This highway, known locally as SH 112, which crosses through the White Mountain National Forest is one of, if not the most scenic highway to drive in the United States, and this is especially true in the fall when the foliage is at peak color.

Constructed jointly by the New Hampshire Highway Department, U.S. bureau of Public Roads and the U.S. Forest Service, this highway was extended an additional 34.5 miles from Lincoln, NH at IH 93 through the Pemigewasset Wilderness, over Kancamagus Pass, and down through the Sandwich Range Wilderness along the Swift River to Conway, NH on the east side. This new section of the state highway was open for auto travel in 1959 and prior to when this highway opened, there was no other way thought these wilderness areas except by foot.

Prior to the above extension, state highway 112 traversed west from Lincoln, New Hampshire through the western part of the White Mountains national forest until reaching US 302 just south of Bath, New Hampshire.

Kancamagus, was chosen as the name of this highway because prior to the European conquest of the eastern United States, there was an Algonquin tribe and descendants of the Sons of Ophir, who by this time were know as the Pennacook and who called this their homeland. Kancamagus, (meaning Fearless One) in the Pennacook language, was the name of the third and final Sagamon (meaning Chief) of the Pennacook Conferdracy. Kancamagus, who was the grandson of Passaconaway succeeded his uncle Wonalancet in 1684.

Kancamagus stood as a force for peace between the natives and the Europeans, but the persistent harassment by the whites aggravated this chieftain until he could no longer allow their presumptuous and relentless advances to continue unresolved. He let loose the tumult of war, one causing much bloodshed, and by 1691 resulting in the near eradication of the tribe. After this war, Kancamagus, with his followers, moved to either northern New Hampshire or into Canada.

Many of the natural features in this Wilderness area are named after the people of the Pennacook. See if you can notice some of these names.

Although the below photos are not during the leaf peaking season, which season is a must see time for this scenic highway, nevertheless, this highway should be seen whenever one visits the White Mountain National Forest in north central New Hampshire.

  (SH 112 continues west to Bath, New Hampshire)

First up at five am but go back to sleep again today. Then I drive to the w-mart and work on organizing photos on my computer until about five-thirty pm when I drive out of Conway and west on the Kancamagus Highway stopping often to take photos and then up to the Kancamagus Pass arriving at seven pm. I begin making my supper from the vegetable left over from last night and eat supper at the pass while photographing the sunset. I meet another man who is there with his family who is also photographing the sunset and talk with him briefly.

While waiting for the sunset and cloud layer begins to move in from he west and continues moving eastward. This cloud layer will prevent any aurora sighting tonight so I decide to drive back to the d-mart for the night.

I stop at the w-mart for a cup of hot and pound on the keys until noon, I pack out to drive back across the Kancamagus and hope for a clear sky tonight to make the sighting of the aurora possible. I arrive at the summit by four, cook my Repast and eat. Then upon seeing that the cloud cover has only gotten thicker, methinks that I will drive the rest of the Kancamagus highway to the Connecticut River.

I do make several more stops along the way to take photos, even at where the Appalachian Trail crosses NH 112 and walk a distance south on Beaver Brook trail towards Mount Moosilaukee but when the trail becomes steep, my desire to be on it fades ever so quickly.