Reaching the New Hampshire shore: Seacoast walks

October 24, 2026October 23, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / Leave a comment

I decided to walk across New Hampshire this year. What’s life without an ambitious goal? The project changed in style and scope more than once before it finally took on a modest, manageable shape. In a series of dayhikes between April and October, I walked in every town in a line between Hinsdale on the Connecticut River and Rye on the Atlantic coast. In Hinsdale, I scooped up a tiny bit of Connecticut River water into a little plastic container. When I arrived at Odiorne State Park in Rye six months later, I poured the water into the ocean, with a little flourish.

Earlier posts on Granite State Walker describe a few of the walks that were part of my cross-state project. This one is about the finishing touches, featuring walks in Stratham, Greenland, North Hampton, and Rye.

Stratham Hill Park

Thousands of cars pass through Stratham every day on Route 33. I wonder how many of the drivers realize that on the way, they’re passing a gem of a municipal park.

Stratham Hill Park boasts about 15 miles of trails. From the parking lot, I only needed a fraction of a mile on one of them to get to my favorite thing in the park, a decommissioned fire tower that offers 360 degree views including a view of Great Bay. Bonus: foliage season was arriving on the Seacoast.

aerial view of mixed-hardwoods forest with leaves changing color, a body of water in the background — Early October on the New Hampshire Seacoast, with a sliver of Great Bay in view. All photos in this post are by Ellen Kolb.

Early October on the New Hampshire Seacoast, with a sliver of Great Bay in view. All photos in this post are by Ellen Kolb.

Seacoast Greenway, Greenland-North Hampton

One of the most exciting trail developments in southern New Hampshire is the construction of the Seacoast Greenway along an abandoned rail line, roughly parallel to U.S. 1. When completed, it’ll be part of the East Coast Greenway, envisioned as a multi-use trail that will go all the way from Maine to Florida. I had read that a large segment of the Seacoast Greenway, eight or nine miles, had been completed between Portsmouth and Hampton. I had only a short time to explore it; which part should I choose?

I decided on the middle, more or less. Where the unpaved trail crosses Breakfast Hill Road in Greenland, there’s a small parking area on each side of the road. On my midweek visit, I got one of the last of the eight available spaces. (There’s plenty of parking further north, where the trail passes the Chris Rice skateboard park on Route 33 in Portsmouth.) From that trailhead, I walked south as far as North Road in North Hampton.

This trail is much closer to the coast than the rail trails to which I’m accustomed. Instead of being shaded by tall hemlocks, I was practically out in the open, with marshes and shorter trees flanking the trail. Every marker I saw looked fresh and new. Cyclists far outnumbered walkers and runners. I didn’t feel crowded, though I was careful to stick to the right side of the path.

I wouldn’t call myself an avid birder, but I do keep the Merlin ID app on my phone to help me identify bird calls. The Greenway gave the app plenty of work to do. I wanted to figure out what kind of hawk was screeching nearby; it didn’t sound quite like the red-tailed hawks nesting near my house. As the app reported “red-shouldered hawk,” it also noted the half-dozen kinds of songbirds determined to be heard over the hawk’s insistent cries. I loved the racket!

The Seacoast Greenway is an inviting trail, and I’ll return another time to explore it further.

New Hampshire’s Seacoast Greenway extends from Portsmouth to Hampton, with more miles coming within a few years.

Odiorne State Park, Rye

Odiorne Point State Park never disappoints me. I can walk from ocean to dense coastal woods without leaving the park boundary. Benches and picnic tables dot the property. There are concrete bunkers on site dating back to World War II, reminders of the nation’s past coastal defense. I heard my first Carolina wren in the park’s woods, and had a too-close encounter with a red-tailed hawk on the shore.

Find Route 1-A on a New Hampshire map – it’s right there, tracing our 18-mile Atlantic coastline – and you’ll find the town of Rye and Odiorne Point. Other state parks are nearby, but accept no substitutes: this one’s the best.

I happened to arrive at low tide on this visit, letting me take a longer shore walk than I’d expected. I saw that some of the trails lacing the park were being detoured away from the sand dunes, which are getting a bit of restoration. I watched for colored blazes on the trees as I worked my way back inland, avoiding the restoration area.

