National Scenic Byway · New Hampshire

White Mountain Trail

A 100-mile loop through New Hampshire's White Mountains: the Kancamagus Highway, Franconia Notch and Crawford Notch.

White Mountain Trail: Flume Gorge at Franconia Notch

Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation, America's Byways collection (National Archives), Public domain, source

  • Length100 miles[1]Visit NH's longer version with optional segments is about 142 miles.
  • Drive timeAbout 2.5 hours of driving[1]FHWA's "time to allow"
  • RoadsA loop on Route 112 (the Kancamagus Highway), Route 3 through Franconia Notch, Route 302 through Crawford Notch and Route 16[2]
  • Start and endA loop starting at the White Mountains Visitor Center in North Woodstock[2]
  • Fees and passesNo fee to drive the byway; unattended parking on the national forest may need a recreation pass.[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 White Mountain Trail is a 100-mile loop through the White Mountain National Forest. Visit NH starts it at the White Mountains Visitor Center in North Woodstock, then goes north on Route 3 through Franconia Notch, east on Route 302 through Crawford Notch, and around via Route 16 and the Kancamagus Highway (Route 112).

Along the way are waterfalls, covered bridges and many mountain and valley overlooks. It's one of New England's classic fall foliage drives.

Allow about two and a half hours of driving, longer in foliage season. We haven't verified a complete route line for this byway, so the map shows the stops only.

Stops along the way

  1. North Woodstock

    Start of the loop at the White Mountains Visitor Center.

    Official information · 44.03035, -71.68592

  2. Franconia Notch

    Mountain pass through Franconia Notch State Park.

    Official information · 44.15257, -71.67953

  3. Crawford Notch

    Steep-walled notch on Route 302.

    Official information · 44.16697, -71.3759

  4. Conway

    Where the loop meets the Kancamagus Highway.

    Official information · 43.97925, -71.12035

  5. Kancamagus Pass

    High point of the Kancamagus Highway (Route 112).

    Official information · 44.02508, -71.49258

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

  • MWV Farmers’ MarketNorth Conway, NH · about 0.0 mi from the route
  • Bethlehem Local Works Farmers' MarketBethlehem, NH · about 3.2 mi from the route
  • Local Works Farmers' Market at WRENBethlehem, NH · about 3.2 mi from the route
  • Littleton Farmers MarketLittleton, NH · about 7.1 mi from the route
  • Lisbon Farmers' MarketLisbon, NH · about 11.0 mi from the route · listed as year-round

Markets keep their own seasons and hours, so check with the market before you go. Find more in the Farmers Market Finder.

Sources

  1. America's Byways: White Mountain Trail (FHWA) (checked 2026-10-22)
  2. 7 Scenic Foliage Drives (Visit NH, New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism) (checked 2026-10-22)
  3. White Mountain Scenic Drives (Visit NH) (checked 2026-10-22)
  4. Scenic Drives, White Mountain National Forest (USDA Forest Service) (checked 2026-10-22)
  5. 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).

More drives in New Hampshire · All scenic drives