The Cog and The Kanc

Last weekend, we were in leaf-peeping heaven! I have never seen anything so visually stunning it in my entire life. It was like being in a cartoon or a carnival, with every deciduous tree at peak vibrancy and color saturation. I kept saying to Dan, “Is this real life?”

We visited two of New Hampshire’s premier attractions: The Mt. Washington Cog Railway (the “Cog”) and the Kancamagus Scenic Byway (the “Kanc”). If you ever find yourself in New Hampshire during peak foliage season (late September to early October), and you’ve got yourself a nice, sunny day, PLEASE do yourself a favor and visit these two places. This was honestly one of the best weekend trips of my life!

The Mount Washington Cog Railway (The Cog)

The Cog Railway was founded in 1869, and has been carrying passengers to the summit of Mt. Washington ever since. It is the second steepest railway in the world. The steepest part of the Cog is called, “Jacob’s Ladder–” a nearly 300 feet long trestle which ascends 25 feet above the surface of the mountain at a 37.41% grade.

TheCog.com/Jacob’s-Ladder

I have to admit I was a little scared to ride, and I told Dan it might feel like a really long roller coaster! (It takes an hour to get to the summit.) But then when I saw there were no seatbelts or restraints, I thought, “How bad can it be?” And honestly, I would have done it anyway. I mean, the train has not derailed since 1967, so, the odds were in our favor.

In my research, I learned that Mt. Washington’s summit holds the title for, “Worst weather in the world” and has the highest wind speeds ever recorded by man. There are hurricane-force (>75mph) winds more than 100 days out of every year! Temperatures have gone as low as -43 degrees Fahrenheit, and wind speeds more than 200mph (231 mph in 1934). And, it is very unpredictable from day to day and hour to hour. But, we were prepared to do it even if we froze. (Dan, my ever shorts-wearing husband, even wore long pants!)

Fortunately, our weekend turned out absolutely perfectly! It was sunny and gorgeous, with highs in the 70’s at the base and 40’s while we were at the summit.

Because we weren’t sure when we would arrive at the Cog, we decided not to buy our tickets in advance. Unfortunately, when I checked online, tickets were sold out for the day. (Probably because of the unbelievably gorgeous weather).

I kept checking the website for cancelations, and at the last minute was able to score us two seats, though, on different trains, but at the same time. (3pm) We took a quick pic at the base before we said goodbye and then reconvened at the summit for an hour of exploring.

As we climbed the mountain in the cog, it got progressively colder. At the beginning, I had my coat tied around my waist. Then, I put it on. By the time we reached the summit, we all had our coats zipped tight and our hats on!

We got out of the train and stepped into the snow–which was packed pretty tightly from a recent snowfall. I was being careful not to slip since I’m in a walking boot.

It was a short walk up a steep, icy hill to reach the summit, and it was quite a feat for me with no traction on my left boot! And, the way back down was worse–I finally decided to slide on my butt. Good thing Dan has a sense of humor. And lots of patience!

The Cog itself is a Harvest Hosts Campsite, so we didn’t even have to leave to find a place to sleep. It was perfect! We just climbed into our van and put on our jammies and settled in at the base of Mt. Washington for the night.

We brought along food–snacks and meals for both days. It is one of the biggest benefits of living in a van and always having your refrigerator with you!

The photo right before we both simultaneously said, “Vanlife is awesome.” October 20, 2024

What a wonderful place–what a wonderful life!

The Kancamagus Scenic Byway (The Kanc)

It is only about a one hour drive from the Cog to the Kanc (Lincoln, NH to Conway, NH). In retrospect, I’m so glad we entered the Kanc on the Lincoln side, because almost every scenic overlook and trailhead we wanted to see was on our right–which made it easy to park and get out.

I told Dan it felt like going yard-saling (something I’ve always loved to do), because we pulled over every few minutes and jumped out of the van to see what each place had to offer. And, this is what we saw…

It was another sunny, beautiful day in the high 60’s, and at several points, I remember saying to Dan, “Do you think the universe designed this weekend just for us?” I was singing the song from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:

Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination

What we’ll see will defy explanation

If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it…

So, the Kancamagus Scenic Byway is said to be one of the prettiest highway drives in New England–especially during fall foliage season. Within the White Mountain National Forest, it is 34.5 miles of natures finest eye candy.

If you drove straight through, it would take about an hour. If you want to stop and see the sights like we did, plan for at least a few hours. There are marked places to pull over all along the road–including trailheads, scenic overlooks, picnic areas, rivers, swimming areas, waterfalls, you name it.

Albany Covered Bridge

This bridge, crossing the Swift River, was built in 1858, and restored in 1970.

Lower Falls

This is one of the best places to go swimming along the Kanc. There is a large, shallow pool surrounded by flat rocks. We spent about 30 minutes here, but I would have loved to stay and play in the water if my foot was healthy and it was a little (a lot) warmer!

Rocky Gorge

Water moves swiftly (because its the Swift River, get it?) through the gorge, and you can see it all from this gorgeous (see what I did there) pedestrian bridge.

Sabbadday Falls

This is one of the most popular stops along the Kanc. It is only about a 1/2 mile hike to the falls, but totally worth it! Many people had their dogs along for the walk. It made me think about Loki (Branden’s Husky) and Teddy (Nikole’s Yorkipoo) and how much fun they would have here.