One of my favorite places to let in my kayak is this place. If you go down the river you reach Great Bay. If you go the opposite direction, you reach Exeter where you can dock the kayak and walk around. There was other places to walk to explore. I never walk around until recently. I found a real treasure.
It was a well kept group of gardens with an overlook to Great Bay. One of the gardens was plants that attract butterflies. They had about 6 other gardens with different functions. It was before the gardens bloom so I could not show a fully function group of gardens. I will go there this summer to see the gardens in full bloom.
Another feature is a place to look at the marsh land. In the distance is Great Bay. There is a functional telescope on the platform. It is known that there is good bird watching there.
There is also a small side trail that goes under the bridge. It doesn’t lead anywhere only the view under the bridge.
One last thing. I saw something there that I have never seen before. They had a dog lease at the entrance. They ask that after you finish using the lease, you put it back where you found it.
EntranceButterfly GardenOverlook to Great BayOne of the many signs that explain features in the area.
When one mentions Newington NH, one thinks of shopping malls and commercial land of restaurants and businesses. When one explores the town, you find an incredible wealth of conservation land. I visited the historic area. There was a few buildings that were built in the early 1800’s and late 1700’s. None was open because of the pandemic. The road to get there is Nimble Hill road.
I did find a nice surprise. There was a trail that takes you through the United States oldest woods. To be an afficial woods, it has to be over a certain acreage. When it was registered in the early 1800’s, the size met the requirement. For a while during the cold war, the United states annex some of the woods to be part of Pease Air Force Base. When Pease closed, the land was given back to Newington.
I parked my car close to the start of the trail. The trail was wide and well taken care of. To the left of me was private property. To the right was woods where there was periodic offshoot trails. Continue on and you reach Arboritom Road which takes you to another trail upkeeped by the Fedderal Park system. I will talk about that in another entry.
Ordiorne point is a perfect place as to perform research projects. On the northern portion of the point there was a place to lauch ships. I heard from scuba divers that the water is very clear. It is a good central location in which to partnership with the Isle of Shoals for research projects in the ocean. There are other scientific projects to perform. There is a science center as heaquarters for these projects.
One of these projects is to eliminate intrusive plants that have overtake original vegetation. These plants are like oriental bittersweet and buckthorn. These plants were planted to hide the guns put there to defend the harbor. There are signs throughout the park signifying this.
There are also research projects for the ocean. As you go from the parking lot to the Seacoast Science Center on the left is a strange looking ocean vehicle. It is a ocean habitat that allows divers to stay under water for more than one day. It is fenced off to protect it.
There is a building that includes much of research projects the researchers were and are involved in. It is small but packed with learning stimulatous. There is much to learn. There is a tank to put your hands in to touch some of the sea life. There is also a skelton of of a small whale on the ceiling. One can spend hours there. I saw in the internet where they are taking care of an injured seal.
We have at least 3 posts for this blog for Odiorne point. If your interests include history, walking, boating or scientific adventures there is something of interest for you. This post is about the history of the area. Sometimes I wonder when I should start. The history is so diverse. I would love to take a time machine and see what the land looked like at different times. I see historical artifacts that I can’t explain and I can’t find someone to explain it to me. This post is about the history of the area.
Lets first look at the ice age. During the ice age the water had receded back to the Continental shelf. During that time a forest grew of what is now off the coast. The forest extended off the entire coast of New Hampshire. When the ice melted the water level raised to the level it is now flooding the forest. The forest became petrified. There is a cove on the southern portion of the point. During low tide, if you look closely you can see remnants of the petrified forest. It won’t be obvious.
Millions of years later ice melted and brought the water level to close what it is now. The forests were flooded and became petrified. Without a grasp of what previous happened, the Indians came to the point for recreation and food. There was fish , clams and mussels to eat. The Indians called this area Pannaway.
Let us look ahead further to the year 1632. This is the year when New Hampshire was first entered by Europeans. They came by ship and landed at a protruding portion of land at Odiorne point. They did not find it. A few years before the shore line was mapped by John Smith. This was the same John Smith whose life was saved by Pocahantas. He was more concerned by Isle of Shoals. If fact he name those island Smith Island and notified that of all the land that he visited in the New World he asked for ownership of the Islands. He did not live long enough to actually take control over the Island. In 1660, John Odiorne settled in the land and farmed it.
For the next 400 years, I would like to have a time machine to see how the land changed. There are rock walls every where. Fow some unexplained reason, there are steps to nowhere. There are also places to go from one area to another. There are other displays made of rock that I don’t know anything about it. It is all interesting. I did not listen to it but one can borrow a 3 mile audio tour from the science center. This may explain many of the unknown items in the point.
