North Conway is the service town for the White Mountains — a strip of motels, inns, outfitters and factory outlets in the Mount Washington Valley, with the mountains rising immediately behind it. Nobody comes for the town itself. They come because it is the only place in the region with enough beds, enough restaurants and enough petrol to base a mountain trip on, and because the two best drives in New Hampshire start within twenty minutes of it: the Kancamagus Highway west, and Route 302 through Crawford Notch north.
- The eastern end of the Kancamagus Highway — the best foliage drive in New England
- Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch both within an hour
- By far the largest concentration of accommodation in the White Mountains
- The Conway Scenic Railroad, which runs foliage trains up into Crawford Notch
- Real mountain-town infrastructure: outfitters, laundries, late food, and no state sales tax
Region: Northeast Best time: The first two weeks of October for peak colour in the valleys, with the high passes running about a week ahead. By the third or fourth week of October the White Mountains are largely past. Winter is a full ski season; spring is mud. Getting there: About 3 hours from Boston up I-95 and Route 16, or 2 hours east of Woodstock, Vermont. Portland, Maine is 2 hours east. Getting around: A car, without qualification. Route 16 through the town centre backs up badly on autumn weekends — the locals' bypass is West Side Road, running parallel to the west.
Areas & nearby villages
North Conway Village
The centre — station, shops and the older inns. Walkable, and the only genuinely pretty part of the strip.
Route 16 / the outlets
The commercial strip south of the village. Where most of the beds are, and where the traffic is.
Jackson
Ten minutes north through a covered bridge — a proper village, quieter and more expensive.
Bartlett & Glen
West towards Crawford Notch, handy for an early start on Route 302.
Conway
Five minutes south, where the Kancamagus Highway begins. Cheaper, plainer.
Things to do
- The Kancamagus Highway — 34 miles to Lincoln with no fuel, services or phone signal, climbing to nearly 3,000 ft — the reason to be here
- Sabbaday Falls & Rocky Gorge — The two stops on the Kanc that are worth the car park, both short flat walks
- Crawford Notch on Route 302 — The other great drive — a glacial notch with waterfalls and the Mount Washington Hotel at the top
- Conway Scenic Railroad — Vintage carriages up into Crawford Notch; the foliage services sell out weeks ahead
- Diana's Baths — An easy half-mile walk to a staircase of waterfalls, and the best short leg-stretch near town
- Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledge — Granite cliffs above the valley — climbers on the face, and a drivable view of the whole colour
A few perfect days
- Day 1Arrive over the notch
Come in from Vermont via Franconia Notch and Route 302 rather than the direct road — it doubles the drive and triples the trip. Diana's Baths before dinner if there is light.
- Day 2The Kancamagus
Leave by eight. Drive west to Lincoln stopping at Sabbaday Falls, Rocky Gorge and the Albany Covered Bridge; return over the pass in afternoon light, when it looks completely different.
- Day 3East to the coast
Route 302 or Route 113 out of the mountains, then east to Portland — the landscape changes from maple to oak and salt marsh in two hours.
Eat & drink
- Mountain-town cooking: breweries, diners and a couple of serious restaurants in Jackson
- Fill a cool bag before the Kancamagus — there is nowhere to buy anything for 34 miles
- New Hampshire has no sales tax, which locals will mention within ten minutes of meeting you
Road trips through North Conway
National parks & day trips
Where to stay
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