Crawford Notch is a mountain pass with a bit of drama in its past. The road, Route 302, runs through a deep, narrow gap in the Presidential Range, hemmed in by steep rock walls and forested slopes, with a stream running beside it and waterfalls tumbling down the cliffs. It is the sort of place where you look up a lot, and where the weather feels close and serious. The notch has been a route through the mountains since the early nineteenth century, when a turnpike was cut through to link the Saco valley to the north country.
A disaster here became one of New England's best-known stories. In August 1826, after days of heavy rain, a huge landslide swept down the mountainside. The Willey family, who lived in a small inn at the foot of the slope, ran out of their house in the night and were killed, while the house itself was spared when the slide split around it. The story drew writers and painters, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, and helped make the notch famous. The railway, built later through the pass, was a feat of engineering, with high trestles and tight curves cut into the rock.
For a rider, the notch is a pleasure. The road climbs gently from either side, with broad bends, a smooth surface and spectacular scenery, and the speed limit is modest, with lots of places to stop. Waterfalls, including Silver Cascade, which is visible from a roadside bridge, and Flume Cascade, drop beside the road, and a short trail leads to Arethusa Falls, among the tallest in New Hampshire. Weather can change quickly, and fog, cold rain and even snow in spring or autumn are possible, so a warm layer and gloves are wise.
Services are scattered. The Mount Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods, a grand white resort from 1902, lies not far to the north, and the nearest fuel and food are in towns like Bartlett and Twin Mountain, so start the climb with a tank that has some margin. The best time for the notch is September and early October, when the colours in the high trees are at their peak. In the evening light, with a cold wind off the summit and the cliffs glowing, it is a place that stays with you.