There’s a moment every rider has on ride that they plan for i.e., the Kancamagus (Kanc) Highway—whether it’s your first time or your fifteenth, whether you’re here in early spring or the colors of late fall. At first, you think this is the destination. The asphalt bends and rises, twisting through the trees before climbing toward the pass. No strip malls, no gas stations, no distractions. Just the hum of the engine and the quiet assurance that this road was made for riders. As the elevation climbed—2,855 feet at the top—so did the view.

The scenic overlooks along the way invite you to slow down, plant your boots, and take it all in. I pulled over at the C.L. Graham Wangan Grounds overlook—stone base and weathered sign. The Bikes, the Brotherhood, the Moment. You believe those 35 miles between Lincoln and Conway are the whole story.

But they’re not. The Kanc is just the gateway. The real magic lies in the roads it touches— that lead deeper into the White Mountains, where the traffic thins, the scenery sharpens, and the ride becomes something more.

Foliage, Moose & Unexpected Wisdom

In fall, the Kanc turns into a riot of color—leaf peepers choke the road, cameras hanging from windows. But the trick is simple: ride early or ride outside the peak.

On the back end of the highway, I rolled past a wooden moose sculpture—big, rustic, and totally NH. There’s even a sign: “Do Not Climb Moose. Thank you.” Sound advice. Can’t say it wasn’t tempting, though.

Breakfast. My favorite meal.

Lincoln welcomed me back with the promise of hot coffee and real food—so myself and my good friend Doug, pulled into Flapjack’s Pancake House, a little wooden lodge-looking spot that feels like riding into a postcard. Inside: warm lights, rustic beams, and a miniature train running overhead like Mount Washington’s Cog Railway. The plate hit the table—bacon, sausage, eggs with lacy edges, home fries, and French toast dusted with powdered sugar. The kind of breakfast that could make a man forget the road… at least until the next cup of coffee. Yummo!

As I mentioned earlier, the magic is in the side roads (in my opinion).

Bear Notch & Evans (route 113), Franconia (i93) Notch, Pinkham (route 16) & Crawford (route 302) give you that signature NH mountain Bob Ross escape.

Kanc → Bear Notch → 302 → Pinkham → Back to Conway

A perfect loop. No highways. Just pure riding.

Bear Notch Road was the first surprise—narrow, twisting, running through deep forest with sudden breaks that reveal sweeping views of the valley. It felt like a secret. It drops you out near Bartlett, where the ride opens into Route 302, heading north through Crawford Notch. The mountains tighten up there—steep cliffs, waterfalls, old stone railroad trestles. The kind of place that makes you sit up straighter in the saddle.

From there, the loop rolls onto Route 16, into Pinkham Notch, with Mount Washington looming over the trees like it’s watching every mile you ride. Wild, raw, beautiful. You half expect a moose to step out just to remind you who really owns the road.

Then, just when you think the loop is winding down, the road bends back toward Conway—and suddenly, you’re back where you started… but you’re not the same.

🐺 Some roads are famous because they’re easy to find. Others are legendary because a rider had to tell you about them.

This loop?

It’s the second kind.

And now you know.

So go ride it!