The old Benson's animal park they did a good thing made it a nice park to enjoy walking picnics…read morewalking around and playing they have trails you can walk on they have old nostalgia left over from the zoo days cages the old shoe house and much more they also have a dedication to September 11 very cool so take your kids and have fun

Love trekking Benson's Park in Winter, Spring Summer or Fall! Great place for family, friends and…read morepets.

Yes there is a 1/2 mile walk to the trail and then 1/2 mile walk back to your parked car no biggie…read moredon't let that deter you from doing this hike. Agree there are better views in other parts of NH but this is ok. Bugs are vicious on certain parts of the trail and better off brining a bug net because someone else posted they don't care if you have bug spray I mean I even walked with can, I would still hike it though I prefer paid for parking on the website it's 5.00$ a person and you can use the whole state park for all day It was full of camps for swimming so if your not a fan of a lot of people maybe this lake is not for you Hope everyone enjoys there time there

Our walk/hike on the Shaw & Fundy Trails were perfect because they are well-trodden, pine-needle…read morecarpeted trails that were good for our sister who has a bad knee & can't handle trails with vertical climb, tree roots &/or rocky faces. The trails passed by marshes, over creeks &, at times, we had to navigate through areas that had some minimal flooding. Signage is practically non-existent, with arrows primarily @ intersections & also kind of confusing where the parking lots are for the trailheads. There is very little blazing on the trees but again, the trail directions are obvious. Not too much indication of wildlife, although, of course, we were in the thick of the trees. The folks at the Visitor Center are super friendly, knowledgeable & helpful.

Great for all ages. Clean, versatile and pet friendly on trails. Portable toilets…read moreSet up off season. A couple picnic tables near playground make it nice for a quick lunch or snack.

Had a really good time with the family. Park is clean and the playground is large and and lots of…read morespace for the kids to run without bumping into each other. If you take the trails, there a slow moving creek where there appears to be a small dam built by previous visitors and then added on by kids as they visit. Good fun for everyone.

FREE to visit and we'll worth the quick trip off the highway!!…read more So happy we took a quick detour to stop in! We wandered through the elaborate taxidermy and reptile room, ventured up to the top floor viewing deck, and then the small, yet amazing, raptor exhibit. We came in winter, just after Christmas, so maybe the animals hadn't seen many people in the last few days, but they were all alert, moving around and making noise. The barred owls clicked and blinked away, the barn owl poked its head out at us, the red tailed hawk fluffed it's feathers and the bald eagle screeched hello. So cool!

I put this pic up along with my review. Now I do not see my review. This was to highlight the fact…read morethat NH Audubon is NOT using all our donations for the environment. I want all the other seniors like me out there to know that NHA is using our donations to fund special interest groups that have little to nothing to do with our wildlife. After many, many years of birding and contributing to NHA with my dearly departed wife, I can only assume that nature doesn't need our help. Why else would NHA be deviating from their mission to support controversial social issues? It really burns me that you took my picture without my review and let them post it as a positive on their page, where my intent was quite opposite. Let's see if they post this along with the pic- a lie. Beware of donating to NHA! Find out where your money is going before you donate! Great to know the environment in our state doesn't need any more help. Sad that we are being misled into thinking we are contributing to nature. Great that NHA has enough money to fund these groups (most of which are doing quite well on their own, thank you) and won't miss my- let's see-a little over $240 to date this year. Never again. The saddest part is I now have to vet my contributions to other charities (mostly animal and environmental) to find out what they are doing with my money. A sad state of affairs.

Plenty of walking trails. It used to be better before the lake was drained due to an issue with the…read moredam. Fishing there as a kid was great too, but that was many years ago now

Northwood is the proud home of this 674.5-acre beauty! A wooded park with vast wetlands, access to…read moreSaddleback Mountain trails, and little picnic areas around the pond. *Small and uneven parking area (can get pretty muddy in the spring!) *Great for trail walk/running, mountain biking, fishing, swimming, cross country skiing, and snow shoeing . I've seen folk on horseback - but their horses often leave smell poo piles (come on, people - if dog owners have to carry little baggies, you should carry a shovel!). There is a main trail which winds its way around the pond (lovely views!). *Docks need some TLC - some are rotted out and I wouldn't consider them super safe. *No over-night strolls (park entrance is patrolled at night hours) There is plenty of space - wish they would install a disc golf course!

