The Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire is one of the top tourist destinations for "Leaf Peeping" each Autumn. We had a chance to visit and stopped at all of the top falls, historical spots and panoramic vistas along the way!
The Kancamagus, or "Kanc", is a 56.39 mile long highway that cuts through the White Mountains. We traveled from Lincoln east to Conway, stopping at everything on the right side of the road. We did the same when returning and completed the trip in 4 hours flat. There are a ton of longer day and over night hikes but we were on a tight schedule. If you have the time and enjoy hiking there is plenty to do to fill more then a single day. We left around 7:30am and on our return trip there was bumper to bumper traffic leaving Lincoln. Don't be trapped in traffic like all those people were, leave early!
Our first stop of the day was Otter Rocks Day Use Area. While this is normally a swimming hole for the locals, by leaf season it's too cold to swim. This is still a fun stop to walk out on the boulders and be surrounded by a torrent of water. Because we left so early we had this whole spot to ourselves.
Our second stop was the Hancock overlook, and its accompanying "unnamed pullover" just down the road. Both offer un-paralleled views of the valley. Even early on these parking lots fill up and it can be a fight to find a spot. We arrived at 8am and grabbed the last spot so you can imagine how crazy this gets later in the day!
The third stop is the Pemigewasset Overlook you'll find ample parking and a lovely shelter overlooking the entire valley but from a different perspective then the first two stops.
From here we chose to skip everything on the left side of the road. We did this to get ahead of the crowds leaving Lincoln. While this meant those spots would be full of people on the way back, it did allow us to spend time at the major attractions with significantly less tourists.
Our Third stop was the famous Sabbaday Falls. Just a short hike from the parking lot is a wonderful gorge with a multi part waterfall. This takes a 90 degree turn as it cuts through the black and orange rocks. With all the downed leaves and the surrounding greenery this is a beautifully photogenic spot.
While it's a bit awkward to get in the best angles for photos, the real challenge is getting photos without all the other photographers camped out here!
Though short, this is easily one of our favorite spots on the entire highway. Arrive early to avoid crowds.
After Sabbaday Falls we made a quick bee line to the eastern end of the highway. We quickly snapped some photos with the national forest sign and the official Kancamagus sign before travelling back west.
First stop, the Albany Covered Bridge. This is definitely one of the biggest covered bridges I've personally seen. It's still very much active as you can see in our video, with plenty of vehicles joining the pedestrians for the crossing.
The Bridge is not only photogenic but the entire area is littered with benches, viewing locations for photos and educational boards dotted about. You can even go under the bridge to enjoy the boulder filled river.
Next we traveled to the Lower Falls, another super popular destination. Out of anywhere on the highway that I would have liked to spend more time exploring, this would be the spot. By now the crowds were really picking up, but there are so many cool spots here it didn't matter. The main falls are quite large at the end but there are many little falls strewn throughout the rocks. Unfortunately this is where Nina slipped and dunked her leg into the freezing cold water. Because of this she was drying off and missed our next stop, Rocky Gorge. Yet another awesome gorge with a waterfall, the bridge that crosses the river below makes for an awesome spot to take photos. Between the crowds and our friend who was stuck in the car, we didn't spend too long.
The Russell Colbath House is an historic property that normally includes a tour-able house, barn, garden and cemetery, along with trails in the woods. Because of the current pandemic we were unable to see inside the house. The barn was open and a volunteer was there to relay information and had classic photos from the area on display!
The history of the house is a bit depressing. The Husband leaves one day and promises to return soon but never does. The wife hangs a candle in the window for over thirty years hoping for his return. Days after she passes away the husband returns to claim the property. He did not get the property... at least that's the story I heard :)
There are a few more viewpoints on the way back. They were beyond slammed but we managed to stop at most of them. These include the Sugar Hill Overlook, Lily Pond Vista, Beaver Brook Overlook and CL Graham Wangan Overlook. All provide stunning vistas. Enjoy the photo below, someone left him and it made for one of our favorite photos of the entire trip!
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