Welcome to New Hampshire and the Kanc

We are way behind in getting travel posts published this summer because we're having too much fun traveling! So we won't be confused about when each "wandering" happened, we'll start each blog with its actual date.

September 3, 2022

We are finding that a good phone signal is a rare commodity in the remote mountains of New England. We were pleasantly surprised to find a good signal at Stoney Brook Campground, so we stayed until check-out time at 11:00 a.m. Then we made the 20-mile drive into New Hampshire, another new state for the motor home. The state border sign exclaims, "Live free or die!" We're hoping for the "live free" option today.  

We purposefully waited to fill up our big diesel tank until we got out of Maine. We filled up in Gorham, New Hampshire, glad to see that diesel prices are a little cheaper in our new state. Is it crazy that we are excited about cheap diesel when it is $4.73! We are officially in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where moose warning signs far outnumber the moose.

Ahead we could see Mount Washington, the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi. It's also one of the last big challenges on the Appalachian Trail.

We aren't planning to hike to the top of Mount Washington this trip, but we were a little tempted to drive to the top. We found out that drivers must make reservations to drive to the summit. Then we also found that it would cost $65 for our car and the two of us to make that drive. Another option is to ride the cog railroad, which would cost $168. Either of those options would probably be good for tourists on vacation. But that doesn't fit into the budget of wanderers that do this every day. So we will just look at Mount Washington from a distance this time.

It's a beautiful blue-sky day, and the views from the summit would be glorious today. On our drive through this area we saw miles of cars parked along the highway. Obviously all the hiking trail parking lots are full on this Saturday of Labor Day weekend. As we drove by in the motor home we thought that the trails must be very crowded!

We got our motor home settled into the Green Meadows Campground at 1:00. We've had this holiday weekend reservation for quite some time. Full-time RVers dread busy summer holidays when getting a camping spot can be a challenge--especially somewhere as beautiful as the White Mountains that are starting to show signs of fall.

While we would usually take the day off from exploring on a travel day, we have seen that the weather forecast calls for rain the next couple days. So we are going to join the crowds to get to see as much as possible on this beautiful-weather day. We started at the Albany Covered Bridge.

We wanted to see the sites along the Kancamagus Scenic Highway. We're going to adopt the local nickname of "The Kanc" so Denisa won't have to type that big word again. This 34 mile section of Route 112 runs east and west through some of the best of the White Mountains. We're starting on the east end of the highway close to the town of Conway. The Albany covered bridge and the pretty stream that runs under it can be seen at Mile 6 of the Kanc.

Our next stop, just a mile further down the Kanc, is Lower Falls. The parking lot was full, so Mark circled the lot while Denisa ran to take a picture of the popular falls on this beautiful Labor Day weekend. This is one of the few places where swimming is allowed on the Kanc, and it was crowded!

Mark lucked into a parking place, and he made the walk to see the mayhem for himself. While it looks like he is in a secluded section of the Swift River . . .

we can pan out to see that he is just outside the crowd, with lots of people behind him.

With just a short walk down the river, we could distance ourselves from the throngs of people. But it doesn't hurt to have a carefully angled camera shot to hide them too.

At mile 12 of the Kanc Highway, we made a stop at the Russell-Colbath House that was built in the 1830s. We were on the last tour of the day, led by a very knowledgeable ranger. He told us the story of Ruth, who lived all her life in this house. Her husband left to run an errand one evening, and never returned.

The tour allows visitors to see the house with its original furnishings. Ruth continued to live here, waiting for her husband to return. She hung a lantern in the window every night for 39 years. Her husband never returned from his "errands" until after she died. The judge ruled that he had no right to the property, and it would eventually become part of the National Forest.

At Mile 15 of the Kanc, we pulled into the parking lot for Sabbady Falls. A 0.3-mile up-hill hike brought us to a series of cascades in a narrow flume.

No swimming is allowed at this stop. So the parking lot empties more regularly and the area is not as crowded.

Drivers on the Kanc are cautioned to watch for moose. While the sign warns of "hundreds of collisions," we think that must be spread over hundreds of years.

At mile 19 we pulled into a tiny parking area and made a short walk to Lily Pond. It's an unmaintained path that few people will walk. The little pond reflects the mountains around it, and it looks like prime undisturbed moose habitat.

Sure enough, we found our first fresh moose track near Lily Pond. It's not the best time of the day to see a moose, but one was here not long ago.

The road started to climb as we neared the highest point on the Kanc. Close to the pass, we found several view points with parking pull-outs. We stopped at Graham Overlook, close to the Kancamagus Pass at 2,855 feet in elevation.

We drove to mile 24 to check out Pemi Overlook and then Hancock Overlook to see views of the White Mountains.

At that point we headed back towards the east, stopping at a couple more points of interest along the Kanc. It's late enough that the crowds are thinning as we stopped in at the Rocky Gorge. We walked across the bridge over the Swift River.

No swimming is allowed at the Rocky Gorge, so it was not as busy as Lower Falls. We almost had the place to ourselves this evening.

We stopped back by Lily Pond, hoping to see the moose that was leaving tracks close to the water earlier today. While it looks like a perfect place for a moose, we have missed seeing one AGAIN!

Instead of driving all the way back on the Kanc, we took a short cut suggested by the ranger. We drove the winding Bear Notch Road back to our campground. That got us back in time for the live music in the grassy area near the office. The country music band was playing music perfect for two-stepping. But still we were the only ones dancing. 

Even though we got a late start on our touring day, we feel like we got to experience all the highlights of the Kanc. It was a full day that started with a welcome to New Hampshire, and ended with a sunset that lit up the White Mountains that surrounded our campground near the Kancamagus Highway.