Home » 2000 Winter Road Trip to Acadia

Kancamagus Highway, NH

Tuesday, February 22, 2000 - 7:00am by Lolo
235 miles and 5 hours from our last stop

Travelogue

Lolo and Boys on Sabbaday Falls HikeLolo and Boys on Sabbaday Falls HikeSince all highways from Maine seem to go north-south rather than east-west, the only way to get across to Vermont was via back roads, which was fine with us. Thankfully, it wasn't snowing. Also, since we had our high-tech laptop / GPS setup, we felt pretty confident that we would find a good route and not get lost. Generally, that was the case. However, in Poland Spring, Maine (the place of bottled water fame), our trusty GPS took it upon itself to find a short cut--I can still remember the name, Quarry Road. Unfortunately that shortcut was a bumpy, dirt road, so narrow that we could barely turn around on it once we realized how foolish a move this was. It just goes to show you that computers don't know everything.

Herb and sunset over the KancHerb and sunset over the KancOnce back on the asphalt, we continued west across New Hampshire via the Kancamagus Highway, more affectionately known as "The Kanc." This road runs for 34 scenic miles through the White Mountains from Conway to Lincoln. The views along the way were breathtaking. We stopped at the Sabbaday Falls Picnic Area and took the short hike up through a forest to the waterfalls. There was lots of snow. At first, we tried to tell the boys to stay on the trail and not get wet because we had no way to dry their clothes in the RV. However, we soon realized that telling 8 and 10 year old boys to stay out of the snow was futile. Those clean white piles of snow were just too tempting.

By the time we got back to the RV, the sun was already beginning to set over the White Mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. However, it was time to get moving--we still had another 3 hours of driving to get to our campground in Vermont."

Description

Views from Kancamangus HighwayViews from Kancamangus HighwayThe Kancamagus Highway, affectionately referred to as "The Kanc," runs for 34 scenic miles through the White Mountains of New Hampshire from Conway west to Lincoln. During that stretch, it crosses several mountains, the highest of which is Mount Kancamagus. The views along the way are breathtaking. The most scenic portion of the road is the 3 miles between the White Mountain National Forest and the town of Lincoln, on the western end of the road.

A great place to stop and stretch your legs is the Sabbaday Falls Picnic Area, alongside the Swift River. This is also the trailhead for one of the most popular family hikes along the Kanc--the .4-mile hike to the narrow flume and picturesque Sabbaday Waterfall."

Kancamagus Highway location map

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