Connecticut River Byway
Both banks of New England's longest river through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont: farms, river towns and the Upper Valley.
Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation, America's Byways collection (National Archives), Public domain, source
- Length498.7 miles, counting both sides of the river[1]
- Drive timeAbout 14 hours to drive both sides of the river[1]FHWA's "time to allow"
- RoadsNot verified
- Start and endNot verified
- Fees and passesNone[1]
- Best seasonNot verified
- SurfaceNot verified
- Vehicle notesNot verified
- Seasonal closuresNot verified
Before you go
Road status and weather can change quickly. Check the official road-conditions link before you go.
Facts last checked against the sources on October 22, 2026.
About the drive
The Connecticut River Byway follows New England's longest river on both its Vermont and New Hampshire banks, and into Massachusetts. FHWA describes a landscape shaped by glaciers and colliding continental plates, Abenaki homeland, colonial villages and deep farming roots.
On the New Hampshire side, the state's tourism office traces a ride north from West Chesterfield through Claremont, Lebanon, Hanover, Lyme and Orford to Haverhill and Littleton. Vermont's side has river towns such as Brattleboro, Bellows Falls and Windsor.
FHWA estimates about 14 hours to drive both sides, so most people pick one stretch and cross the river on the old bridges.
Stops along the way
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Brattleboro
Vermont river town near the Massachusetts line.
Official information · 42.85092, -72.55787 · about 0.0 mi from the route line
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Claremont
Has a byway waypoint center on the New Hampshire side.
Official information · 43.37675, -72.34676 · about 0.1 mi from the route line
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Hanover
College town on the river.
Official information · 43.7023, -72.28954 · about 0.0 mi from the route line
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Haverhill
Upper valley town north of Orford.
Official information · 44.03452, -72.06398 · about 0.0 mi from the route line
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Littleton
End of the New Hampshire route.
Official information · 44.30618, -71.77009 · about 2.1 mi from the route line
Stops are listed in order along the route; the numbers match the map. Stop locations come from the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey place-names database, the stop's own official page or, where noted in the data, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).
Food along the way
Farmers markets within about 25 miles
- Northfield Farmers' Market, MA · about 0.0 mi from the route
- Winter Farmers Market at the Hampshire Mall, MA · about 1.8 mi from the route
- Great Falls Farmers Market, Turners FallsTurners Falls, MA · about 3.7 mi from the route
- Easthampton Farmers' MarketEasthampton, MA · about 3.7 mi from the route
- Bernardston Farmers Market, MA · about 4.5 mi from the route
Markets keep their own seasons and hours, so check with the market before you go. Find more in the Farmers Market Finder.
Sources
- America's Byways: Connecticut River Byway (FHWA) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Connecticut River Byway (Visit NH, New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Connecticut River Byway (Vermont Department of Tourism) (checked 2026-10-22)
- Route line: U.S. DOT scenic byways map service (geo.dot.gov), retrieved 2026-10-22.
Written by VanillaGoods from the cited official sources. This is a drive to know, not a ranking. Road status and weather can change quickly; check the official road-conditions link before you go.
Spot something out of date? Email help@vanillagoods.com (help@vanillagoods.com).