Piscataqua River Boat Basin, Eliot

This cool spot includes a boat launch, playground, sandy beach, views of Portsmouth across the river, and a small network of unmarked trails.

We visited on a brutally cold and windy day, and braced ourselves on the beach to watch the white-tipped waves and the streaming bands of smoke from the factory chimneys across the wide Piscataqua River.

You can pick up the walking trails behind the playground, or at the far corner of the upper field. You can also access them from the beach.

Some of the trails do appear to leave public land and make their way to homes and to the Bahá’í Center. There are no private property signs showing where park land ends and private land begins.

Directions: From Route 103 in Eliot, turn onto Hammond Lane and drive to the end of the short road to the park and parking area.