KANCAMAGUS HIGHWAY

The Kancamagus Highway, also known as New Hampshire Route 112, is a National Scenic Byway in New Hampshire's White Mountains, connecting Lincoln and Conway for 35 miles through the White Mountain National Forest. It offers panoramic views, especially of fall foliage, and features overlooks and hiking opportunities to waterfalls like Rocky Gorge and Sabbaday Falls. The Kancamagus Highway opened in August 1959, after two dead-end stretches of road were linked, creating a connection between US 3 in Lincoln and NH 16 in Conway. The road was paved in 1964, and in the winter of 1966–67 it was plowed for the first time.

I visited in September 2025, for my first real road trip with ‘Red Rocket’: my home in upstate New York to Acadia National Park in Maine, via the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The Kancamagus Highway, known to locals as "The Kanc," is often misspelled and mis-pronounced Kangamangus Highway, Kangumangus Hiway or Kancamangus Highway. The correct way pronounce Kancamagus is "Kank-ah-mah-gus." It is also known as the Kancamagus Scenic Byway, having been officially designated a National Scenic Byway in 1996, part of the Federal Highway Department’s National Scenic Byways Program, which recognizes roads in the United States that have outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, or archaeological qualities.

For more information on the Kancamagus, visit https://kancamagushighway.com.

Much of NH-112 runs alongside the Pemigewasset River. The river originates in the area known as the Pemigewasset Wilderness, in the heart of the White Mountains, near Franconia Notch, and flows south through towns Lincoln, as well as Woodstock, Plymouth, and other towns, eventually joining the Merrimack River. I visited during a drought, and most of the river appeared to me to a rock bed with some water flowing through it. I’m told that the amount of water is much more impressive after a heavy rain, as well as in spring after a snow melt.

At several points along the way I stopped to take pictures of the Pemigewasset. There are points along the Kancamagus Highway where the river creates pools of water that have become local swimming holes, and although temperatures weren’t particularly warm for a September day I spotted people swimming in them on a number of occasions. (Local campers, finding a lack of bathing opportunities at the six campsites here, may just do a bit of eco-friendly bathing in the river, though I was careful not to get any photos of that).

The Kanc is perfect for an EV road trip, what with stunning scenery on both side and a number of overlooks. These include:

• Hancock Overlook, near the Lincoln end, before the hairpin turn; this offers a dramatic view of the Osceola Range and Hancock Notch, and is said to be a great spot for sunrise photos and photos on a foggy day;

• Pemigewasset Overlook, near the summit of Kancamagus Pass; one of the highest stops at ~2,855 feet elevation, offering wide panoramic views of the Pemigewasset Wilderness;

• CL Graham Wangan Overlook, east of Kancamagus Pass, descending toward Conway; offering views of rolling hills and distant mountains;

• Sugar Hill Overlook, closer to the Conway side; this overlook offers Sweeping views of the Swift River Valley and surrounding peaks, and is said to offer photographers prime foliage backdrops later in the fall.

Several other areas offer amazing views, as well, including:

• Rocky Gorge Scenic Area – Beautiful waterfalls and pools on the Swift River.

• Sabbaday Falls – A short hike to a scenic waterfall in a gorge.

• Albany Covered Bridge – A classic New England covered bridge over the Swift River. I was surprised by this bridge - my GPS lead me over it - and although I would have liked to have stopped for photos, angry locals unhappy about sharing their pedestrian bridge with vehicular traffic lead me to keep it moving.

• Lower Falls Scenic Area – Popular swimming spot with great river views.

Overall I found the Kancamagus to be beautiful - but I have to admit that it doesn't quite match the grandeur of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a road trip I took in 2022. The Kanc offers a compact drive filled with forested overlooks and rugged peaks, yet its relatively short length and limited variety can’t compare to the expansive, multi-state journey of the Blue Ridge, with its weaves through the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, its dramatic ridgelines, deep valleys, and a constantly shifting landscape that changes in both altitude and ecology.

Where NH-112 gives you a few stunning moments, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers an immersive experience that unfolds over hundreds of miles—each turn revealing a new vista more breathtaking than the last. That said, I haven’t done either during fall foliage, so maybe my opinion might be changed were my trips to have occurred in the fall, instead of late-summer (Kanc) or early spring (Parkway).

Curious to hear your views?

I did encounter motorcyclists and car enthusiasts on their own road trips during this trip, including one import race duo I shared several overlooks with. At one point I turned to a woman who was taking a photo of a man standing in front of a Camaro at an overlook, offering my services in case she wanted a picture of both of them; she rolled her eyes and said “Nope, this is ALL HIM.” That made me chuckle… not everyone gets the connection road trippers have with their vehicles, but some are lucky enough to have someone to come along to take the picture, at least. I continued packing up my tripod and got out of there.

I did take a moment to put my “Stage IV Tesla” sticker on the backs of signs, along with the others already there, along the way. I’m always careful not to cover anyone else’s sticker. Sometimes I take a moment to look up the websites they represent, wondering what other road trippers are posting online. Here, unfortunately, I often had no data, so I missed a few. I’ll have to upgrade to satellite if that’s ever in the budget.

I’d love to return to see these rivers at their peak… and I’d definitely enjoy this area during peak foliage season, as well. But it’s likely that this trip will be a true ‘bucket list’ trip - checked off, and not to be repeated. It seems like more of a passing-thru trip, as opposed to a destination drive like some of the others I’ve done.

My next stop would be Acadia National Park, which might well be a return trip - you can read more about that [coming soon]. So who knows - a return to the Kanc might be in the cards as I pass through, after all…