Bethel to Plattsburgh
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert Paul Hedges - Adv RouteXpert
Last edit: 18-01-2020
Route Summary
this route has the best that New England has to offer. Mountains, Christmas Card villages and great roads. This was day 2 of 4 of our riding holiday and maybe the best days riding
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Animation
Verdict
Duration
8h 2m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
501.56 km
Countries
the view from the top of Mount Washington RP4
RouteXpert Review
Leaving the hotel in Bethel after a very filling breakfast of blueberry pancakes, it is time to start the dayUS Highway 2 takes you out of Bethel and straight away the White Mountain National Forest is in front of you. The road follows alongside the Androsscoggin River and as you ride the long winding bends you can catch glimpses of it through the trees. Turning left onto NH-16 White Mountain Road you leave the sleepy town behind you and ride one long sweeping bend after another until you reach the bottom of Mount Washington Road. RP3
This was something not to be missed. It is 6miles(10kms) to reach the top. Starting through the forests before you ride through the treeline and keep going up. The views from all sides are spectacular but it is a narrow road and very little protection to stop you riding off the edge. The view from the top is just amazing, you can see for miles. Soon it is time to turn around and head down again. It is just as good going back down and stop in the store at the bottom to buy a patch to remember such a great ride. You also get a sticker for your bike. Well worth the $17 for the experience
Back onto the 16 for more sweeping bends along the tree lined road. Take a left onto the 302 and head towards Conway. Stopping at The Stair Way café for coffee then head for a road not to be missed. This is the start of some great riding
Back onto the 302 to Bear Notch Road, not very large on the map and closed during the winter this was curve followed by curve, the road is so small not even Google has visited it yet. The locals may not want them to as it is one of those special hidden gems of a road. This leads you to The Kancamagus Highway and as you turn right onto it you can see why it gets the title of one of the prettiest roads in America. The road is long and sweeping, the views are never ending. After 30 mins and you get to the end you could happily turn around and ride it again.
Turning off onto the NH-118 the greenery around continues to be as good as the road you are riding. Houses appear out of nowhere and sit beside the road but are soon behind you as trees once again join the roadside. Turning onto the 25c the landscape changes as farmland spreads out to the sides. But still the curves keep coming until you arrive at Piermont. You will wonder where the last 60miles(100km) have gone. But now it is time for lunch and the burger bar in the Four Corners General Store will make sure you never go hungry, ever!
Route 25 takes you into Vermont and takes you all the way to the US-302 from small tiny back roads to a main road that gives more long sweeping curves. Every now and then small towns appear and change the views around you
Soon you are on the Highway 89 and three lanes of traffic, such a change from the roads up until now. This is time to relax a bit after the twists and turns from earlier. Soon you are taking the exit ramp and heading north on the 100 towards Stowe. Stopping in Stowe for coffee the small-town feeling is there. This is the sort of town that is on Christmas cards it is that pretty. Leaving Stowe, you head to Smuggler’s Notch and the Mountain Road. It is a tourist location so you might meet coaches coming the other way and it is not a very wide road. But this was another one not to be missed and a stop and Bingham Falls (RP19) is something that is worth stopping off for.
Passing though more small towns the road turns left onto the VT-15 and the vistas get wide and breath-taking. Easy riding along these roads as they are not too busy. A fuel stop in Essex and chance for a break off the bike for 10 minutes before heading off to ride across Lake Chaplain.
There is a chance going over the first causeway to take some pictures of the expanse of water. (RP24) This leads to the North and South Hero islands and you make your way to the very north of the State and near the Canadian Border. As you cross the bridge into New York State you can look across into Canada and see a fort from time gone by. (RP26)
At the end of the road as you turn left onto RT11 you can look to the left and see the Canadian border control (RP27) . The last 30 minutes is a relaxing ride down the empty road that is Highway 87, a great way to unwind from a great days riding to the hotel in Plattsburgh. A soak in the hot tub and swim in the pool makes the day perfect.
This route I am going to have to give 5 stars, it has everything, amazing views from the top of a mountain, roads that just go on and on and the small towns that are everything you see in the Christmas movies. Riding through 4 US States in one day and enjoying the best of them all
Kancamagus Highway
Bingham Falls RP19
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Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Nearby routes
New Hampshire
About this region
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. Of the 50 U.S. states, New Hampshire is the fifth smallest by area and the tenth least populous, with a little over 1.3 million residents. Concord is the state capital, while Manchester is the largest city. New Hampshire's motto, "Live Free or Die", reflects its role in the American Revolutionary War; its nickname, "The Granite State", refers to its extensive granite formations and quarries. It is best known nationwide for holding the first primary in the U.S. presidential election cycle, giving rise to the phrase "As New Hampshire goes, so goes the nation".New Hampshire was inhabited for thousands of years by Algonquian-speaking peoples such as the Abenaki. Europeans arrived in the early 17th century, with the English establishing some of the earliest nonindigenous settlements. The Province of New Hampshire was established in 1629, named after the English county of Hampshire. Following mounting tensions between the British colonies and the crown during the 1760s, New Hampshire saw one of the earliest overt acts of rebellion, with the seizing of Fort William and Mary from the British in 1774. In January 1776, it became the first of the British North American colonies to establish an independent government and its own state constitution; six months later, it signed the United States Declaration of Independence and contributed troops, ships, and supplies in the war against Britain. In June 1788 it was the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, bringing that document into effect.
