Drives › New England

Kancamagus Highway

NH-112, Lincoln to Conway · White Mountains, New Hampshire

NH-112 through the White Mountain National Forest, from Lincoln up hairpins to Kancamagus Pass at 2,855 feet and down along the Swift River to Conway. In the first half of October it's one of the most famous fall-foliage drives in the country.

Distance

36 mi

Drive time

1 hr 5 min

Climbing

2,300 ft

Highest point

≈ 2,900 ft

The drive

“The Kanc” has no gas stations, restaurants or lodging along its length, just national forest: overlooks near the top of the pass, Sabbaday Falls a short walk from the road, and the Swift River tumbling through Rocky Gorge and Lower Falls on the way down to Conway.

Driving it is free, but parking at the forest's fee sites, including Sabbaday Falls, Rocky Gorge and Lower Falls, costs $5 per vehicle per day. Interagency and White Mountain National Forest passes are accepted.

Stops along the way

1. Pemigewasset Overlook One of the overlooks near the top of the pass.
2. Sugar Hill Overlook Another wide view, a few miles east of the pass.
3. Sabbaday Falls About 15 miles west of Conway: a short walk to a waterfall in a narrow gorge.
4. Russell-Colbath Historic Site A historic farmhouse beside the road, staffed Thursday to Sunday, 10 to 3, into October.
5. Rocky Gorge and Lower Falls Where the Swift River pours through a gorge and over ledges, close to the road.

When to go

The highway is open all year, apart from short closures for plowing. Fall color usually peaks in the first two weeks of October, and so do the crowds: on peak weekends traffic can be bumper to bumper, and Indigenous Peoples' Day weekend, October 10 to 12, 2026, falls right in it. Go early, on a weekday if you can.

Good to know

• There's no gas, food or lodging along the highway. Fill up in Lincoln or Conway.
• Parking at fee sites costs $5 per vehicle per day; driving through is free.
• The climb out of Lincoln toward the pass has hairpin turns.
• The Lincoln Woods Trail is closed through November 2026.

More drives

• Blue Ridge Parkway Mileposts 384 to 451, Asheville to Waterrock Knob · 68 mi · Twisty
• Cherohala Skyway TN-165 and NC-143, Tellico Plains to Robbinsville · 51 mi · Twisty
• Skyline Boulevard CA-35, Highway 92 to Saratoga Gap · 26 mi · Twisty

Sources: White Mountain National Forest scenic drives (USFS), White Mountain National Forest alerts (USFS), Wikipedia: New Hampshire Route 112, National Forest Foundation. Distance, time, elevation and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-06.