Painted dawn scene of a two-lane road beside a misty river, hills of red and gold trees, and one small motorcycle ahead.

Touring

Kancamagus Highway by Motorcycle: A Foliage Morning at 70

A 70-year-old rider's Kancamagus Highway motorcycle ride at first light, followed by sourced facts on length, fuel, passes and fall color.

By Walt DunmoreNovember 9, 2026

This story is not medical advice. The facts about the road (length, elevation, seasons, services) come from the official sources linked in the post.

Yes, you can ride a motorcycle on the Kancamagus Highway, and I did it at seventy. I rode Route 112, which locals call the "Kanc", for about 34 miles from Conway to Lincoln. Rider magazine lists it among its 50 best motorcycle roads in America.

I went at first light for one reason. The leaf-peepers come later, and they come in numbers: the state's transportation office says traffic in this region can be heavy during fall foliage. I wanted the road while it was still quiet, with Marlene's thermos in the saddlebag.

I surveyed county roads for 41 years, and I look at a road the way other men look at a horse. This one is short. It took me most of a day anyway. Below is the ride, then the plain facts you will want before you go.

Key Takeaways

You can ride a motorcycle on the Kancamagus Highway. It is about 34 miles of NH Route 112 between Conway and Lincoln, and the federal byways program lists it as a National Scenic Byway.

The Town of Lincoln says there are no gas stations or other services along the route. Fill up in Conway or Lincoln first.

The White Mountains generally reach peak color during the first two weeks of October, but timing is hard to call. Start early, because traffic can be heavy during fall foliage.

The federal byways listing says driving the byway is free, but unattended cars in the National Forest need a recreation pass.

My lesson: ride at first light, ride slower than you planned, and let a short road take its time.

Conway before sunrise: setting out on the Kancamagus Highway by motorcycle

I started in Conway in the half-dark, with a full tank and a back that was not yet awake.

The tank was full for a reason. The Town of Lincoln says there are no gas stations or other services along this route, and a travel guide on the VisitNH site tells drivers to fill up in Conway or Lincoln before they start. I topped off the night before. A surveyor does not trust a road he has not walked, and he trusts a fuel gauge even less.

Marlene had come up by car, since she doesn't ride. She was already awake when I left, which she denies. She handed me the steel thermos at the door and said, "Don't be a hero." That is how Marlene says goodbye.

I wedged the thermos in the saddlebag of my Gold Wing and pulled on my helmet. New Hampshire's helmet law covers riders under eighteen. My head has not read it, and it wears the helmet anyway. The Wing's gauge said 36 degrees. I rode west on Route 112 at an easy pace, under a sky the color of dishwater.

I kept my speed down for another reason. New Hampshire Fish and Game says most moose collisions happen at dawn or dusk, and that in fall moose are on the move because it is their mating season. I never saw one. I rode like a man who might.

Rocky Gorge and a vanished town: the first twelve miles

Eight miles out of Conway the road reached Rocky Gorge, and the river there was smoking. Mist lifted off the water in slow sheets. A paved walk leads from the lot to a footbridge, and from the bridge you look upstream to where the Swift River narrows and drops into the gorge.

The Forest Service puts it on the list of sites that need a recreation pass and have a self-serve pay station, so I filled out a day pass and displayed it on the Wing. I did the same at each stop that asked for one. Then I drank my first cup of Marlene's coffee at the footbridge rail. It was hot enough to count as another jacket.

At twelve miles I stopped again, at the Russell-Colbath Historic Site. The Forest Service says the house was built in 1832 and is the only original structure left from the town of Passaconaway. A whole town, and one house to show for it. I have drawn a lot of property lines, and I know how much longer a line lasts than the people who argued over it. The house was shut that early, but the signs outside told me enough.

Painted illustration of a narrow rock gorge with a wooden footbridge, morning mist and autumn trees in red, orange and gold.

Sabbaday Falls: a trail graded the way I would have graded it

At fifteen miles I stopped again, this time to walk.

The Forest Service describes Sabbaday Falls as an easy 15-minute walk on an evenly graded, gravel-surfaced trail from a paved lot, with a stone staircase and a gravel walkway beside the falls. I checked. It is true. Somebody set that grade with a level and a conscience. I have signed off on county roads that were built worse.

The falls are a series of cascades in a narrow flume. I took the stairs slowly and told my knees it was for the view. Nobody else was there but a man with a camera, who nodded the way early risers nod.

A road that hands you a gorge, a vanished town and a waterfall before breakfast has no reason to apologize for being short.

Kancamagus Pass and the hairpin down to Lincoln

After Sabbaday the road climbs toward the pass.

The National Forest Foundation puts Kancamagus Pass at 2,855 feet. The Forest Service says the Wangan Overlook sits just below the summit of the pass, and that its paved lot is big enough for buses and large motor homes. I pulled in. The sun had cleared the ridge, and the valley I had climbed out of lit up as if someone had thrown a switch: red, orange, and a yellow so loud you could hear it. For once I was glad to have a big lot to myself.

From the top the pavement tips toward Lincoln. I was in no hurry. After 41 years of county schedules, I am proud of that.

The westernmost view area on the byway is Hancock Overlook, just uphill of the hairpin turn. I stopped to look at the turn before I rode it, an old habit from my working years. A hairpin is where a road shows what its surveyor was thinking. This one looked laid out with care, and I tipped my helmet to whoever drew it.