There’s a modest entrance fee at this park ($4 in 2026), payable in an “iron ranger” lockbox when the entrance is unstaffed. It’s a bargain. No charge for New Hampshire residents 65 and older.

(Odiorne Point State Park is pretty special on a summer day, too.)

Ocean view from Odiorne Point State Park, Rye NH.

You can read about some of the other paths on which I made my way across New Hampshire this year: the Fort Hill and Ashuelot rail trails in the southwestern corner of the state, a Swanzey trail with an interesting natural feature, a shady rail trail in New Boston, and the trails crossing Goffstown and Manchester. An earlier post describes part of the Rockingham Rail Trail, which took me all the way from Manchester to Newfields, one segment at a time.

Shade in summer: New Boston Rail Trail

August 31, 2026August 31, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

New Hampshire summers send me in search of shady trails to take the edge off the temperature. The New Boston Rail Trail keeps me coming back in all seasons, and its canopy of trees is a summer delight.

The first time I went to the trail more than twenty years ago, the rails had been removed, but to my critical eye it was little more than a shaggy overgrown path. The trail has been developed and improved since then by a network of supporters with far more vision than I had back then. It’s a wide, well-drained, unpaved trail that cyclists and walkers alike can enjoy. The footbridge over the middle branch of the Piscataquog River is a scenic spot. While I’m wary of the poison ivy that edges the trail in the warmer months, I enjoy the wildflowers blooming nearby.

_{Footbridge along New Boston Rail Trail, near Lang Station.} _{Ellen Kolb photo.}

The Friends of the New Boston Rail Trail welcome support from all comers. The group would like to build a tunnel or culvert under Parker Road, where the trail now has to rise to meet the road at a hazardous crossing. Sounds ambitious, but I have no doubt the job can be done. After all, I remember how the trail looked twenty years ago.

The trail is entirely within the town of New Boston, paralleling the Piscataquog River and Route 13 for most of its length. A map is available at nbtrail.com. My favorite parking area is at about the halfway point, at Lang Station on Gregg Mill Road just off Route 13, but be aware that after a rainstorm the parking lot can be a muddy mess. Other parking areas are available at the 4-H fairgrounds at the trail’s south end, Parker Road on the north side, and Riverside Drive at the northern end.

Summer, Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail

July 6, 2026September 8, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

The Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail is an ambitious work in progress. Segments between Bradford and Concord, New Hampshire are already open (no OHRV/ATVs or dirt bikes, please). I last visited the trail’s eastern terminus in Concord, New Hampshire in autumn of 2020. On the spur of the moment on a July day, I decided to return to see how the trail looks in summer.

I found a different kind of beauty, with flowers rather than foliage catching my eye. Varieties included milkweed, oxeye daisies, mullein, St. John’s wort, and others that I couldn’t identify. It was pollinator heaven, lining the trail along open space close to the trailhead at 25 Fisherville Road (US 3), less than four miles north of the State House.

_{Fleabane is one of many varieties of summer blossoms to be found along the edges of NH’s rail trails.} _{This and other photos in this post are by Ellen Kolb.}

That trailhead had room for maybe half a dozen cars. Information about the trail was posted on a kiosk in the parking area. Close by were several rail-themed benches. The unpaved trail surface was smooth and pleasant.

A bench made of wooden slats mounted on a pair of railcar wheels — The perfect rail-trail bench design

A trail enters a natural tunnel created by overhanging trees — The perfect rail-trail bench design

The trail passed open space for a few hundred yards before entering deep shade under mature trees. I walked for about a mile and a half, enjoying the shade on a muggy day, before deciding to turn around.

Uh-oh…the forecast had been for scattered afternoon pop-up showers, and one of them popped up as soon as I turned around. I wasn’t carrying rain gear on the 80-degree day, and I had a half-hour walk between me and my car. I shrugged and took the consequences as a hard rain began to fall. It was over in 15 minutes, which was long enough to leave me drenched. It was a reminder that even for short walks, carrying an inexpensive poncho is a good idea.

That wouldn’t have helped my shoes, of course. They should dry out within a few days. That’s a modest price to pay for a cool place to walk on a summer day.

