Basics
- Length:
- 498.7 miles (802 km)
- Time:
- 14 hours to drive the Byway along both sides of the river.
Description
New Hampshire shares the Connecticut River Byway with Vermont. In the southern portion of the Connecticut River Byway, century-old buildings stand like props in a re-enactment of the Civil War days with little change in their facade. Moving northward, the countryside becomes laced with large vistas, and the White and Green Mountains start to peek over the horizon. The terrain grows more and more rugged as the byway moves closer to the Great North Woods.
There are six sections to the New Hampshire portion of the Connecticut River Byway. Section I follows State Routes 63 and 12; Section II runs along Route 123; Section III follows Routes 12 and 12A; Section IV follows Routes 4 and 10; Section V runs along Routes 135 and 3; Section VI runs along Routes 3 and 145.
Historic landmarks and museums fill the area. And whether it's shopping in historic Clermont or visiting Dartmouth College - an Ivy League institution whose lush green spread in Hanover houses one of the nation's most celebrated art museums - there's plenty to do here.
Tourism Resources
Helpful Links
Tourism Resources
Points of Interest
Points of Interest Along The Way
Claremont (NH)
Claremont, a small but lively city, surrounds a series of cascades on the Sugar River. It features entertainment of all types, including the the arts, recreation, and more.
Colebrook (NH)
Colebrook serves as the northernmost gateway community to the Connecticut Lakes, the source of the Connecticut River.
Dartmouth College and Hood Museum of Art (NH)
Located in Hanover, NH and founded in 1769, Dartmouth is the state's oldest college and the nation's ninth oldest. It is the northernmost of the Ivy League colleges and one of the most prestigious. Its campus is among the most beautiful in the country. The traveler will find dozens of historic buildings along with the Hood Museum of Art, one of the oldest and largest college museums in the country, all set in the classic New England downtown of Hanover, New Hampshire.
Fort at No. 4, Charlestown (NH)
Directions
This "Living History Museum" in Charlestown, NH, offers a glimpse of what life was like when the Northern Valley was a frontier in the mid-1700s. The Fort recreates life on the eastern frontier during the French and Indian War Era. Within the log stockade are province houses, lean-tos, a Great Hall and watch tower. Outside the walls a working blacksmith shop and two 18th Century barns. Costumed staff bring to life the spirit of No. 4 with daily demonstrations of 18th Century skills.
Haverhill Corner Historic District (NH)
Haverhill was once a busy shire town, the home of Haverhill Academy (founded 1794), and the northern end of the first Province Road from the coast (later Coos Turnpike, now Court Street). Col. Charles Johnston settled here in 1769 and promoted village growth. His home and Gov. John Page's still stand, with other notable dwellings, taverns, church, Alumni Hall in Haverhill Corner (1846 Grafton County courthouse), library (court office building), and old school buildings.
Lancaster (NH)
Lancaster is known for its wealth of historic places, including farmsteads, estates, lumber mills, churches, and maple sugar houses.
Littleton Grist Mill (NH)
Littleton's economic community has its roots in the Littleton Grist Mill and Saw Mill that Solomon Mann constructed 1797 on the banks of the Ammonoosuc River. Now restored as a working museum, the authentic 19th Century grist mill uses 24-inch stones to grind grain. View the progression of grist mill technology from the 18th to the 19th Century. As other buildings were added, the mill complex eventually became the village of Littleton and the nucleus of its industry.
Moore Station (NH)
Spectacularly scenic, at 160 feet in height impounding over 11 miles, Moore Station is the largest hydro-dam in all of New England - a tribute to the Connecticut River's long history of providing power to the region. The reservoir inundates Fifteen Mile Falls, a long set of rapids that gave the log drive bosses a chance to earn their reputations.
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site (NH)
The home, gardens, and studios of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), one of America's greatest sculptors and among the most illustrious artists of the Connecticut River Valley. His well known works include the Shaw Memorial in Boston, the Chicago sculpture depicting Abraham Lincoln, and the monument to General Sherman in front of New York's Plaza Hotel. The National Park Service operates the 150 acre site and its hiking trails that explore the park's natural areas.
The Brick Store (NH)
Said to be the oldest continually operating country store in America, the Brick Store, built 1824, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the earliest commercial buildings in New Hampshire. Step back a hundred years. Outside see the iron shutters and doors, used to lock the boys out when they got rowdy. The rear brick exterior served as a billboard for passing trains. Inside the counter fronts are slanted to accommodate ladies in hoop skirts.