Below the turn the road dropped toward Lincoln. My hands, which had been cold since Conway, started to come back.

Painted illustration of a curving mountain road on a slope of fall color, with one small motorcycle and a wide valley below.

A diner counter in Lincoln, and the road back with the traffic

I ate breakfast at a diner counter in Lincoln, between two men arguing about whether the leaves were early or late.

I told them the White Mountains usually reach peak color in the first two weeks of October, according to the state tourism office. They told me they had lived there all their lives and the state could keep its opinion. They were not wrong. The Visit White Mountains site says plainly that no one can predict when foliage will peak, and that color can hang on a week or two after. The eggs were good. The coffee was good too, but it was not Marlene's, and I kept that to myself.

By the time I turned around, the road had filled. The cars ran nose to tail behind a camper in no hurry. I rode behind it at twenty-five miles an hour and did not mind. The Wing does not mind slow, and it turns out neither do I. The VisitNH travel guide says the drive takes about 45 minutes with no traffic and up to two or three hours one way in peak season. Same road, two very different crossings.

It was after noon when I got back to Conway. Marlene asked if it was worth it. I told her it was thirty-four miles, give or take. She said that was not an answer. She was right. It was worth it, and a 34-mile road can fill a whole day if you let it.

Ride facts: Kancamagus Highway (NH 112)

Fact	Detail	Source
Length	About 34 miles. The Forest Service says 34; the Town of Lincoln and VisitNH say 34.5.	Forest Service, Town of Lincoln, VisitNH
End points	Conway on the east and Lincoln on the west, on NH Route 112 through the White Mountain National Forest.	NHDOT, VisitNH
Designation	National Scenic Byway.	FHWA America's Byways
Named stops	Rocky Gorge Scenic Area: 8 miles west of Conway, listed mid-May to mid-October. Russell-Colbath Historic Site: 12 miles west, Memorial Day to Columbus Day. Sabbaday Falls: 15 miles west, a fee site spring through fall.	Rocky Gorge, Russell-Colbath, Sabbaday Falls
Highest point	Kancamagus Pass, 2,855 feet. Rider's 2017 ride report gives the same figure.	National Forest Foundation, Rider
Season and closures	Stops keep their own seasons, listed in the Named stops row. The Wangan Overlook lot is not plowed in winter. Conditions change, so check road status.	Wangan Overlook
Speed and vehicle rules	Follow the posted limits. Fish and Game advises drivers to keep below 55 mph at dawn and dusk in high-risk areas. State law requires protective headgear for riders under 18.	NH Fish and Game, RSA 265:122
Fuel and food	The Town of Lincoln says there are no gas stations or other services along the route. The National Forest Foundation adds no restaurants or hotels. A VisitNH travel guide advises filling up in Conway or Lincoln and says cell service is minimal to none.	Town of Lincoln, National Forest Foundation, VisitNH guide
Passes	FHWA says there is no fee for driving the byway. The Forest Service says some developed sites need a recreation pass and lists them, including Rocky Gorge, Sabbaday Falls, Lower Falls and Russell-Colbath.	FHWA, Forest Service passes
Road status	Check New England 511 before you ride. NHDOT says its operations team provides updates there 24 hours a day on weather conditions and road closures.	New England 511, NHDOT

Practical points for riders:

Fill the tank in Conway or Lincoln and download your maps first, since the VisitNH travel guide says cell service is minimal to none.
Carry a recreation pass if you plan to stop at fee sites, and display it as the Forest Service instructs.
Ride early in foliage season. NHDOT says traffic can be heavy then, and the VisitNH guide says the drive can take two to three hours one way at peak.
Slow down at dawn and dusk for moose. Fish and Game says most collisions happen then.
Check VisitNH's foliage reports the week before and New England 511 the morning you ride.

Questions riders ask about the Kancamagus Highway

Can you ride a motorcycle on the Kancamagus Highway?

Yes. NHDOT describes the road as NH Route 112 between Lincoln and Conway. Rider magazine lists it among its 50 best motorcycle roads in America, and says it orders that list mostly by state name rather than by rank. Plan for no fuel on the route, parking that needs a recreation pass, and moose at dawn and dusk.

How long is the Kancamagus Highway?

About 34 miles. The Forest Service says 34, while the Town of Lincoln, VisitNH and the National Forest Foundation say 34.5. The federal byways listing shows 26.5 miles and does not say which stretch that figure covers, so this post goes with the other sources and says about 34. The VisitNH travel guide says the drive takes about 45 minutes with no traffic and up to two or three hours one way at peak.

When is the best time to ride the Kancamagus Highway for fall color?

Typically the first two weeks of October. VisitNH says the White Mountains generally reach peak color then and shares live foliage reports twice a week. Visit White Mountains says peak typically runs from the end of September through the second week of October. NHDOT says traffic can be heavy during fall foliage, and the VisitNH travel guide suggests visiting popular spots in the morning or late afternoon.

From the Hexrider team

Hexrider sells the Hexcushion, so read this section with that in mind. This story does not involve any product. Hexrider makes the Hexcushion seat pad for riders who put in long days, and you can read about it on the Hexcushion product page, see what riders write in the rider reviews and read the refund policy.

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