Burlington to Lincoln is a two-mountain-range drive: down Interstate 89 through the Greens, across the Connecticut River, and up into the Whites. Figure about 101 miles and two and a quarter hours by the most direct line. It is the shortest run to Franconia Notch from any real town west of New Hampshire, and Vermonters have quietly used it for years to reach the good hiking without the long haul around the bottom of the state.
There are two ways to make the trip, and they drive very differently. One stays on the interstates the whole way, I-89 down toward Concord and then I-93 north into the mountains, which is about twice the distance but never asks anything of you. The other leaves the interstate early, crosses the Connecticut River valley, and climbs Route 112 over Kinsman Notch to drop into North Woodstock from the west: shorter, slower, and far prettier, and the one to save for daylight. Here is how each drives, where the stops are, and when to leave.
The all-interstate line: I-89 to I-93
From Burlington, take I-89 South and hold it the length of Vermont, through the Waterbury area where the Green Mountains rise close on both sides, past Montpelier, and down to White River Junction, then across the Connecticut River into New Hampshire. I-89 runs southeast from there and ends at I-93 in Bow, just south of Concord. Turn north on I-93 and it is a straight highway hour up into the mountains to Exit 32, with the lodge 5 min past the ramp. Every mile of this is divided highway.
It is by far the longer of the two, closer to 215 miles and three and a half hours, because the interstate carries you south toward Concord before it brings you back north. What you get for the extra miles is a steady pace and nothing to think about. There are no tolls on this line: I-89 is toll-free, and you join I-93 north of the Hooksett plaza. The notch road is slow going, but even so the interstate line runs about an hour longer. In a storm, after dark, or any time the notch road gives you pause, this is the route to take.
The back door over Kinsman Notch
The two routes share the same road only as far as Exit 7, just past Montpelier, so decide which way you want before you get there. The direct line is also the pretty one. Leave I-89 at Exit 7 for Barre and take U.S. Route 302 east across the hills of central Vermont to Wells River on the Connecticut, then cross the bridge into Woodsville, New Hampshire. From there it is a few miles east on Route 302 to Bath, where New Hampshire Route 112 begins and turns uphill. Route 112 East follows the Wild Ammonoosuc River into Kinsman Notch, a pass of about 1,870 feet between Mount Moosilauke and the Kinsman ridge, then descends along the Lost River into North Woodstock, with Lincoln and the lodge a couple of miles beyond.
At the height of land the Appalachian Trail crosses the road on its climb up Moosilauke, and the Lost River disappears into its gorge just below. It is a real state highway, plowed all winter and open year-round, but it is a mountain road: two lanes, no services in the notch, no cell signal to count on, and a summit that can be white with snow while the valleys are only wet. In daylight and dry weather it is one of the best arrivals in the White Mountains. On a winter night, leave it alone and come in from the south on the interstates.
Stops worth making on the way
On the interstate line, Montpelier is the natural break. The smallest state capital in the country sits right off I-89 about 40 min out of Burlington, with a walkable main street for coffee or an early lunch. White River Junction, where the two interstates meet, has turned into a small arts-and-food town and makes a good place to stretch before the mountains.
On the back door, plan your fuel first: there is essentially nothing between Wells River and North Woodstock, so top off in the valley before you start up the notch. The one stop worth building in is Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves, on Route 112 in North Woodstock, right on your way down. A wooden boardwalk works through a narrow glacial gorge and a set of boulder caves you can climb into. It runs on a seasonal schedule, roughly mid-May into October, and it is reservation-based now, so book a time online before you count on it; in winter it is closed and you drive on past.
North Woodstock itself is worth slowing for. The Woodstock Inn Station and Brewery on Main Street is open year-round and pours its own beer, and it is the first real sit-down as you come off the notch. A couple of minutes further, in Lincoln, Basecamp Brewing sits near the base of Loon Mountain, the brewpub that was One Love until it rebranded in 2025. Either one is a good place to end the driving before you find the house.
When to leave
I-89 through Vermont is rarely busy. The one predictable pinch is the merge onto I-93 near Concord late on a Friday afternoon, which the back door skips by cutting across earlier. If you are coming down for a weekend, an earlier start beats that squeeze, and it also puts you on the notch road in better light.
Foliage is the season that changes the math. From the last week of September into mid-October the color comes in and the notch fills with slow traffic; Route 112 over Kinsman moves at leaf-peeper speed on an October weekend afternoon, and the Lost River lot fills by midday. Run the pass early in the morning or late in the day and you get the color without the crawl. Sunday afternoons in fall are the reverse of Friday, so plan the drive home for mid-morning or after an early dinner.
Winter driving
In winter the rule is simple: if there is weather in the forecast, take the interstates. Route 112 is plowed, but it is a pass with no services and no reliable phone signal, and the extra hour the interstate line costs you buys a lot of margin on a dark, icy night. The last 5 min from Exit 32 to the lodge are ordinary town streets, well plowed and lit.
Even the interstates slow in a real storm, so give yourself extra time either way from December through March, and watch the mountain forecast rather than the valley one, since Lincoln can be clear while the pass is not. If you are running behind, it changes nothing on our end; the door opens the same way whenever you arrive.
Arriving in Lincoln
Lincoln is a small mountain town, and almost everything is close once you are here. From the lodge, Loon Mountain is about 6 min east and the Flume Gorge about 12 min north; the Flume runs on timed-entry tickets in season, so book ahead if it is on your list. Franconia Notch State Park proper is only 10 min up I-93, with the deep-notch overlooks a few minutes further, and the Basin, a glacial pothole a 5 min walk from its lot with no ticket needed, is an easy first stop. Artist Bluff, a short steep climb above Echo Lake, is about 40 min round trip and a lot of view for the effort.
The Kancamagus Highway begins right at the end of the street and runs 34 miles to Conway with no gas, no services, and no cell signal the whole way, so fill the tank in town before you set out. Trailhead lots along the Kancamagus and around the Notch take the White Mountain National Forest parking pass, $5 for the day or $30 for the year.
Two things are worth knowing this year. The Cannon Mountain aerial tramway is retired and no reopening date has been announced; the Cannon ski area itself still runs, so it is only the tram that is out. And the Lincoln Woods Trail, the flat riverside walk into the Pemigewasset Wilderness, is closed from June 15 into November 2026, so pick another way into the Pemi if that was the plan. A Vermont hiker used to the Greens tends to find these summits a class bigger, and it is worth sizing up the weekend by effort and exposure before you lace your boots.
Going home a different way
If you come in over Kinsman Notch, think about going home down I-93 and I-89 instead, or arrive on the interstates and leave over the notch. It costs nothing and means you never drive the same road twice, and the Connecticut valley looks different heading north than it did coming south. Either loop turns the drive into part of the trip rather than the price of it.
Where to stay when you arrive
Launchpoint Lodge is a six-suite, adults-only inn 5 min past Exit 32, in the middle of Lincoln. Check-in is keyless and self-serve: your door code reaches your phone before you leave Burlington, so the drive can end whenever it ends. Come off the notch at dusk or roll in from the interstate at eleven at night, and the house lets you in the same easy way, with your virtual innkeeper a message away.
We keep six suites, five of them TV-free by design, and the best rate is always the one you book directly with us. If the weather turns and you are late over the pass, nothing about arriving here is on a clock.
Sources & official info: dot.nh.gov · fs.usda.gov
— Launchpoint Lodge, From the lodge
