White Mountain National Forest, NH to Bar Harbor, ME - Best Route?
 

Similiar to an earlier post, I am trying to figure out the best/most interesting route in an area that I am travelling through this summer and for which I am not familiar. From Lincoln, NH to Bar Harbor, ME, it looks like there are two primary route choices:

(1) Through the middle of the White Mountain National Forest east to Conway, Windham, Lewiston, Agusta, and Belfast.

(2) Through the northern edge of the White Mountain National Forest east along Highway 2 through Gorham, Rumford, Farmington, etc. to Bangor.

The plan to to drive straight through in one day, so just trying to figure out which way provides the better choice. I know there are a lot of factors that may play into "better," so any input as to either route will be helpful.

Thanks.

I would take NH 112 east to Conway, then pick up US 302 on into Maine, through Fryeburg and Bridgton and down to the coastal road, US 1. Around Gray, there's a way to cut overland along some back roads so you emerge at Freeport. Then you just follow US 1 north to Mt. Desert Island. It'll be about a six-hour drive, but from Conway onwards it's not a particularly lonely road. Places to stop and eat, take pictures, etc.

Thanks BearX220. Sounds like you are suggesting my option (1) to begin with, then north along the coast. I appreciate your help.

I would do option 1 if what you're talking about is getting to 302 and following the directions in google maps that gets you to the Maine Turnpike (I-95) in Gray. Do note that in North Conway, NH there is outlet shopping and all of it is tax free. Just an FYI.

Now to Bar Harbor...you can take Route 3 from Augusta up and down the road to Belfast to Route 1 but in the summer, you might be sitting in traffic both on Rt 3 and Rt 1. If you drive it on a Tuesday or Wednesday, you might have better luck but then of course you might get stuck behind a big truck. It's a beautiful drive just keep that in mind. When you cross the Penobscot River, it's just BEAUTIFUL.

If you stay on 95 to 395 in Bangor, you'll be spending most of the time on an interstate and minimizing your drive on 2 lane roads (there are passing opportunities). This is how we drive to Bar Harbor. Once on Rt 1A you take that in to Mount Desert Island and Bar Harbor. That's also quite pretty.

... and as a result, North Conway traffic is awful on summer weekends. All that really means in your case is that you should take option 1 rather than option 2, and therefore avoid having to go into North Conway at all -- or if you do take option 2, use the West Side Road (comes off 302 east of Bartlett) to bypass North Conway.

Both routes are picturesque and we've often taken each one, but I definitely prefer the Kancamagus Highway (NH 112).

If the OP is willing to sit in traffic on Route 1 instead of taking the 95 to Bangor assuming he/she takes that route, what's a little traffic in North Conway? :D It all depends on one's enjoyment of traffic.

You guys make 302 through North Conway sound like the Cross-Bronx on a rainy Friday. It's not that bad. It might take you 10 or 15 minutes to putter through town in a conga line, IF you hit it on a weekend afternoon. And you might as well stop and eat or shop while you're there anyway.

Traffic in NoCo used to be much worse than it is now that they have the "North/South Road" as a bona fide bypass. Before that, traffic was at a standstill most of the time during the summers. I used to live in Intervale (part of Bartlett right on the North Conway line) and have to go to Conway Village for work, and during the summer many times it would take me close to 45 minutes to make that trek. West Side Road was of not much help either, so there was no real great way to avoid it. Today, the North/South Road doesn't get congested because there's nothing to do on it! ^

I can certainly believe that the North-South Road helps -- what I can't understand is how, given that it only covers the southern half of town. Is it just that the main drag from the railroad station south to Wal-Mart is that awful?

Certainly was.

It doesn't help alleviate traffic coming into NoCo from the northern side (I've seen traffic there backed up to the Scenic Vista rest area in the past, I'm sure it must still do that at certain times in the summer, although I know the secrets to get around that too ;)). But it does help take a bunch of cars off the strip and move them to Settlers Green, the "Mall", WalMart, and the town of Redstone (where there's not much of anything, so to go South or East to Maine) very efficiently, and as long as they keep it the way it is, without any sort of retail development, it should continue to work well.