This easternmost segment of the CLSRT is one of the many recreational assets in Concord for walkers and cyclists. Other completed segments are not yet continuous but are worth discovering if your travels take you to Hopkinton, Warner, or Bradford.

Community walks highlight rail trails: the Piscataquog and Goffstown trails

June 6, 2026September 8, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

Among the treats of this season in southern New Hampshire have been community walks organized by municipal agencies. The Manchester Police Department and Goffstown Parks and Recreation have been leading popular events on local rail trails. I joined a few of them, and saw for myself how important the trails have become to local residents.

Both of these programs were free of charge when I attended, and both were held on weekday mornings,

Big turnout for Manchester Senior Walks

Senior walkers cross the Hands Across the Merrimack bridge in Manchester NH along the Piscataquog trail. All photos by Ellen Kolb.

I learned via social media about weekly springtime Senior Walks offered by the Manchester Police Department’s Community Affairs officers. When I showed up for one along the Piscataquog rail trail, I was surprised to find over a hundred people ready for the morning’s outing! The crowd was even larger for a walk later in the season on the Rockingham Recreational Trail.

The Senior Walks program was new to me, but clearly it was well-known to many Queen City residents. Each walk lasted for an hour, with a 30-minute turn-around time. No rush: walkers were self-paced, and simply turned around at the 30-minute mark, no matter how far they’d gone. Traffic control at road crossings was excellent. The Department’s Mounted Division got into the act, too, with Officer Miano aboard the gentle-but-imposing (16 hands high!) General Stark. A bonus: each walk ended with refreshments provided by local businesses.

For my cross-state project, I wondered about the best way to cross Manchester. These Senior Walks showed me the way: Valley Street with its sidewalks and pedestrian crossing lights let me link the Piscataquog rail trail on the west side of the city and the Rockingham Rec trail on the east side, with just a little jog along side streets at each end. The sidewalks and crossing lights allayed my fears of sharing the road with cars, at least for one day.

Near the east end of Manchester’s segment of the Rockingham Recreational Trail, a sign honors former Alderman Pinard, a trail supporter.

A unique work of art adorns the east end of the Piscataquog Trail, paying tribute to the workers at the meatpacking plant that once stood near the site.

A warm welcome in Goffstown

I’m always happy to get out to the well-maintained five-mile-long Goffstown rail trail. The Parks and Recreation department in town has been offering weekly guided walks of varying distances on the trail, and as soon I heard about that, I resolved to join one as soon as my schedule allowed.

When I arrived at the Parks and Rec office on the morning of my chosen walk (the trailheads vary each week), I was welcomed by a small friendly group led by a Parks and Rec staffer. The trail includes two signaled crossings of busy NH Route 114, and I’m always nervous about getting across that road, but the fear factor went down to zero with a dozen people crossing together. (Kind of like being a pedestrian in Boston, now that I think about it.)

Decorated wooden cutout of an old-fashioned train engine on the Goffstown (NH) Rail Trail

Our walk that day was pretty much in the middle segment of the trail. When our group returned to the office, I decided to keep going. I seldom get to the westernmost end of the trail. I was delighted to find that since I was last there, signage has been upgraded significantly for both trail navigation and parking. As I stood at the western end of the trail and looked out at the Piscataquog River and town center, I tried to imagine how the rail line must have looked with its covered rail bridge there once upon a time. The rail bridge is long gone. We’re left with a rail trail that extends all the way to Manchester’s Piscataquog trail, linking the state’s biggest city with its quieter neighbor.

A bench along the Goffstown trail overlooks Namaske Lake.

Goffstown Rail Trail has plenty of signage to guide users.

The west end of the Goffstown Rail Trail offers a view of the town center and the Piscataquog River.

Side trip in Swanzey: Tippin Rock

May 5, 2026September 8, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

Swanzey, New Hampshire is perhaps best known for its covered bridges, each with its unique appearance and history. (I’m partial to the Thompson Bridge with its sidewalk.) The town has more to offer, though, including several short trails worth exploring. I recently discovered Hewes Hill and Tippin Rock, with the help of a Cheshire Walkers hike sponsored by the Monadnock Conservancy, a regional land trust.

