When we rented our car, we were advised by the woman at the desk to take the scenic route through White Mountain National Forest. Even though it ended up being a little out-of-the-way, it was still very pretty. We stopped at one designated lookout scenic spot; it was nice, but I preferred some of the views we got while driving. My favorite part of the drive was near the beginning of our trip, just as you are leaving Sweden, ME. Heading west on 112, you'll drive parallel to a beautiful river on your right. It's mostly filled with rocks, so you can hear the water rushing. At a few stops along the river, we saw throngs of people out on the rocks in the river playing, parked along the shoulder, eating lunch, or drifting in inflatable tubes. I wish we had had the time to stop, as the river was beautiful and relaxing.
If you keep going, it won't be long until you find yourself among beautiful mountain views. The sun was right in our eyes most of this trip, so we couldn't completely see our surroundings, but it was pretty.
The weather was beautiful during our brief trip--high 70s, sunny, and not a bit of humidity.
According to the signs, this park gets about 6 million visitors annually , but the roads were uncrowded. We saw a good number of hiking trails and "moose crossing" signs, so I'd expect there to be some wildlife. According to my sisters, who hiked the trails while at camp, the Appalachian trail in the area is well-maintained and a lot of fun. The views really are nice but I wouldn't go too far out of the way to see them -- on our way back to Manchester, we went a more direct route, taking a mishmash of roads and routes and highways, and ended up seeing more than a few scenic sites of our own -- but it really is beautiful if you're in the area.