NH is easy to navigate. Modern, well kept roads in almost all locations, and excellent winter maintenance makes NH a safe place to travel in all but extreme weather.

There is some major construction happening on NH's roads in 2015. Current road conditions are available online www.nhtmc.com   (NH Transportation Management Center).

4 Lane Highways

Interstate 93 runs thru Boston, and enters NH at Salem, and then travels 130+ miles NNW thru most of the state, passing thru Manchester, Concord, Plymouth & Littleton, then north to St. Johnsbury, VT.

In NH I-93 is a toll road with a single toll station between Concord & Manchester. Traffic is heavy overall with tourists headed north Friday evenings between 6-8pm. and traveling south late Sunday afternoons and evenings beginning at about Lincoln and getting steadily heavier as you travel further south. Consider departing northern NH early on Sunday and spending the day downstate at other attractions.

Interstate 95 circles Boston to the west, and thereafter travels approximately northeast, entering NH at Seabrook and exiting NH to enter Maine just north of Portsmouth. It runs a few miles inland but roughly parallels NH's 13 miles of seacoast.

I-95 is a toll road with a single NH toll station between just north of the NH/Massachusetts border.

Interstate 89, begins immediately south of Concord, meandering about 61 miles thru NH, NW to Hanover & Lebanon, continuing through to White River Junction (VT) then on to Burlington and the Canadian border.

Southbound Sunday traffic is heavy and bottlenecks at the approach to the I-93 junction from about noon to 4:00pm.

Interstate 293 is 11 miles long, and navigates a western loop around Manchester.

Virtually all Manchester points of interest / services for tourists will be found along I-293.

Interstate 393 is a 4 mile spur, traveling east/west in Concord avoiding the 'Concord Heights' retail district.

The Everett Turnpike is the NH name for the 4-lane portion of US Route 3. From Route 128 in Massachusetts, Route 3 travels 4 lanes NW, entering NH at Nashua, and intersects I-293 in Manchester, which in turn later joins Interstate 93. North bound travelers will wish to join I-293 even though US Route 3 continues much further (becoming 2 lanes), often paralleling I-93 but only as secondary roads: GPS systems will often direct travelers to stay on Route 3 but don't be fooled ~ stay on the Interstate for faster travel.

The Everett Turnpike is a toll road with a single toll station immediately south of Manchester.

Route 101, begins mid-coast as two lanes, and becomes 4 lanes immediately west of Interstate 95, running essentially east-west to Manchester. (Past Manchester 101 continues as 2 lanes, running SW to Milford, then NNW to Keene.)

The Spaulding Turnpike (Route 16) begins in Portsmouth at I-95 and runs 33 miles NNW to Milton, within 10 miles of Alton Bay, Lake Winnipesauke. It is a toll road with several toll stations.

Significant 2 Lane Highways

Route 4. When NH folks discuss Route 4, they are usually discussing the section that runs from Concord, thru Epsom, Northwood and Durham, to the seacoast. It's one of two main arteries from Central NH to the seacoast.

Traffic is heavy weekdays with commuters before and after work, especially between 4:30pm and 5:30pm. On weekends traffic can be heavy, especially east-bound Saturday mid-mornings, and Sundays, mid to late afternoon, by those headed to/from the seacoast and points in Maine. If practical, use Route 101 during busy hours.

Route 16 beyond the Spaulding Turnpike, continues as the White Mountain Highway, traveling generally north, departing the state just north of Umbagog Lake. From Gorham on north, it generally parallels the Androscoggan River and is a beautiful drive.

GPS Headaches

Route 3. If you enter NH from US Route 3 in Massachusetts you are now joining the Everett Turnpike. If you are continuing north past Manchester, stay on the interstate highway. Some GPS systems will make an effort to keep you on Route 3, and unless necessary, will bring you through one small town after another, considerably slowing your progress.

For More Information

► I-89 Points of Interest
► I-93 Points of Interest
► I-95 Points of Interest
► Rest Area Alternatives
► Visitor Resource Center Home

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