Is it Tippin’ or Tippin? The apostrophe is optional, but either way, it’s an apt name for the glacial erratic boulder perched on a ledge in the woods on the way to Hewes Hill’s summit ridge. If you lean against it at just the right place, it’ll rock back and forth a little bit. A couple of my hiking companions kept pushing on different locations on the boulder until it yielded ever so slightly. It’s fun to see, even if it’s a little unnerving to see a 40-ton boulder moving like that!

_{There’s Tippin Rock, resting in the woods, just waiting for the next hiker to try to rock it. Ellen Kolb photo.}

We continued up the trail after inspecting Tippin Rock. Hewes Hill is forested, with a bit of exposed ledge on the summit ridge that gave us a pleasant western view on a sunny spring day. I was glad to rest and catch my breath after the uphill hike. The hike is about 1.8 miles round trip, with an elevation gain of a little over 300 feet.

view from a hilltop with blue sky, bare trees, and low hills in the distance — _{Western view from Hewes Hill on a blue-sky day, trees ready to leaf out for spring.} _{Ellen Kolb photo.}

A printable trail map is available on the Monadnock Conservancy website. Limited parking is available on Warmac Road in Swanzey, about a half mile west of NH Route 32.

The trail is on private land with an easement to the Conservancy, and as is written on the Conservancy’s map, “respectful hikers, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers are welcome on Hewes Hill.” Daytime use only; carry out what you carry in; no facilities at the trailhead.

Generous landowners keep many New Hampshire trails open to the public. I was lucky that one of my hiking companions to Tippin Rock was the property owner whose land we were crossing, so I could give her a proper face-to-face thank-you.

Road walks? No, thank you

The Tippin Rock hike was a bonus for me on a challenging day. I spent time on the limited section of the Ashuelot rail trail that’s open in Swanzey; much of the trail in town is closed for reconstruction. Once I hit the trail detour, I thought maybe I could cross the town on local roads as part of my cross-state effort. It didn’t take me long to realize that wasn’t a good idea. Those narrow curving roads with tiny shoulders were not pedestrian-friendly.

This confirms my decision to explore the southern tier of the state this year without relying on roads to create an unbroken route. I’ll connect trails where I can. Gaps will not bother me. Along the way, I know I’ll find unexpected fun, such as that hike to Tippin Rock.

Note for Ashuelot trail hikers and cyclists: be sure to respect the 2026 trail closure north of the southern Holbrook Road crossing. Heading south on the trail from there is fine. There’s room enough at that crossing for a car to park off the road while staying clear of the trail gate.

Visiting Swanzey

The Town of Swanzey has a good website with information on local trails and covered bridges. Check it out when you’re ready to plan an itinerary for a trip to the area.

If you happen to be in Swanzey on Old Home Day (usually in July), enjoy the parade! Also, Swanzey is home to the Cheshire Fair every summer.

Crossing New Hampshire, bit by bit: early spring, Ashuelot and Fort Hill Trails

April 22, 2026September 8, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

This year’s sweet spot for spring hiking, after the mud and before the bugs and pollen, has lasted longer than usual in southern New Hampshire. It’s an good beginning to a project I’ve set myself for this year: walking across the southern tier of the state along as many familiar trails as I can, from the Connecticut River to the Atlantic Ocean. Not a thru-hike, but a series of dayhikes, with each one probably out-and-back in the absence of shuttles.

Perhaps with a full support team, a lot more planning, and a sudden lottery win to cover lodging, I’d be able to walk every step in an unbroken line across the state. Instead, this will be a simple do-it-yourself effort, touching special places in a line of towns beginning in the far southwest corner of the Granite State. I’ve gotten off to a good start already.

Two rivers and a covered bridge

I took advantage of the recent benign weather to spend two fine days on the Fort Hill and Ashuelot Rail Trails in the towns of Hinsdale and Winchester. My private little ceremony to launch the cross-state walk consisted of taking the Fort Hill rail trail to a boat launch where I scooped up a little vial of Connecticut River water. I’ll empty it into the Atlantic when I reach the Seacoast, some weeks hence.

