Crawford Notch is a deep gash in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, a glacier-carved, U-shaped valley that squeezes between steep granite walls, with the road, a railway line and the headwaters of the Saco River all running through the gap at about 580 metres. The cliffs on either side rise hundreds of metres, streaked with waterfalls, and the whole setting has a drama unusual for the eastern United States. US 302 runs through the notch, a well-surfaced road with gentle gradients and moderate curves, and it is among the most scenic in New England.
The valley has a tragic story. In August 1826, after a night of torrential rain, a landslide roared down the mountain above a lonely house belonging to the Willey family, and nine people, the parents, their children and hired men, were killed trying to flee. The house itself was spared, split by the slide, and the story shocked the country and made the notch famous. Writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote about it, and the site is now a small state historic site with a little museum. The Crawford Path, cut up Mount Washington from near the head of the notch in 1819, is among the oldest hiking trails in the country.
The railway adds to the drama. The Maine Central line through the notch, completed in the 1870s after enormous effort, crosses the Frankenstein Trestle, a high iron bridge named after a local landscape painter, and a scenic train runs along it in summer and autumn. From the road, you can see the trestle spanning the gully. Waterfalls such as Silver Cascade, which drops beside the road in a series of steps, are worth a short stop, and there are trailheads for many hikes. The big hotel at Bretton Woods, built in 1902, was the venue for the monetary conference that set up the post-war international financial system.
Moose are common on this road, especially at dawn and dusk, and a collision with one is a serious hazard, so ride with care. Weather can be sudden, with fog, rain and cold even in summer. Fuel is not available in the notch itself; look in Bartlett or Conway to the south, or in Twin Mountain to the north. Foliage season in early October brings heavy traffic, but the colours on the hillsides are superb. Pack a warm layer, because the valley is cool and the shade of the cliffs deep.