Coos County

The county in brief

A traveler's read on Coos County

April 12, 1934, the Mt. Washington Observatory anemometer recorded a 231 mph wind gust — the official record-holder for any spot on Earth outside a tropical cyclone or tornado, a record that stood unbroken for 62 years until a 253 mph cyclone-driven gust at Barrow Island, Australia was finally accepted by the World Meteorological Organization in 1996 (the Mt. Washington record remains the highest non-cyclone reading). The summit weather observatory at 6,288 ft continues year-round operation in conditions that average 110+ mph gusts in any winter month per their published climatological summaries — the only continuously-staffed alpine weather observatory in the eastern United States. Coos County covers 1,801 sq mi from the White Mountain National Forest's southern boundary north to the Quebec border, the largest and least-populated county in New Hampshire (population 31,268). The county wraps the WMNF's northern section, the Mt. Washington Cog Railway (the world's first mountain-climbing rack railway, opened 1869), and the Kancamagus Highway's western terminus at Lincoln.

The Kancamagus (NH-112) runs 34 miles of two-lane through the WMNF between Lincoln and Conway as one of the most-photographed fall-foliage corridors in New England — National Geographic has named it among the top five US drives for autumn color across multiple year-end lists — with five USFS RV-friendly campgrounds (Hancock, Big Rock, Passaconaway, Jigger Johnson, Blackberry Crossing) accepting rigs to 35 ft on a reservation system through recreation.gov. The Kanc has no fuel stations, no services, and no cell coverage across its entire length — fuel and resupply must happen in Lincoln (west) or Conway (east) before committing to the corridor. Berlin (population 9,508) is the only full-service town in the county's northern half, with grocery, fuel, propane, and the Brown Co. paper-mill-era industrial-heritage downtown that anchors the regional economy. Pinkham Notch on NH-16 is the primary Mt. Washington Auto Road and Cog Railway base — the Auto Road accepts vehicles up to 25 ft length only with a posted weight restriction on Class A motorhomes.