The parkway required a special act of Congress to sidestep design standards for the Interstate highway system[1] because it is only one lane in each direction.

[2] The notch was home to the Old Man of the Mountain, a rock formation which collapsed in 2003 but whose profile remains a symbol of the state of New Hampshire.

The notch is located primarily in the town of Franconia but extends south into Lincoln.

The notch's height of land is located near its northern end, at the base of Cannon Mountain.

Just south of the height of land, Profile Lake lies beneath the cliff that once held the Old Man of the Mountain.