Odiorne Point State Park is a public recreation area that opened in Rye, New Hampshire in July…read more1972. It is administered by the New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation. The park is located along the Atlantic seacoast in Rye, not far from Portsmouth. The area is the site of the Pannaway Plantation: the first European settlement in New Hampshire. Settled in 1622, the plantation was completely abandoned by the 1630s when the settlers moved to nearby Strawberry Banke. The land was settled in the mid-1660s by the Odiorne Family, whom the park is now named after. From 1942 to 1947, the park was the home of Fort Dearborn. The ruins of the deactivated World War II-era fort can still be seen today. Today the park is home to hiking trails, bike paths, a playground, picnic areas, pavilions, and a Seacoast Science Center which opened in 1992. My family and I visited Odiorne Point State Park this summer while we were heading to Maine for a summer getaway. We had some time to kill before we could check in to our AirBnb, so we decided to stop at the park. We had fun exploring the grounds and my two sons especially enjoyed playing on the nautical-themed playground. The highlight of the park is the Seacoast Science Center. There are all sorts of exhibits devoted to the conservation of marine and coastal environments. My two sons loved learning about whales, local shellfish populations, the local fishing industry, the fight against ocean pollution, and underwater exploration. There was even a cool gift shop where we picked up a few things. Whether you live in the area or you're just passing through like us, Odiorne Point State Park is a fun place for the whole family!

I feel the need to preface all of my nature reviews with this: being 90% forested and having around…read more3500 miles of coastline, Maine (and NH) has a tremendous amount of spaces, walkways, paths, and trails of all kinds and of all levels. There's something for everyone. What I'm reviewing is how a spot compares to similar outdoor spots in my personal opinion. Being in nature - and remembering to carry in, carry out - is always five stars! :) Parking? Yes. Loop trail? Yes. Well marked signs? Yes. Element of surprise? Yes. I was looking for state parks in New Hampshire and this one caught my eye because of the name, if we're being honest. It sounded magical! So was the way it was advertised: "picnickers can enjoy sweeping views of the ocean and rocky shore, and explorers can uncover evidence of past military occupation. An extensive network of trails wind through the dense vegetation and traverse the park. [t]he property is also renowned for its... seven distinct habitats that can be visited within an hour's walk. Although the spectacular rocky shore is the one of the most notable, the woodlands, uplands, salt marsh, freshwater and salt ponds, and sandy beach (non-swimming) combine to create one of the region's most diverse nature walks." I like a little bit of everything, and this sounded like it had just that! The first time I came I bought a pass online; when we arrived it was a freak snowstorm and we were the only ones there. So we had a literal winter wonderland to play around it. The views from the coast were lovely and offer plenty of picnic tables to sit and enjoy yourself at, but exploring the woods that day was even more amazing - we spent a lot of time with a big buck who kept finding himself lazily meandering on the same trail as us. Thank goodness for binoculars! And the element of surprise! There was also some tremendously graffitied old batteries, a breakwater (that becomes nearly inaccessible when the tide is high; reversely when the tide is low that same area exposes a Sandy beach), there's an area called Pirate's Cove, an old cemetery, and Dolphin Fountain (which looks like it belongs in France, not NH). This became an immediate favorite! I can't wait to come back and see it in Spring and Summer! (SIDE NOTE: There's also the Seacoast Science Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, that provides educational exhibits related to the seacoast area for a separate fee; but, I haven't been able to check that out yet!)

Just a nice place to walk or ride your bike well groomed trails with interesting views of the…read moreforest different rock formations little streams and brooks. Well marked trails with red and yellow systems even have a little camping area caves cliffs that you can climb and explore also you can walk your dog there. Nice place to explore with ample parking nice trails

What a great day!!!! My husband and I ventured out to the…read moreWindham Town Forest for a nice hike with lil Jack! :) It was a little muddy and icy in some spots, but the trails for the most part were very walkable. Took some great photo shots today! There is a rusted piece of machinery that looks like was left behind with difficulty of removal. Very neat to take some vivid photos with. My husband spotted a few platforms that look like are set up for camping ... if that is the case, we are in for some camping in the summer! :) Definitely a place to go for some nice walks ... change it up with Robert Frost Farm and the Windham rail trail! And! please note that it is easy to drive right by this place ... the sign somewhat blends in with the surroundings.

This is a great little park if you are in the neighborhood. It is probably a quarter or a third a…read moremile round. It has a couple benches and plenty of grass to sit on. It is very very quiet and almost never has more than a w visitors. There are a couple fountains and little areas where you can sit and relax. A great place to start you day with a coffee and paper, read a book, or do a cool down walk after a run through downtown Newburyport. From downtown it is about a 5-10 minute walk, (in the direction of Plum Island).