Seacoast region is a lovely setting for walking and hiking

This giant tidal bay has a Discovery Center for visitors and lots of access points and trail for walking and hiking. Visitors may hike in forests, marshes, and mudflats, accessible at Adams Point, Crommet Creek, Great Bay Discovery Center Campus, and many other coastal sites.
See full description at our New Hampshire science and nature pages.

This is a pleasant and easy 1.5-mile loop hike into a peninsula jutting into the Great Bay tidal estuary, with views of the bay and sea life all around as you traverse meadows and woodlands. you can see Great Bay almost every where along the trail. Piscataqua River feeds Great Bay from the Atlantic, creating a tide-influences variety of salt marsh and tidal creek environments.

This is a sidewalk stroll along the seacoast of Rye Beach. Stroll and enjoy views of the offshore Isle of Shoals; Rye Harbor Marina, where fishing boats trundle in and out of the granite breakwater; the small Rye Harbor State Park sticking into the ocean; Wallis Sands State Beach; and the many tidewater inlets on the west side of the road. Check a map and decide where you want to start the walk. It is out-and-back along the shore; not a loop.

Portsmouth is a picturesque colonial-era town on the bank of the Piscataqua River with wonderful views, shops and restaurants. The trail passes more than 70 points of scenic and historic significance, including ten buildings on the National Register of Historic Buildings, ten National Historic Landmarks, and three historic homes.
Walking tours of the Portsmouth Harbor Trail from June through October can be arranged. Three separate walks take you through or past Market Square, the heart of downtown; Prescott Park on the river; Strawbery Banke; and historic churches and mansions.
Hours: Tours offered mid-May through Columbus Day, Thursdays and Saturdays starting at 1pm.

Peirce Island, part of the city of Portsmouth, is in the Piscataqua River near the south end of Portsmouth. It has salt marshes, tidal pools, rocky cliffs, and meadows. The island has several easy walks on trails that lead to five waterfront overlooks. The overlooks give you views of the Naval Shipyard, the historic south end of Portsmouth, and the three Piscataqua bridges. The island’s Pine Grove area has a wooden bridge, stone benches, picnic tables and a beautiful water vista.