Kancamagus Highway

The Kancamagus Highway is one of the most beautiful scenic drives in the eastern United States — a 34.5-mile route (the ‘Kanc’) winding through the heart of the White Mountain National Forest between Lincoln and Conway, New Hampshire, climbing to nearly 3,000 feet at Kancamagus Pass. Famously free of any commercial development, it passes through unbroken mountain forest, with sweeping overlooks, waterfalls, rivers and trailheads.

A National Scenic Byway, the Kancamagus is legendary for its fall foliage, when the mountainsides blaze with color and draw leaf-peepers from across the country. Along the way lie overlooks like the Hancock and Sugar Hill, the cascades of Sabbaday Falls and Lower Falls on the Swift River, swimming holes, picnic areas, campgrounds and countless trailheads into the Whites. A spectacular mountain drive, the Kancamagus Highway is a treasured natural icon of New Hampshire.

The Kancamagus Highway is a scenic drive with abundant stops — overlooks like Hancock, Pemigewasset and Sugar Hill with sweeping mountain views, the lovely Sabbaday Falls and the Swift River’s cascades and swimming holes (Lower Falls, Rocky Gorge), picnic areas, campgrounds, and many trailheads for hiking into the White Mountain National Forest and the Pemigewasset Wilderness. Driving the byway for the views and foliage, stopping at waterfalls and swimming holes, and hiking the trailheads are the signature draws. The combination of unbroken mountain scenery, waterfalls and trail access makes the ‘Kanc’ a premier drive.

Fall is legendary on the Kancamagus, when late September and early October bring some of the most spectacular foliage in the country and crowds of leaf-peepers (traffic is heavy at peak color), while summer offers lush green, swimming holes and full access, and spring brings rushing waterfalls. Winter is snowy and beautiful (the road stays open but mountain driving conditions apply). Fall for the legendary foliage, and summer for the swimming holes and hiking, are the highlights — come early in the day at peak foliage to beat the heavy traffic.

The White Mountains are significant to the Abenaki people, and the highway is named for Chief Kancamagus, a 17th-century leader of the Pennacook confederacy. The route through the mountains was completed and paved as a through-road in the 1960s, opening the heart of the White Mountain National Forest to scenic travel while being kept free of commercial development. It was designated a National Scenic Byway. The Kancamagus Highway preserves a spectacular, undeveloped mountain drive through the Whites, a treasured icon of New Hampshire.

The Kancamagus Highway crosses the granite heart of the White Mountains, climbing over Kancamagus Pass between river valleys carved by the Swift and Pemigewasset rivers and shaped by the Ice Age glaciers that sculpted the notches, valleys and peaks. Along the way, the Swift River tumbles over granite ledges at Rocky Gorge and Lower Falls, and Sabbaday Falls drops through a narrow flume. The granite mountains, the glacial valleys and the rivers cutting over the rock created the scenery the byway reveals.

The unbroken White Mountain forest along the Kancamagus hosts moose (sometimes seen along the road, especially at dawn and dusk), black bears, white-tailed deer, beavers, and a rich birdlife including boreal species, raptors and woodpeckers, while the Swift River and its tributaries hold trout. The vast surrounding national forest and the Pemigewasset Wilderness support abundant wildlife. The byway offers wildlife watching, with moose along the road and in the wetlands among the highlights, especially in the early morning and evening in the heart of the Whites.

The Kancamagus Highway runs through the heart of the White Mountain National Forest, an extensive ecosystem of northern hardwood and spruce-fir forest, clear rivers and streams, wetlands, and the adjacent Pemigewasset Wilderness, supporting abundant wildlife and (on the high peaks beyond) fragile alpine zones. The undeveloped corridor protects the forest’s scenic and ecological integrity. The rivers, forests and wilderness are sensitive to heavy use. Protecting the forest, the rivers and the wilderness sustains both the ecology and the spectacular scenery of the Kancamagus.

The Kancamagus Highway holds a treasured place among the icons of New Hampshire — one of the great scenic drives in America, a 34-mile byway through the unspoiled heart of the White Mountains, legendary for its fall foliage and kept free of commercial development, named for the Pennacook chief Kancamagus. The drive embodies the wild beauty of the White Mountain National Forest. The Kancamagus Highway is a cherished natural icon of New Hampshire.

The Kancamagus Highway is New Hampshire Route 112, running about 34.5 miles through the White Mountain National Forest between Lincoln (off Interstate 93) on the west and Conway (off Route 16) on the east, about two hours north of Boston. There is no toll, but a White Mountain National Forest recreation pass is required to park at the developed trailheads, overlooks and sites along the way. There are no gas stations or services on the highway itself — fuel up in Lincoln or Conway. Check the White Mountain National Forest for the recreation pass, conditions and foliage timing before driving.

The White Mountain National Forest protects the Kancamagus corridor and surrounding forest. Visitors help by parking only in designated areas (with the required recreation pass), staying on trails to protect the forest and riverbanks, not littering (pack out everything), respecting wildlife (never feeding moose or bears, and watching from a distance), protecting the rivers and swimming holes, preventing wildfire, and following all rules. The forest, the rivers and the wildlife are sensitive to the heavy foliage-season use. Protecting them sustains both the ecology and the scenery of the Kancamagus.

The Kancamagus is a winding mountain road with steep grades and no services — drive carefully, watch for wildlife (especially moose at dawn and dusk, a serious collision hazard), use pullouts to view scenery rather than stopping in the road, and fuel up beforehand. The Swift River’s swimming holes and ledges (Rocky Gorge, Lower Falls) have slippery rocks and dangerous currents (deaths have occurred — heed warnings and don’t jump or swim in hazardous spots). Winter brings snow and ice. Respect the winding road, the wildlife, the lack of services and the river hazards.

There is no toll, but a White Mountain National Forest recreation pass is required to park at developed trailheads, overlooks and sites. Park only in designated areas, not blocking the road. Stay on trails; protect the riverbanks and swimming holes. Camp only in designated campgrounds or per forest backcountry rules. Pets must be controlled. Drones are restricted. Do not feed wildlife. Prevent wildfire; follow fire rules. Pack out all trash. Check the White Mountain National Forest for the recreation pass, rules and conditions before driving.

The towns of Lincoln and North Woodstock (with attractions and lodging) at the west end, Conway and North Conway (with shopping and the Mount Washington Valley) at the east, Franconia Notch and the Pemigewasset Wilderness nearby, and the rest of the White Mountains lie along and around the highway. The White Mountains define the region. The Kancamagus Highway is the scenic spine of the central White Mountains, a centerpiece of a New Hampshire adventure, easily combined with Franconia Notch, North Conway and the trailheads and waterfalls along the route.

Drive the Kancamagus slowly with plenty of stops — the Hancock and Sugar Hill overlooks, Sabbaday Falls, and the Swift River’s Rocky Gorge and Lower Falls swimming holes are highlights — and bring a White Mountain National Forest recreation pass to park at the sites. Come at peak fall foliage (late September to early October) for legendary color, but go early in the day to beat the heavy traffic. Fuel up in Lincoln or Conway (no services on the road), watch for moose, heed river-safety warnings, and pick a trailhead for a hike into the Whites.