*This just might be my favorite spot in Hinsdale, where the Connecticut River meets a boat launch and the Fort Hill Rail Trail.* *All photos by Ellen Kolb.*

My route included town roads as well as the unpaved rail trails. From the Fort Hill trail, I walked into central Hinsdale via quiet Prospect Street. Once I reached Main Street (NH Route 119), I walked a short distance east to Depot Street, where I picked up the Ashuelot trail eastbound.

Before long I came to a spot that appeared to be recently repaired from a washout. Based on information on the state parks website, the Pisgah Mountain Trail Riders are responsible for that restoration. The Ashuelot trail took a violent hit from flooding in July 2023, and perhaps this was where some of the damage had occurred. In fact, the trail’s Swanzey section is still closed as of April 2026, awaiting repair of the three northernmost washouts.

(By the way – snowmobile clubs like the Trail Riders provide an outsized amount of rail trail maintenance. I’ve made modest donations to a club that maintains a trail close to home, even though I’m not a snowmobiler. I encourage other walkers and cyclists to do likewise.)

Where I walked, both trails were in remarkably good shape. I wondered if I’d find mud – and if I had, I would have swallowed hard and shifted over to NH 119 – but the trail surfaces were firm and well-drained. A few ruts on the Ashuelot trail showed that at least one local cyclist hadn’t been able to resist riding during mud season, but the trail scars were minimal. Vegetation was just waking up from winter, and no grasses or ground covers encroached on the wide paths.

While I had company on the Fort Hill trail, I experienced unexpected solitude on the Ashuelot trail. I was there midweek; would a weekend have been different?

I turned around at the Ashuelot covered bridge and walked back to Hinsdale where I’d left my car. It was a decent workout, even at my easygoing pace.

“Need a ride?”

The next day, I parked downtown near Winchester’s town offices. “Downtown” seems a grand word to use about a municipality with 4200 residents, but the area had two traffic lights as well as commercial and municipal buildings, so downtown it is.

The Ashuelot trail north of the town center feels different from the section closer to Hinsdale. It’s more open in spots, sandier but still well-surfaced. It’s closer to homes. It criss-crosses Old Westport Road, and I hopscotched between trail and road to stay close to the river with its pleasant views. Traffic on nearby NH Route 10 could be heard but for the most part not seen. I turned around before the trail crossed NH 10; further on is Swanzey, a destination for another day.

The red fruits of staghorn sumac shrubs were the brightest things in sight amid so much leafless vegetation. Spring will soon have every plant in sight bursting with fresh growth.

*Staghorn sumac in early spring. Fresh leaves will be along shortly.*

I took a break at a snowmobile bridge carrying the trail across the slow-flowing Ashuelot River, enjoying a serene view along with my snack. A lone bicyclist was the only other trail user in sight.

Snowmobile bridge in Winchester, a fine lunch spot…

At one point as I walked along Old Westport Road, I heard a car behind me slowing down. I turned around to see what was up, and the car stopped beside me, with a worried-looking driver at the wheel. Was I okay? Did I need a ride? I assured him that I did not, as I wondered how awful I must have looked to elicit such concern. “I had to check,” he said with a look of relief. “If I didn’t, my mom would kick my butt.” I realized then that it was only my age, shouted to the world by my silver hair, that made him stop. God bless him.

I love living and walking where people care enough to check up on each other. At the same time, we need more baby boomers on the loose in the great outdoors, so our younger neighbors won’t be so surprised to see us. I’m doing my part.

About the area

An excellent map and guide to rail trails in southwestern New Hampshire is available from the Monadnock Rail Trail Collaborative. Their website includes an online map. Contact that agency directly about availability of printed maps.

Parking is limited along the Fort Hill and Ashuelot trails. Along the sections I visited on this trip, I found parking in Hinsdale at the boat launch on Prospect Street and Millstream Riverfront Park on Main Street (NH 119). In Winchester, I parked in the town hall lot, a block or so away from the trail via Elm Street.

Public restrooms were scarce on this route, and I didn’t find (or expect) portajohns along the way. Facilities are available in Walmart (north end of Hinsdale, almost at the Vermont border) and at a gas station/Dunkins at the southern NH 10/119 intersection in Winchester.

There are restaurants and convenience stores in the town centers.