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Bear Notch Road

This past Friday I had the pleasure of driving Bear Notch Road which runs between route 302 in Bartlett New Hampshire and the Kancamagus Highway, which runs between Conway and Lincoln NH.  This little gem of northern New Hampshire might not be quite a world class driving road, but it's one which should be sought out by those who love driving.

Recently repaved and following the mountain terrain this little twisty road was a joy to drive.  It's 40 MPH speed limit, which was quite reasonable considering the nature of the road, was a pleasant surprise, given how many excellent roads are ruined with 25 MPH speed limits.

I took the road from the Bartlett side.  From Bartlett it takes only a few minutes before the road starts to show its nature.  Once through the seasonal gates (the road is closed during the winter) it starts to climb and turn.  With the afore mentioned new surface, I was reveling in the BMW's handling and acceleration.  On the journey there are a number of scenic stops, one of which I visited so we could view the valley from quite an elevation.  The views of the white mountains and the Mt. Washington valley were stunning.  I was lucky enough to come up on almost no traffic from either direction until just before the seasonal gate on the Kancamagus Highway side of the trip.  Once through the seasonal gate it was a short drive to the intersection with the Kancamagus.  We turned west, and drove the majority of the highway into Lincoln NH where we would be staying for the night.

In all, the drive from Glen New Hampshire where we spent the day, over Bear Notch Road and then the length of the Kancamagus Highway into Lincoln had taken less than an hour and a half; and it was worth it.