Kancamagus scenic - help !!!!!

[ortigoza]

Hi,

I will go to from NH to Quebec on next November.

My idea is at noon take route 93 - Manchester. Then make a detour to conway and take the Kancamagus to Lincoln. At night i wish to arrive to Quebec.

Can i do Kancamagus in 1 or 2 hours, by car (no 4x4, a regular car) ? It is safe ? On November i must use chain on tires or something like this ? And gas ?

Please, if anyone can help me, I will be grateful.

Thank you,

Mariano

PD: Sorry for my very bad english

[AZBuck]

It is certainly possible to make the drive from Manchester to Québec in a day, even making the detour to cross the very scenic Kancamagus Highway. There will be no need for special tires or vehicle, as the Kancamagus is a fully paved highway and it is very unlikely (but not impossible) that you will encounter snow.

However, there are a few things you need to be aware of. Taking I-93 north from Manchester to Lincoln will put you at the western end of the Kancamagus Highway, and while you can, of course, cross it from west to east for your purposes crossing the other way, from Conway to Lincoln, is much more preferable. So, what I'd suggest is that you instead leave Manchester on US-3/NH-28 and follow NH-28 all the way up to Ossipee. This is a scenic route in its own right through the Lake Winnipesaukee area. From Ossipee, NH-16 will take you north to Conway and the eastern entrance to the Kancamagus (NH-112). Take that across to Lincoln, then I-93 north through Franconia Notch (more great scenery) to I-91 north at St. Johnsbury VT. At the Canadian border, that becomes QC-55 which will take you on up to the Autoroute (QC-20) to Québec.

The other thing to keep in mind is that with all the scenic roads and detours, this is going to require eight hours of driving. So, if you're not leaving until noon, and you make stops for gas, meals, bathroom breaks, and taking photographs, you will not arrive in Québec until well after dark.

AZBuck

[ortigoza]

Thank you for your response.

One question. You recommended me go to Ossipie an then take north to Conway. It´s the same take 104 and then 25 to Conway. Is the first option more scenic ?

Other tips ? Is it easy get gas in Kancamagus ?

Thank you, Mariano

[AZBuck]

I've said before (elsewhere) that you really have to work hard to find a road in northern New England that isn't scenic. Either or the two routes from Manchester up to Conway will be quite enjoyable. The roads that I recommended go around the south and east sides of Lake Winnipesaukee. The routes you mention go around the western and northern sides of the lake. Your way will take slightly less time because a significant portion of it is on I-93 north out of Manchester, whereas my way starts out immediately on two lane state roads (NH-28). There is NO gas available on the Kancamagus Highway, but it is only 35 miles long. If you gas up before leaving Manchester, you should have no problems at all.

AZBuck

[ortigoza]

Perfect !
I have all the answers that I needed.

Thank you !!!!