New Hampshire Route 112

New Hampshire Route 112
Kancamagus Highway (N. Woodstock - Conway)
Map of northern New Hampshire with NH 112 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NHDOT
Length:	56.387 mi[1] (90.746 km)
Tourist routes:	Kancamagus Scenic Byway
Major junctions
West end:	US 302 / NH 10 in Bath
	US 3 in North Woodstock I‑93 in North Woodstock
East end:	NH 16 / NH 113 in Conway
Location
Counties:	Grafton, Carroll
Highway system
New Hampshire Highway System Interstate U.S. State Turnpikes ← NH 111 NH 113 →

New Hampshire Route 112 (abbreviated NH 112) is a 56.387-mile-long (90.746 km) east–west state highway in northern New Hampshire. The highway winds across the state, connecting Bath to Conway via the scenic and mountainous area of the White Mountain National Forest. Part of this highway, which runs through the White Mountains, is known as the Kancamagus Highway. This highway is known for its views of autumn foliage and is a popular drive in September and October for so-called leaf peeping tourism.

The Kancamagus Highway is the eastern portion of NH 112, running 32 miles (51 km) through the White Mountains from Lincoln to Conway.^[2] 26.5 miles (42.6 km) of the highway have been designated a National Scenic Byway by the United States Department of Transportation under the name Kancamagus Scenic Byway.

The highway stays open all winter, although it occasionally closes for short periods while crews clear heavy snows. Its only major intersection, Bear Notch Road, which connects with the town of Bartlett, is closed all winter.^[3]

Following Hurricane Irene in August 2011, two sections of Route 112 were closed, pending repair work and evaluation of damage. The Kancamagus Highway was closed from the Sabbaday Falls picnic area across Kancamagus Pass to the Discovery Trail parking area in the eastern part of Lincoln. A section of the western portion of Route 112 along the Wild Ammonoosuc River was closed; as of September 6, 2011, a single lane of the western section had been reopened.^[4] As of late June 2012, the highway had been completely reopened, though some stretches were in the process of being repaved.

Route description

View along NH Route 112 in the White Mountains

The eastern terminus of NH 112 and the Kancamagus Highway is in the town of Conway at New Hampshire Route 16 (the White Mountain Highway) and New Hampshire Route 113. Traveling almost entirely within the White Mountain National Forest, the highway follows the Swift River valley west and climbs to the summit of Kancamagus Pass at an elevation of 2,855 feet (870 m), then descends to the valley of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River, which it follows to Lincoln, the western terminus of the Kancamagus Highway. NH 112 continues west, crossing Interstate 93 and U.S. Route 3 in North Woodstock, then climbing through Kinsman Notch and descending northwest along the Wild Ammonoosuc River to its western terminus, in the town of Bath at U.S. Route 302 and New Hampshire Route 10, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the Vermont border.

History

The Kancamagus Highway

The Kancamagus Highway opened in 1959 after two dead-end stretches of road were linked, creating a connection between Interstate 93 in Lincoln and New Hampshire Route 16 in Conway. Locally known as "The Kanc," the road was paved in 1964, and in 1968 it was plowed for the first time.

The highway is named after Kancamagus (pronounced "Kank-ah-MAW-gus",^[5] The Fearless One^[6]), third and final Sagamore of the Penacook Confederacy of Native American tribes. Nephew of Wonalancet and grandson of Passaconaway,^[7] Kancamagus ruled what is now southern New Hampshire. Wearied of fighting English settlers, he made the decision in 1691 to move north into upper New Hampshire and what is now Quebec, Canada.

Major intersections

County	Location[1][8]	mi[1][8]	km	Destinations	Notes
Grafton	Bath	0.000	0.000	US 302 / NH 10 (Rum Hill Road) – Woodsville, Bath, Lisbon	Western terminus
	Easton	8.664	13.943	NH 116 west (Coventry Road) – Benton	Western end of concurrency with NH 116
		9.546	15.363	NH 116 east (Easton Road) – Easton, Franconia	Eastern end of concurrency with NH 116
	Woodstock	17.906	28.817	NH 118 (Sawyer Highway) – Warren	Northern terminus of NH 118
		20.471	32.945	US 3 (Main Street) – North Lincoln, Thornton	Village of North Woodstock
		20.824– 21.172	33.513– 34.073	I‑93 (Styles Bridges Highway) – Plymouth, Concord, Franconia Notch, Littleton	Exit 32 on I-93
Carroll	Conway	56.387	90.746	NH 16 / NH 113 (Main Street) – Conway, Ossipee, Rochester	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

Scenery along the highway

• 

  Lower Falls on the Swift River

• 

  Rocky Gorge on the Swift River

• 

  Covered Bridge in Albany, New Hampshire

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to New Hampshire Route 112.

• Kancamagus Scenic Byway
• Kancamagus Highway