hike – Adventures in Hampton NH

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.

For a while the trail follows the Taylor River. It appears like a brook. This is a scenic trail walking through woods. The area is under protection from the state and federal government. Websites associated with the Raspberry farm are as follows. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/nh/newsroom/stories/?cid=nrcs144p2_015839 and https://www.tpl.org/media-room/raspberry-farm-property-protected. This is a great place to explore.

Awcomin Marsh is a strange name for a marsh. I have no idea where the name came from however it a place that is worth going to. The entrance is about 200 yards to the south of Rye Harbor across the road on route 1A.

I do not know where the name Awcomin come from. There has to be a good source. This is a conservation marsh land that attracts birdwatchers. In fact if you go to this website http://ebirdhotspots.com/birding-in-new-hampshire/usnh-rockingham-county/usnh-awcomin-marsh-rye/ you will see the type of birds sighted by bird watchers. When you go to this web site, there is a link called hotspots. There will be a list of birds sighted there. This website will let you see what birds are sighted all over the state.

This area is a wonder for marsh restoration. To see what was done go to websites https://www.des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/cp/documents/cp-11.pdf and https://www.newetlands.com/awcomin. For years this was the dumping grounds for material dredged in Rye harbor. That made a mess of the marshland including introducing invasive plants. It is incredible to see what it looks like now. The invasive plants are gone.

The entrance is about 200 yards south of Rye harbor on route 1A. One can either park at Rye Harbor for a small price or park at the entrance of the walkway. There is limited parking there. The entrance is not marked well so you can easily pass by it. Take the path. It will split into 2. The way to the platform is easily marked and short. There is another path that takes one to a piece of land that takes you to a strip of land that goes nearly to the center of the marsh. This path is not well marked. I passed by there the first time without seeing the entrance to the path. This marsh is well worth the visit. Just like going on any trails in New England, check for ticks later after completion of the visit. Here are some pictures.

Tag: hike

Raspberry Farm

Awcomin Marsh