Through the mid-19th century, New Hampshire was an active center of abolitionism, and fielded close to 32,000 men for the Union during the U.S. Civil War. After the war, the state saw rapid industrialization and population growth, becoming a center of textile manufacturing, shoemaking, and papermaking; the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in Manchester was at one time the largest cotton textile plant in the world. The Merrimack and Connecticut rivers were lined with industrial mills, most of which employed workers from Canada and Europe; French Canadians formed the most significant influx of immigrants, and today roughly a quarter of all New Hampshire residents claim French American ancestry, second only to Maine.
Reflecting a nationwide trend, New Hampshire's industrial sector declined after the Second World War; since 1950, its economy has heavily diversified to include financial and professional services, real estate, education, and transportation, with manufacturing still higher than the national average. Beginning in the 1980s, its population surged as major highways connected it to the Greater Boston and led to more bedroom communities. In the 21st century, New Hampshire is among the wealthiest states in the U.S., with the seventh highest median household income and some of the lowest rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime. It is one of only nine states without an income tax, and has no taxes on sales, capital gains, or inheritance; consequently, its overall tax burden is the lowest in the U.S. after Florida. New Hampshire ranks among the top ten states in metrics such as governance, healthcare, socioeconomic opportunity, and fiscal stability.With its mountainous and heavily forested terrain, New Hampshire has a growing tourism sector centered on outdoor recreation. It has some of the highest ski mountains on the East Coast and is a major destination for winter sports; Mount Monadnock is among the most climbed mountains in the U.S. Other activities include observing the fall foliage, summer cottages along many lakes and the seacoast, motor sports at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Motorcycle Week, a popular motorcycle rally held in Weirs Beach in Laconia. The White Mountain National Forest links the Vermont and Maine portions of the Appalachian Trail, and has the Mount Washington Auto Road, where visitors may drive to the top of 6,288-foot (1,917 m) Mount Washington.
Read more on Wikipedia
Through the mid-19th century, New Hampshire was an active center of abolitionism, and fielded close to 32,000 men for the Union during the U.S. Civil War. After the war, the state saw rapid industrialization and population growth, becoming a center of textile manufacturing, shoemaking, and papermaking; the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company in Manchester was at one time the largest cotton textile plant in the world. The Merrimack and Connecticut rivers were lined with industrial mills, most of which employed workers from Canada and Europe; French Canadians formed the most significant influx of immigrants, and today roughly a quarter of all New Hampshire residents claim French American ancestry, second only to Maine.
Reflecting a nationwide trend, New Hampshire's industrial sector declined after the Second World War; since 1950, its economy has heavily diversified to include financial and professional services, real estate, education, and transportation, with manufacturing still higher than the national average. Beginning in the 1980s, its population surged as major highways connected it to the Greater Boston and led to more bedroom communities. In the 21st century, New Hampshire is among the wealthiest states in the U.S., with the seventh highest median household income and some of the lowest rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime. It is one of only nine states without an income tax, and has no taxes on sales, capital gains, or inheritance; consequently, its overall tax burden is the lowest in the U.S. after Florida. New Hampshire ranks among the top ten states in metrics such as governance, healthcare, socioeconomic opportunity, and fiscal stability.With its mountainous and heavily forested terrain, New Hampshire has a growing tourism sector centered on outdoor recreation. It has some of the highest ski mountains on the East Coast and is a major destination for winter sports; Mount Monadnock is among the most climbed mountains in the U.S. Other activities include observing the fall foliage, summer cottages along many lakes and the seacoast, motor sports at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Motorcycle Week, a popular motorcycle rally held in Weirs Beach in Laconia. The White Mountain National Forest links the Vermont and Maine portions of the Appalachian Trail, and has the Mount Washington Auto Road, where visitors may drive to the top of 6,288-foot (1,917 m) Mount Washington.
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Amount of RX reviews (New Hampshire)
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Amount of visitors (New Hampshire)
69
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Route Collections in this region
Ultimate USA road trip part 07
Michel van Hagen challenged me to follow the Roadtrip of Dr. Randy Olsen as a basis to create the Ultimate USA Road Trip for the MyRoute app RouteXpert Library. I took up that challenge and started in February 2022.
The scientist Dr. Randy Olsen, who became known for using his knowledge of algorithms to find 'Waldo' in the well-known American 'Where's Waldo' book series, has been challenged by Tracy Staedter, from Discovery News, to use the same algorithm to create the perfect Road Trip by creating the US, which will visit almost every state in the US. Alaska and Hawaii are not included in this Road Trip due to their geographical location.
The following three requirements formed the basis of the route: In all 48 countries there must be at least one stop at famous points, monuments, historical sites, national parks, etc. I have added additional interesting points, beautiful tours and routes.
After more than 26 months, the job is finished and, with a lot of support from Nick Carthew, I have created 129 routes that run through the 48 states of the USA and part of Canada. This is the seventh collection that takes you from Salem in ten days through Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Canada, Pennsylvania and Ohio to Mackinaw City, Michigan.
The scientist Dr. Randy Olsen, who became known for using his knowledge of algorithms to find 'Waldo' in the well-known American 'Where's Waldo' book series, has been challenged by Tracy Staedter, from Discovery News, to use the same algorithm to create the perfect Road Trip by creating the US, which will visit almost every state in the US. Alaska and Hawaii are not included in this Road Trip due to their geographical location.
The following three requirements formed the basis of the route: In all 48 countries there must be at least one stop at famous points, monuments, historical sites, national parks, etc. I have added additional interesting points, beautiful tours and routes.
After more than 26 months, the job is finished and, with a lot of support from Nick Carthew, I have created 129 routes that run through the 48 states of the USA and part of Canada. This is the seventh collection that takes you from Salem in ten days through Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Canada, Pennsylvania and Ohio to Mackinaw City, Michigan.
View Route Collection
10 Routes
3658.89 km
107h 10m