Manchester to Bethel

My family is taking a vacation in Bethel in June. I am thinking about flying into Manchester and driving through the white mountains to get to Bethel. Does anybody know a cool route to take? Also, if you know of any interesting places to eat along the way it would be greatly appreciate.

Manchester to Bethel

Route 93/3 is the best route, and an extremely scenic one as well. A really cool stop would be the beautiful and historic Mount Washington Hotel, just 5 miles off your route to Bethel. Especially if you%26#39;d have enough time to wander the hotel a little and see some of the photos from important events held there.

mountwashingtonresort.com/general/about_us/l…

Then 115 to 2, right into Bethel.

Hope this map link works for you:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d%26amp;source=s_d%26amp;saddr=mht%26amp;daddr=310+Mount+Washington+Hotel+Rd,+Bretton+Woods,+NH%E2%80%8E+to:bethel,+me%26amp;hl=en%26amp;geocode=%26amp;mra=ls%26amp;sll=44.264379,-71.462631%26amp;sspn=0.223243,0.617981%26amp;ie=UTF8%26amp;z=8

Manchester to Bethel

I%26#39;m not sure how much time you want to allocate to get from Manchester to Bethel, but have a couple of ideas for you. If you haven%26#39;t already done so, you might also post your question on the New Hamshire Forum, since most of your trip will be there instead of Maine. That said, based on numerous vacations and trips to central New Hampshire, I offer the following two major options:

Option 1. Take I-93 north from Manchester for about 80 miles to Exit 32 in Lincoln. Then go east on Rt 112 for 35 miles to Conway, via what is known as the Kancamagus Highway (or, as the locals say, ';The Kanc';). It%26#39;s a narrow, winding, scenic two-lane road through the heart of the White Mountains National Forest....good views of the mountains, water rushing over the rocks in the Swift River alongside the road -- a great New England mountains drive. Caution: there%26#39;s no opportunity to buy gas or much to eat between Lincoln and Conway so plan accordingly.

From Conway, you have two choices:

1A: Take US 302 east for 10-12 miles to Fryeburg, ME, then go north on Rt 113. Route 113 winds back and forth across the Maine-New Hampshire border through the eastern end of the White Mountains National Forest for about 40 miles to Gilead, ME. It%26#39;e even narrower that ';The Kanc'; but is a paved road all the way. If offers great chances to see forested and rocky mountainsides and maybe even some wildlife. From Gilead, it%26#39;s about 8 miles on US Route 2 to Bethel. No strong recommendations for food along this route -- we often take a picnic....

2A: From Conway, take Rt 16 north through North Conway -- which is very commercial to the south of town, but gives way to the original New England village with its village green, old-time railroad station which is home to the seasonally-operating Conway Scenic Railroad -- google it for times and schedules if you want to ride an old-time train -- with multiple good restaurant choices. Our favorite North Conway eateries, assuming you%26#39;ll be passing through about lunchtime, would be Banners (not fancy but good basic food), Horsefeathers opposite the village green in North Conway, Flatbread and Company flatbread pizzas inside the Eastern Slope Inn, and Moat Mountain Brewery -- microbrews and great sandwiches. From North Conway, continue north on Rt 16 thru Glen (home to Storyland theme park for the younger kids -- google it for details), and on to Gorham, NH (about 31 miles from Glen). ALong the way, some of the attractions include: a wooden, covered bridge (you can actually drive through it) in Jackson, a zip-line at Wildcat Ski Resort, the Mount Washington Auto Road (drive yourself or ride with a professional van driver) to the top of the highest mountain peak east of the Mississippi River (6,200 feet), the Appalachian Mountain Club headquarters in Pinkham Notch, and numerous scenic turnouts in this section of the National Forest. This section of Rt 16 is well maintained and an easy drive. From Gorham, it%26#39;s about 20 miles east on US 2 to Bethel.

Option 2. If you have even more time, stay on I-93 to Exit 35 (about 95 miles from Manchester) -- taking you through Franconia Notch State Park north of Lincoln. Attractions include views of the Presidential Mountain range on both sides of the road; a chance to hike The Flume, a natural chasm carved out of rocky cliffs; the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway to the top of Cannon Mountain for a great view from its 4000 foot summit. From Exit 35, take Route 3 east to Twin Mountain (about 10 miles) then Rt 302 east to and through Crawford Notch (more great views.) Between Twim Mountain and Glen on 302 watch for: the Mt Washington Cog Railroad -- a trule unique way to to the top of Mt Washington (Google Mt Washington Cog Railroad for details); the Mount Washington Hotel, home of a famous United National financial conference in 1944 and still offering a great view of Mt Washington (can Google the hotel for more info); a roadside waterfall on the left just beyond Fabyan (where there%26#39;s a great natural history museum in an old railroad station); and some more great views coming downhill through the notch. In Glen, turn left on Rt 16 toward Gorham. See Option 1 for description of Glen to Bethel options.

Once you get to Bethel, ask for directions to Grafton Notch State Park, off Rt 26 in Newry. Screw Auger Falls (adjacent to the roadway) is a fun visit and the Park also offers some good hiking opportunities. Also ask for directions to the intersection of Maine Routes 5 and 35 in Lynchville, home to a now, world-famous sign showing the mileages to numerous towns/cities in Maine which all have foreign place-names. Google: Maine signpost for more info.

Sorry for the length, but wanted to give you a real feel for your options. Have a great trip.

Thank you so much for both of your replies. Unfortunately, based on rental car rates and not being able to get more days off from work, I am flying into Portland and driving from there. I am disappointed because I thought driving through the White Mountains would be awesome. On a side note, my sister is driving up from Philadelphia and I sent her all of the information you guys supplied me with, so all of your hard work was not done in vain. Thanks again and I am going to post a similar question about the drive from Portland on the Portland forum, so if you guys have any info on that it would be greatly appreciated.