Portsmouth to Lincoln is the drive that shows off the whole state. You leave the tidal Piscataqua and the salt air of the Seacoast, cross the rolling middle of New Hampshire on U.S. Route 4, pick up Interstate 93 at Concord, and climb north into the White Mountains - about 110 miles and a little over two hours, ocean to alpine in the time it takes to listen to a good record twice.
There are two sensible ways to make the trip. The direct, all-weather one runs Route 4 west to Concord and then I-93 North to Exit 32, with the lodge 5 min beyond. The scenic one, and the one to save for a foliage weekend, takes the Spaulding Turnpike north to Conway and comes in over the Kancamagus Highway, so the mountains start a long way before you reach the house. We will lay out both, plus the stops worth making along the way.
Seacoast people already know the mountains are close. What they tend to underrate is how well the middle-of-the-state route works, and how good a beach-to-summits weekend is when the coast fills up in July or empties out in October. This is that guide.
Route 4 west to Concord, then I-93 north
U.S. Route 4 begins right in Portsmouth and runs west across the belly of the state. It carries you out through Durham, the University of New Hampshire town, around the Lee traffic circle where it meets Route 125, and on through Northwood, Epsom, and Chichester before dropping into Concord. This is a two-lane U.S. highway with town centers, lights, and the occasional tractor, so plan on a steady pace rather than a fast one. It is slower than the interstate, and it does a nice job of showing you the ordinary middle of New Hampshire between the coast and the hills.
At Concord you pick up Interstate 93 North, and from there it is a clean hour straight up the interstate to Exit 32, Lincoln, and the lodge a few minutes past the ramp. Because you join I-93 north of the Hooksett toll plaza, which sits south of the city, this line has no toll at all. The mountains begin to build in the windshield north of Plymouth, and the last stretch, running up toward the mouth of Franconia Notch, is the reward for a couple of hours behind the wheel. Without stops the whole run is a little over two hours; give it more if Route 4 is busy or you stop to browse, which on this road you may well want to.
The scenic route by the Spaulding Turnpike and the Kancamagus
If you would rather arrive over the mountains than up the interstate, take the Spaulding Turnpike, which is Route 16, north out of the Portsmouth area through Dover and Rochester, then stay on Route 16 as it climbs through the Ossipee country and up the eastern side of the region toward Conway. At Conway the Kancamagus Highway, signed as New Hampshire Route 112, begins and runs its full 34 miles west into Lincoln. This is the eastern gateway to the White Mountains, and coming in this way puts the whole notch ahead of you as you crest the pass.
It is the longer way, closer to three hours with the Kancamagus's slow, worth-it miles, and it carries two barrier tolls on the Spaulding, at Dover and at Rochester. Both are all-electronic now, read by E-ZPass or billed by mail from your plate, with no cash booth to stop at. The trade of time for scenery is the right one in good weather and daylight, and on a foliage weekend it is the drive of the year.
Two things to know before you commit to the Kancamagus: there is no gas, no food, and no cell signal for its full length, and it climbs to a height of land near 2,855 feet before dropping toward Lincoln. Fill the tank and download your directions in Conway. To park at the pullouts, waterfalls, and trailheads along the way you need a White Mountain National Forest recreation pass, which is $5 for the day or $30 for the year and sold at the visitor centers and self-serve stations. If you are running late, driving after dark, or looking at bad weather, skip the Kanc for now, come up Route 4 and I-93, and drive the highway as an out-and-back once you have settled in. That is how a lot of our guests do it.
Antique Alley on Route 4
The stretch of Route 4 between Lee and Chichester is known as Antique Alley, one of the largest antiques districts in New England, with hundreds of dealers spread across storefronts, restored barns, and multi-dealer showrooms in Lee, Northwood, Epsom, and Chichester. If old furniture, glass, folk art, or simply the pleasure of a good long browse appeals to you, this is the reason to build an hour into the middle of the drive rather than treat it as transit.
The shops cluster thickest through Northwood, where Route 4 is signed as the First New Hampshire Turnpike. Hours vary from shop to shop and many keep shorter weekday schedules, so a weekend afternoon is the safe bet if browsing is the point of your stop. There is no single place to aim for; the pleasure is in working down the road and pulling in where a sign catches your eye.
