SEACOAST GREENWAY:
PORTSMOUTH-NORTH HAMPTON, VERMONT
-BIKE IT OR HIKE IT-
Last Updated: August 08, 2026
Length: Seacoast Greenway; 7.9 miles complete. Another 0.3 miles in Portsmouth.
Difficulty: Easy. Flat, crushed gravel rail trail.
Directions:
To Start from the Lafayette Road parking lot in North Hampton [Southern End]; From I-95 take exit 2 to Route 101 east. Take the Route 1 exit to Route 1 north. From the end of the ramp travel 1.8 miles. Just past Route 151, parking lot is on your right.
To Start from the Portsmouth Skate Park parking lot in Portsmouth [Northern End]; From I-95 take exit 3 to Route 33 east. Cross a bridge over the rail trail and turn left into the Portsmouth Skate Park. Trailhead is past the skate park.
Note; New parking areas are coming in 2026 at Borthwick Ave, Banfield Road and Breakfast Hill Road.
The Seacoast Greenway follows the old rail bed of the former Boston & Maine RR; Hampton Branch. It will connect South, to the Eastern Marsh Trail in Salisbury, MA and travel North, through Seabrook, Hampton Falls, Hampton, North Hampton, and Portsmouth. For more information visit; SEACOAST GREENWAY & SEACOAST GREENWAY; PORTSMOUTH .
Northern Section:
Starting from Drakeside Road in Hampton [No parking available] [Southern End];
Note;
Phase
2 will continue South, from Drakeside
Rd, 2.4 miles through Hampton
Falls to Seabrook. Scheduled
for construction in 2030.
Phase 3 will extend the trail 2.3 miles
through Hampton Falls Marsh and is
scheduled for 2032.
The wide, crushed gravel Seacoast Greenway travels North, past the [4.7 Mile Marker]. [Distance from MA] These Mile Markers are located every 0.1 miles along the trail. Commercial/industrial corridor. Cross a bridge over a road and pass by an old RR Buffer Stop on your left. + See; RR Buffer Stop Below. Travel through a tunnel underneath Exeter Rd [5.1 Mile Marker]. Travel through a tunnel underneath Route 1 [5.3 Mile Marker] where the trail is more wooded. Just past the [6.4 Mile Marker] the Lafayette Road parking lot is on your left. Map Board. Travel past Hampton Airfield in North Hampton and underneath the Cedar Rd bridge [6.8 Mile Marker]. More wooded corridor. Travel past the old Hampton B&M RR Depot (now a residence) on your right, before traveling underneath Atlantic Ave and passing by an old granite RR Mileage Marker 7 at [Mile Marker 7.5]. These old RR Mile Markers were located every Mile along the railbed and began from Portsmouth [RR Mileage Marker 0] where 2 RR lines merged. Pass by Hobbs Martin Field on your left, where they fly model airplanes. This trail is ramrod straight and not a lot of variety. Travel underneath Route 1 at [Mile Marker 8.5] and pass by another old granite RR Mileage Marker 6. Pass by the old Coakley Landfill (Superfund site) at [Mile Marker 9.3] before a causeway takes you through a marsh. Cross Breakfast Hill Road at [Mile Marker 10]. Parking area. You now follow a shaded wooden corridor, as you very briefly pass through Rye and Greenland into Portsmouth. Pass by a small marsh and another old granite RR Mileage Marker 4 at [Mile Marker 10.5]. Cross Ocean Rd at [Mile Marker 11.4] and Bainfield Rd at [Mile Marker 12]. Follow a causeway through Pickering Brook Marsh, passing by old granite RR Mileage Marker 2 at [Mile Marker 12.5]. You can barley make out the letter P, on the marker, which stood for Portsmouth. Reenter the woods. Travel underneath Route 33 at [Mile Marker 13.5], passing by old granite RR Mileage Marker 1, before coming to a Spur Trail on your right.
Note; This Spur Trail will take you to the Portsmouth Skate Park parking lot .
The trail turns Northeast, traveling above a small pond on your left. Cross *Wbbx Road, as you pass by [Mile Marker 14] and a Map Board, before traveling through a small cut to Barberry Ln after [9.6 miles from Drakeside Rd] [Mile Marker 14.3] and the end of the trail. Just North of here, the old rail bed merges with an active RR line and so the trail can not continue along the rail bed.
Future plans called for continuing the trail left, West, along Barberry Ln, crossing over an active RR line and traveling through the woods to the paved Borthwick Ave Path. Not sure if this is still the plan, as you can now access the Borthwick Ave Path via *Wbbx Road, See; Seacoast Greenway; Northern Extension (off the rail bed) Below.
Seacoast Greenway; Northern Extension:
Continuing from *Wbbx Road [Mile Marker 14] and a Map Board. [Continuing Mileage; 9.6 miles] Head left, Northwest, along a paved trail to Eileen Dondero Foley Ave, where you'll pick up the paved Eileen Dondero Foley Ave Path. This takes you across some RR tracks and out to Borthwick Ave. Crosswalk takes you over to the paved Borthwick Ave Path at 9.9 miles, which travels Northeast, alongside the road. Cross busy Route 1 at 10.4 miles and continue along the Hodgdon Way/Cate Street Path, where the trail follows Hodgdon Brook along your left. The trail ends just before Bartlett St after 1.1 miles.
Note; The trail will then continue left, along Bartlett St to Addorio Way & North Mill Pond on your right. Here, the paved trail will continue Northeast, alongside the pond and soon RR tracks to the Maplewood Ave BIKE LANE after 1.9 miles. The trail will then continue on-road, out to Route 1 and take you North, across the Piscataqua River, to Kittery ME. Future connection to the Eastern Trail .
Old Railroad Equipment:
+RR Buffer Stop: A RR Buffer Stop, is a device to prevent RR cars from going past the end of a physical section of track.
HH
CLICK HERE FOR SEACOAST GREENWAY MAP
CLICK HERE FOR HAMPTON to PORTSMOUTH SECTION MAP
BEFORE YOU SET OUT BE SURE TO READ THE
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
BIKE IT OR HIKE IT
