Lincoln is a mountain town that plays the role of ski village in winter and gateway in summer. It sits on the Pemigewasset River, in a bowl of the White Mountains, with Loon Mountain's slopes rising behind and the dramatic cut of Franconia Notch just to the north. On the east side of town, the road named after a seventeenth-century Penacook leader, Kancamagus, starts its climb into the national forest.
The Kancamagus Highway, New Hampshire Route 112, covers about fifty-six kilometres between Lincoln and Conway and was only completed as a continuous road in the 1960s. It crosses the Kancamagus Pass at about 2,855 feet, with a long climb from the Lincoln side and a more gradual descent along the Swift River toward Conway. The road is full of easy, flowing bends, with little traffic of the commercial kind but plenty of tourists, and a speed limit that is enforced. Several scenic overlooks, including the Hancock and Pemigewasset overlooks, look out across forested ridges, and Sabbaday Falls is a short, pleasant walk to a pretty cascade.
In autumn this is one of the most famous leaf-peeping roads in the United States, when the maples glow orange and red against the dark spruce, and traffic can crawl. If you can, go on a weekday, early. In summer the surrounding forest is a deep green, the river pools are good for a swim, and the mountains stay cool.
Fill up in Lincoln or Conway before you go, and bring some food and water, since the services along the road are limited to a few campgrounds and visitor centres. Mobile coverage is patchy as well, and moose roam the forest, particularly at dawn and dusk, so keep your speed down.
Lincoln itself has every service you need, with gas stations, diners and breweries, and the town is lively around the ski season. Winter conditions can close the road or make it very icy, and spring brings mud and frost heaves. The best months are September and early October for colour, or June for quiet.