A break in Concord
Concord is the natural place to break the drive, and the midpoint falls right around Penacook, just north of the city. Downtown, Main Street runs a few walkable blocks past the gold-domed State House, the oldest state capitol in which a legislature still meets in its original chambers, with cafes and restaurants for a real meal before you commit to the interstate.
It is also the last easy full-service stop before the mountains thin the towns out, so it is a sensible spot to top off the tank, get a coffee, and stretch your legs. From Concord it is one uninterrupted hour north on I-93 to Exit 32 and the lodge.
When to leave
Route 4 moves at its own pace regardless of the clock, but the merge onto I-93 at Concord thickens on Friday afternoons the same way it does everywhere else in the state. Leave the Seacoast before 3 PM or after 6 PM on a Friday and the run stays close to two hours; leave in the middle of the afternoon and you will sit in the Concord-area crawl for a while.
Summer adds a variable that is local to Portsmouth itself: the Route 1 beach corridor and the traffic circle clog on July and August weekends, so the earlier you clear town, the better. On the way home, aim to be back before mid-afternoon or after dinner on a Sunday. Because your return peels off I-93 at Concord and heads east on Route 4, you sidestep the worst of the Massachusetts-bound backup that builds south of Manchester.
Foliage season on this drive
Late September into mid-October is the busiest and the most beautiful time to make this trip. Peak color around Lincoln usually lands in the first two weeks of October, a little earlier up on the ridges and a little later down in the valleys. This is the season when the eastern approach earns its extra time, because the Spaulding Turnpike to Conway and the Kancamagus over the pass is one of the best-known foliage drives in the Northeast.
It is also the season to plan around the crowds. The Kancamagus and Franconia Notch both fill on peak weekends, the popular parking lots reach capacity by mid-morning, and every leg of the drive takes longer than the map promises. Leave earlier than you think you need to, treat the drive as part of the weekend rather than something to get through, and come midweek instead if your schedule allows it.
Winter driving notes
The Route 4 and I-93 line is the all-weather route: plowed, divided for its northern half, and lit through the developed stretches. If there is snow or ice in the forecast, that is the way to come. Keep in mind that the coast can be clear while the passes are white, so watch the mountain forecast rather than the sky over your own house before you set out.
Skip the Kancamagus in a storm or after dark. It stays open and plowed as a through-road through winter, but it is an unlit mountain pass with no services, and many of the overlook and trailhead lots are not cleared once the snow comes. Carry a full tank, give yourself margin, and remember that a squall in the notches can slow everything down. You can always drive the Kanc the next day once the roads are clear.
Arriving in Lincoln
However you come, you arrive in the middle of Lincoln, 5 min past Exit 32 and a few minutes from the lodge. Basecamp Brewing, the town brewpub that was One Love until its 2025 rebrand, is a short drive for dinner and a beer after a day on the road, and there is more to eat within a few minutes of the house when you would rather not go far.
When you are ready to get out, Franconia Notch State Park is about 10 min north, Loon Mountain 6 min east, and the Flume roughly 12 min, with the Kancamagus starting at the end of the street. Two planning notes for this year on that side of the mountains: the Cannon Mountain aerial tramway was retired after its last day in October 2025, and no reopening date has been announced; the ski area itself still operates, so the mountain is open even without the tram. And the Lincoln Woods Trail is closed for streambank repairs from mid-June through November of 2026, so plan around it this year and message us if you'd like an alternative.
Where to stay when you arrive
Launchpoint Lodge sits at 191 Pollard Rd, in the quiet middle of Lincoln and 5 min past Exit 32, so whichever way you come, the drive ends almost at the door. It is an adults-only inn - six suites in a restored 1902 colonial, for guests twelve and over, and five of the six TV-free by design - built for people who want the mountains and the quiet rather than a resort.
Check-in is keyless: your door code arrives the day before arrival, once your check-in form and payment are complete, so you can take the last hour of the drive at your own pace. Check-in opens at 3 PM and checkout is 10 AM, and whether an antiques stop on Route 4 runs long or the Kancamagus turns the trip into an evening arrival, you let yourself in the same way at three in the afternoon or eleven at night. We book direct, and the best rate is always direct.
Sources & official info: dot.nh.gov · visitnh.gov
— Launchpoint Lodge, From the lodge
