North end of US highway 3 in Connecticut Lakes State Forest, New Hampshire
View a map showing this route.
Photo credits: me
Perhaps the most accurate way to describe the location of the north end of US 3 is that it's in Connecticut Lakes State Forest. This first shot shows the approach from Canada; US customs is on the right, and the north beginning of the road is straight ahead:
me, Oct. 2004
Just ahead, a ways down the hill, is the first southbound marker:
me, Oct. 2004
The autumn leaves were gorgeous, and the tops of the highest mountains had their first dusting of snow. Heading the opposite direction, the last northbound reassurance marker is between 2nd and 3rd Connecticut Lakes:
me, Oct. 2004
Below we're approaching the end of the road, and you can see the other side of the US customs building:
me, Oct. 2004
In this region, the US/Canada border runs along the ridge that divides watersheds flowing northward (to the St. Lawrence River) from those that flow southward (in this case into Long Island Sound, but just east of here into the Gulf of Maine). For that reason, the border crossings in this area are situated on mountain passes. On the crest just ahead is a small monument marking the international boundary:
me, Oct. 2004
Just ahead is Canadian customs, and just past that (at the south beginning of Quebec provincial highway 257) is the signage shown below:
me, Oct. 2004
When I first saw that, I thought "No way can this be a 13% grade - maybe they measure these things differently in Canada..." But no, it really is a 13% grade - check out the photo below, taken just ahead:
me, Oct. 2004
That's one heck of a hill leading down into Chartierville, visible in the distance. I had always wondered why, looking at a map, there are so many more roads on the Canadian side, and why their roads seem so much straighter than those on the US side. Could the topography really be that much flatter on the Canadian side? Well, based on what I observed during my three-hour drive through Quebec between here and Jackman Maine, I don't think that's the case. Rather, I think the Canadian roadbuilders simply tended to ignore topography more than the Americans. If they wanted a road connecting two points, they just surveyed a straight line and built it. Didn't matter if there was a mountain in the way - that would explain why I drove on grades of 10% or more at several points.
View my main US 3 page to get more info about (and view photos of) the south end of this highway, and its historic endpoints.