Eventually The land was divided up and cottages was put up near the water. Eventually, the land fell in disaray and about 1900, the federal government took over the land. The federal goverment dug up much of the historical items and baried them in a sand pit. World War I, the land was used to lauch boats for rescue missions. In World WarvII, the government built Fort Dearborn there (There is another Fort Dearborn near Chicago). This is to protect the Shipyard. There was a number of guns. There is legend that said that when they tried out the big gun, windows in Portsmouth broke from the noise. There was 18 towers built along the shoreline that had observers to tell the gun operators if they saw enemy ships. They actually saw German U-boats. One was actually brought to Chicago and put in the science museum. In 1961, they handed the land to New Hampshire for 92,000 dollars.
Stairway to nowhereMonument to show where colonist first came to New HampshireRemnant of Fort DearbornDisplay of some history of Odiorne PointMonument in the middle of the woods
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 of the trails leading from the playground. The path does have park benchesA trail along the waterA trail along Route 1AOne of the many trails through the park
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.
Drive along Mill Road from Rye, you will see on the left a sign reading Carroll M. Fogg Conservation area. I miss the sign whenever I drive from Hampton. It is a small entrance with enough parking for about 3 cars. Park there and you will see a trail that I could not find on the internet or any other listing.
Stop there and there is a trail that is a beautiful walk. It is not a long walk, but long enough to take a good walk with kids and a dog. The trail is flat enough to take a bike ride, but it may not be long enough. It is a perfect walk to relax your mind after a hard day at work or home. The trail is scenic to be able to clear your mind. Here are some pictures.
Entrance to the Trail The trail itself. See the red circles on the tree to mark the trail More of the trail
This is one of the most beautiful short trails (app 1 to 2 miles) that I’ve been on. To get to the beginning of the trail is amazing. You pass by huge obscene mansions. From Hampton center you go on Exeter road. Take the first left on Towle Farm road and go to the end. Take a right on Brown road. Take the next right on Old stage road. Continue on that road and take a left on Toppan road. It is the last left. If you miss it, you will see the covered walking bridge. On Toppan road, you will find the beginning of the trail. There is plenty of parking.
Follow the trail. After about a quarter on a mile, you will be following the Taylor river. I enjoyed observing the river with the animals that live from it. I saw an otter and trees that were downed by a beaver. I understand that if you observe closer, that you will find an abundance of wildlife.
Following the trail, you will find offshoots of the main trail. There is a trail that takes you through the Hurd farm conservation land which has its own trails for recreation. The Hurd farm is open land for hiking, cross country skiing and other sources of outdoor recreation.
If you miss the cutoff to the trail, you’ll find this bridge. It is a footbridge made after the previous bridge washed away in a stormThe beginning of the trailThe trail itselfA teepee some made along the trailMy dog enjoying the trailAn otter swimming in Taylor river
Heading west on Route 88 from Hampton Falls there is a place called Raspberry farm. Like all farms, it has a history about it. This blog is not to talk about the history, but if you travel about a quarter mile on the right you will see a parking space with a sign and a trail coming from the lot to woods. The sign provides background information and a map of the trail.
The map described that the trail takes you to the head waters of the Taylor River. This isn’t entirely true. If you go upstream, the river will cross Route 88 and will start near Kensington. Back to the trail, you will start in a field and enter woods. The trail in the woods goes around and eventually wind up back to the trail to go back to the parking lot.
As one heads from Portsmouth to Exeter on Route 33, one passes by Stratham Hill park. About a mile past that, there is a small field with white fences. If one stops and enter the parking lot, you will see a sign that says Stratham trails. It place is easy to go past it without even seeing the parking lot.
Look closer, one sees a sign with the heading of Stratham trails. Look closer and one sees a group of trails. Some of those trails actually connect to the trails at Stratham Hill Park. I did not walk the trails myself, but the part of the trails that I saw looked well traveled. The park allowed dogs as long as they are leased. The trails looked well enough for cross-country skiing. However not being a skier myself, I am not certain.
There is a map at the start of the trails. I have not included it because the map needs to be copied by permission only. However the map is located at https://www.mirtoart.com/index/G0000QgdRtpiWHLY/I0000IeJklfvNAwU. The trails seem to be a good afternoon journey.
Leaving from High street at what people call Five Corners in Hampton, going on Little River Road to Woodland Road, one will see a small picturesque pond on your left. It is small enough to pass by without looking at it. You will see a small parking area in front of the pond. When you park your car there, there is a sign that says Ice Pond trail. The only trail is about 50 yards long.
Almost 150 years ago, a company from Lynn Mass bought the lake. They used this lake to supply ice to Hampton Beach. They drained the lake once a year and eliminated any weeds so when the winter came and the water froze, the water would be weed less
This lake has been bought up by Hampton. According to the website, It is the only lake in Hampton that is town owned. It is protected. The pond is made for bird watching, ice skating, fishing, boating and other water sports (No swimming). A Bald Eagle was recently seen there.
A side note is that the pond is fed by Nilus Brook. The brook continues from the drain from the ice pond to Old Mile pond which contains the grist mill. The water then flows under High street. The brook then goes to The Meadow pond which flows into Hampton Marsh.
Adventures in Hampton NH 