This is a bit late, haven't had time to post this until now. Decided on Sunday that I was gonna ride Bear Notch Road


1. Approaching the turnoff
2. Just as I had hoped, still gated, but road looks pretty clear. Means I have the entire road to myself.
3. And here we go.
4. As we go up, we'll be arcing upward in the general direction of this peak.

1. first scenic pullout, there'll be two others, roughly a mile apart as we keep going up.
2. one of the stream crossings
3. here we are at the second pullout, and the mountain peak is a lot closer

1. the view from this second overlook. That's Mt. Washington, peaking up over the mountain range in the distance, and the town of Bartlett, where I started, nestled at the foot of the range.

2. closer shot of Mt. Washington

3. closer shot of Bartlett village

1. still have some snow at the higher points. This little patch even covers some of the very edge of the road still

2. mountain peak still getting closer. up at the corner is the next scenic overlook

3. another shot of Bartlett village from the third scenic rest stop

4. and another of Mt. washington, from the same point

5. and this is about the closest we'll come to the peak, it'll pass away off to the right as we reach the top and begin the descent.

1. here it is, the top. downhill from here.

2. just after the top is another scenic view spot, this time looking in the opposite direction, toward the south/southwest. This is a shot of Mt. Chocorua, which is probably 15-20 miles away, as the crow flies.

3. couple shots of the main ride, a Mondonico EL-OS. I'd just got it built back up a few days before, and have been tweaking the build over the past week, and think I finally have it right. This is at the gate on the other end.

4. closer shot

5. The junction with the Kancamagus Highway. I decided to keep riding, and turned right to do the climb of the Kanc as well.

and finally, a few more shots of the Mondonico at the top of the Kanc.

about 63 miles ridden, and 3000+ feet of climbing on the day.

Very nice. Looks like a hell of a ride.

Merrimack River Valley now added to my list of dream places to ride.

Wow! Closed roads are always awesome. We were hoping to ride Tioga by Yosimite before they opened it, but doesn't look like I'm going to be that lucky :(. Great pics!

Nice bike

Sweet ride Rufus! I, too, love closed road riding when its available where I live which is about 1 month a year through Acadia National Park. Love the Mondonico, she's a beaut!

singlecross

I love that area. I stayed at the camp ground by the stop sign before. How long is the Bear Notch Rd climb in miles? Just wondering. Thanks again for the pics and ride report. How is the Kank looking this year?

from the gate it's roughly a four mile climb from the Bartlett side. starts at around 560 feet, and climbs to around 1700. the Kanc side is a bit shorter, and not as steep, maybe three miles. but the road surface is better, which is why most people climb it from the Bartlett side, and head down toward the Kanc.

Kanc looks good, although it's amazing how beat up the new pavement they did on the climb has become over just one winter. last weekend they had the construction signs out, and I haven't been up it since, so not sure if they've started any work yet, or not. As far as I know, all they have to do is dig up, grade, and repave a short section that they didn't get to last year, and possibly put a final paving layer on the entire section they've been working on these past few years.

The annual Crank the Kanc race is next weekend, so it's possible we might have to ride a section of dirt road. I'm hoping not. Gonna try to grab some pics, not during the race, but before and at the finish. during the middle, I'll be a bit busy. :p

I'd love to see another nice write up.That was nice still seeing snow up there. I want to come up there soon and do the Kanc out and back sometime. Maybe do a warm up from Jigger Johnson Camp Ground to the end of the Kanc near N.Conway and back to the camp ground and onward to Lincoln and back.

Have a good one,
evs (white mt dreamin :D )

I've got a plan for sometime this year to do a ride with my neighbor over the kanc to Lincoln, and then onward past Lost River on the upper Kanc, spend the night in Littleton, and then from there, either back down Rt. 302 through Crawford Notch to Conway, or perhaps over through Jefferson to Gorham, and then back down Rt. 16 through Pinkham Notch.

140-170 miles, and lots of climbing.

rode it again yesterday. amazing what a difference a week makes at this time of year. no snow at all, and evrything was just a lush, vibrant green. wish I'd taken my camera again, almost like riding a totally different road.

we had rain showers last Thursday, and when I left for work, the leaf buds were still tiny, and barely popping. by the time I got home after the rain had passed, the leaves were in almost full bloom. instant leaves, just add water.

a shot like this would have been awash in green, and the roiad in shadow.

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