I was driving along the coast and I saw a patch of conservation land owned by SELT (Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire). I have seen this name before. One with the Awcoming Marsh and group of trails associated Stratham Hill Park. I went to the SELT website and found a group of additional trails. The web site is https://seltnh.org/trails/ . There are handouts that are printable or you can just read them. In the handouts there are trails which described the trail. The trails are from easy to moderate challenge, and all have a view. There are enough trails that will keep you busy.
Category: Trail
Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge
I just finished a doctor’s appointment at Pease Base in Newington NH. It was early afternoon and looking for something to do. I remembered a national refuge that had a few trails. From the entrance to the reserve center, there was Arboretum Rd. I followed that road to a rotary. I notice that Woodbury ave stopped at the rotary. I followed West Arboretum rd through wood until I reached the end. There was a parking lot and an information board. The map showed two trails.
I decided to go down the shorter trail. The name was Peverly Pond Trail. It was about a half mile long. It was a walk through the woods. The trail was on a wooden path.
I reached a point where another trail cut off. It was short. One can see the end of the trail. I followed the trail and found a small platform overlooking a pond.
I spent some time enjoying the view from the platform and then continued the walk. It was amazing that the entire trail is wooden. On the way coming back I saw two deer. I was not able to enjoy looking at them too long for they were easily spooked.
At the end of the trail, I came back to the information stand.
From there I walked across the street and started the other trail. It is 9 miles long and went to Great Bay. It is called the William Furber Ferry Way Trail. The trail is well taken care of. It is a trail that goes through woods and a field. After about a mile, ones reach a split. It doesn’t matter which way you go because you will return from the other direction. I picked going across the wooden bridge. Keep walking and eventually you reach Great Bay. Going along the great bay coast, you will find a platform next to the water. There is a scope on the platform that gives you a clear view of Great Bay.
I continued walking. On the trail, there was seats to rest. Whether you need them is up to you. It was a beautiful afternoon walk. Even if you are not tired, it is nice to sit and look around. I eventually reached the end. I felt good as I was leaving in my car.
Ordiorne State Park
This is a fantastic place to visit. There are so many features there that you could spend all day there. I will probably write three blogs on this place. It not only only have great walking places, but a research center that any one one enter and much history associated with the park. I will describe the walking paths in this post and describe the other features in other post(s).
It is a state park so like most New Hampshire state parks pets are not allowed there. It costs 4 dollars for each adult to enter and 2 dollars for each child. It is well worth it. The walking paths extend throughout the park and they are well taken care of. Periodically when you are walking you run into picnic tables in the middle of nowhere. These picnic tables usually have a view of the water.
Most of the trails are flat. Many people do cross country skiing in the winter. As one walks in the park one approaches historic sites. It does have sites from where the explorers first came to New Hampshire to WWII sites. I will describe them in another post. The paths are both in the woods and along the ocean.
There is also a well equipped playground for the kids when they get bored from walking. Here are some pictures of the trails.
One can spend all day there exploring and look out over the water at the ships there and the mansions in Portsmouth and New Castle. There are also a few lighthouses in the ocean. Bring some binoculars. I also heard at times there is good fishing. I will talk more about Odiorne state park at another time regarding the history behind it or its scientific encounters. Here are some other places on the web regarding this park. NH State Parks : Welcome is a key place in the web to visit. There is a map and a video that will show the point in greater detail. I would suggest for all to come and bring food. There is no snack bar. A YOUTUBE episode is https://youtu.be/9ag_tVm1A5g. It is a man with a abbreviated journey through the park on a four wheeler. There are many others. Some good and some not. There are many short features on YOUTUBE. There is no substitute for an actual visit.
NH SEACOAST RAIL TRAIL
This is an unusual trail. Unusual because it is a trail that is not sponsored by anyone or any organization. The trail is there because it is a popular trail for walkers and bikers. There are 3 locations on the trail that I know of that hinders the trail. One is where the bridge was taken down over Drakeside road, a bridge in the marsh that was washed away (At low tide you can get through and where a stream crosses over the trail near Breakfast hill road. I saw a pool created by the stream that had about 6 blood suckers in it. It was easy to walk around the pool.
If you geocache, there is a good geocaches that is along the trail. This trail is supposed to be a part of a planned rail trail that goes from Georgia to Maine. It is a great trail to walk. It is straight with no hills. Also you don’t need to cross many roads since there are bridges to avoid the roads in most cases.
Some of the travel is very picturest especially crossing the marsh. Bring binoculars in the marsh. I’ve seen a Bald Eagle family there.
Rockingham Recreational Trail
This trail is an incredible source of activity. It is 27 miles long. The activities include horse riding, dog walking, fishing (goes past several lakes and rivers), nature trips, winter sports such as snowmobiling and cross-country skiing, running, walking etc. It is a wide trail so people can easily pass each other. It is very scenic. There is a lot of wildlife to observe. I can’t say enough about it.
The bad point to the trail is also the good point. The trail is very flat. That make it easy to travel, but no views from a hilltop to see. This trail is going to be supported by the state. There are lights to cross busy streets, a bridge that was recently rebuilt and a trellis in Newmarket/Newfields that is being remodeled.
The trail goes from Newmarket/Newfields and goes to without interruption to Manchester near the airport. One can get on the trail on several points. There was plenty of parking. It is a great way to spend an afternoon. Here are some pictures on the Newmarket/Newfields part of the trail. By the way the web site which gives a better description that I can give is https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-hampshire/rockingham-recreational-rail-trail.
Adventures in Hampton NH 