Kancamagus, "The Fearless One." Kancamagus
was the last leader of the Penacook Confederacy, a union of more
than seventeen central New England Indian tribes, first forged
by Kancamagus' grandfather, Passaconaway, in 1627. Kancamagus
tried to maintain peace between his people and encroaching English
settlers, but war and bloodshed forced the tribes to scatter,
with most retreating to northern New Hampshire and Canada.
At the Saco Ranger Station just west of Conway, you can pick
up a map and begin to plot your stops at the various well-designated
scenic overlooks, campgrounds, picnic areas, hiking trails, and
historic sites along the Kanc. Unless you plan to drive straight
through without stopping, you'll also need to purchase a parking
pass. A visitor information center is also located on the western
end of the Kanc in Lincoln, should you decide to drive the route
in reverse.
As you enter the White Mountain National Forest, you'll notice
that the highway follows the path of the Swift River, which is
studded with large boulders that create an obstacle course for
the water. The river surges as mountain snows melt in the spring,
but the flow slows come summertime. The first popular stop on
the route is Covered Bridge Campground, where you can walk across
the wooden Albany Covered Bridge, built over the Swift River
in 1858 and restored in 1970. The campground's 2½-mile
Boulder Loop Trail offers hikers views of the river and of 3,475-foot
Mount Chocorua to the south. The Lower Falls Scenic Area is a
popular steamy-weather hangout for those who want to sunbathe
on the rocks or splash in the shallow pools. It's a great place
to watch for whitewater boaters when the river is raging with
runoff in the spring.
The cascading Upper Falls at the Rocky Gorge Scenic Area provide
a soothing natural soundtrack for sunbathers. Swimming in this
steep-walled gorge is not permitted. The Lovequist Loop Trail
around Falls Pond is an easy and enjoyable walk in the woods.
Continue the drive west to the Passaconaway Historic Site, where
a tour of the Russell Colbath House may leave you shaking your
head. Built by sawmill operator Thomas Russell in 1832, the small
home was inherited in 1887 by his granddaughter, Ruth Priscilla,
and her husband, Thomas Alden Colbath. In 1891, Thomas left the
house one day, telling Ruth he would return "in a little
while." She hung a lantern in the window every evening-for
the ensuing thirty-nine years-as she awaited his return, but
she never saw him again. Three years after her death, you'll
never guess who showed up. Thomas Colbath's claims to the house
were denied, however, and he resumed his rambling ways.
A brief, not-too-strenuous hike of less than half a mile is required
to view the narrow flume and series of picturesque waterfalls
that make up Sabbaday Falls, one of the Kanc's most popular stops.
Back on the highway, your ears may start to pop as you begin
the ascent of Mount Kancamagus. Watch for the Sugar Hill, Pemigewasset,
and Hancock Overlooks, which all provide a place to park and
to appreciate the ruggedly handsome terrain. At first glance,
the mountaintops seem to be sporting buzz cuts, but further observation
will reveal the articulated pine line of individual evergreens
standing proudly atop granite summits. Big Rock Campground is
home to another old-fashioned swimming hole, known as Upper Lady's
Bath.
The Kancamagus Highway descends into Lincoln, home of the Loon
Mountain Ski Area and several family attractions. Most notable
is Clark's Trading Post and its beloved trained bears. In fact,
these bears are so well trained, and well fed, that even if they
somehow managed to wander off for "a little while,"
you can bet it wouldn't be forty-two years before they returned.
Excerpted from "Backroads of New England," a coffee
table and guide book featuring directions, narrative, maps, and
photography for 30 scenic drives in New England. Text (c) 2004
by Kim Knox Beckius. Published by Voyageur Press, Inc. All rights
reserved. Reprinted with permission.
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