There are no real roads anywhere near here, so drivers wanting a quick taste of this impenetrable country will have to join US-2 for the drive through Gorham and Bethel (see the US-2:The Great Northern chapter for more), then wind along the Bear River on scenic Route 26. Beyond Grafton Notch, the hiker’s Appalachian Trail passes through ever more extensive wilderness, with fewer services (and many more mosquitoes and black flies!) the closer you get to the trail’s northern finish, atop Mt. Katahdin....
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