Getting There...without the highway
 

Question. We live in MA, just south of Nashua, along 111. Does anyone know a route to the lake that would keep you OFF the highways? I am going up to our house tomorrow night, but I am tired of sitting in commuter traffic. We usually get on RT 3 at 111.

I know a rural route may take longer, but it's better for my sanity!

Someone once told me they come up through Fitchburg/Jaffrey and then over.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

This is what Google Mapshttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...ce11ff9dba.jpg shows (to the Meredith circle) when I click "avoid highways."

Can you delay?
 

Is it possible to delay your departure? We typically leave Nashua at 7:15-7:30 and fly right up. By that time Merrimack and Concord jams are cleared. Its pretty consistent that time of day.

Interesting question--to sit in traffic a bit and get more lake time or not sit in traffic...

One bit of caution is that the back roads can get pretty jammed up with local traffic, as well as people trying to do the same thing as you. I think it would take quite a bit longer taking the back roads. I commute to Bow from MA daily. have tried the back roads on more than 1 occasion due to traffic, and it rarely, if ever, works out to my advantage.

Back roads
 

CrownRay, You don't say where your lake destination is. Of course, the best solution is to leave at noon Friday and after breakfast on Monday.

We go to/from Gilford/Merrimack, NH.

I think you can go west on111 (or NH Rt 101A) to NH Rt13 N through Milford and Goffstown and on up to Dunbarton and Concord. Beautiful scenery, places along the way to stop and eat or do errands. You then take any number of local roads to I-393 east to NH Rt 106 (Sheep Davis Rd.) which goes to Laconia/Gilford. Sunday afternoons on big race weekends, Rt 106 can be crowded, as is I-93.

We also sometimes go east from Laconia and take NH Rt. 107 south to Rt 28 and the Rt 28 ByPass around Manchester. (We go through Manchester to get to Merrimack, variety of local roads and or turnpike depending on traffic and our mood.) And then to NH Rt.111. Beautiful ridge vistas in Gilmanton/Barnstead area.

Hey, friend--I'm in Merrimack, too! Other than a little Concord traffic, which is no big deal if there by 4 (on non-holiday weekends), it's an easy 1'27" ride for us to Moultonborough.

I commute up rt 3 north past Nashua up to Manchester and traffic is not a huge issue other than a slight backup at Exit 11.

Once you get through the tolls, take the first exit to get onto 101/293 East and connect to 93 North. Follow to exit for Rt 28 North (thought its much better to take the next exit after crossing the merrimac river and take a right off the exit - there are two turns to make for this second route...use google maps to figure it out). This will take you through Hooksett, Allenstown, Epsom, Pittsfield to the Alton Circle. From there you can take Rt 11 for east side or stay on 28 for west side of the lake. I don't see any serious backups for that route. It gets you off the highway before the Hooksett tolls and any backups in Concord.

Unless by 111 near Nashua...you are 10 or more miles west of Nashua...I can't see where heading up Rt 13 or taking the very long loop out to Jaffrey area is a good choice.

I agree, this is the way to go for that side of the lake.

If you leave say an hour later and this helps and you subtract the extra time your sitting in traffic you may find your almost there at the same time anyway. Like you said the "little" difference in time amounts to way more in your sanity at the end of your drive.;)

Once you make it up to concord you can also take Rt 132 which is also a nice ride. I find that 106/107 brings you through Laconia which can be a headache.

132 is a nice ride with the exception of traversing through Tilton. You can hop on 132 from 393 and it pretty much parallels 93. The nice thing is there are plenty of opportunities along that road to bail onto 93 if you want to.

from Hudson I usually take 102 to 28 and stay on 28 to 107 in Pittsfield for the Laconia Meredith end of the lake or continue up 28 to Alton. Make sure you take bypass 28.

3A to Hudson NH. 102 to Derry/Londonderry. 28B to Hooksett. 3 North...

28 to Alton.

3 to 106 to Meredith

106 to 3 to Laconia/Guilford.


I used to live in Nashua and sometimes I'd come home by 3A after Manchester, because I liked the views in Litchfield. Sometimes through Derry for variety.

Normally I use the the Everett Tpk northbound and use the spur in Concord to get over to 106. Once I was passed in Hooksett by someone in a hurry but when I got on the rt3 bypass in Laconia the same rig was passing the exit at the same time. Just a thought...

Good luck!

Going home this past weekend the highway was pretty slow already at 11:00 AM finally tired of the snarls I put the route home in a GPS and selected "avoid highways" what should of been about a 1.5 hour ride home AT MOST at highway speed the GPS was telling me I still had 2 hr and 45 min remaining. I was shocked and would not have guessed it was going to be that long. I ended up jumping back onto rte 93 further down south and it moved fine - phew!!!