Odiorne Point State Park
Park
320 acres4.7 mi of trail
Sagamore TrailSugar Maple TrailBattery Seaman TrailLittleton Road Nature Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Odiorne Boat Launch LotWebsite ↗
Photo: Spongetastic69 · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Rye
23% of Rye’s land is conserved: 1,821 acres
655 acres are parks and preserves, 117 per 1,000 residents. 14 miles of mapped trail cross Rye, 1.1 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Odiorne Point State Park (4.7 mi), Rye Town Forest (1.1 mi), Seavey Acres (0.6 mi).
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns · #23 of 126 in New Hampshire. What drives it
Conserved land
23%
1,821 acres · of 12.6 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
655 ac
117 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.3 mi
1.1 mi lanes · 0.9 mi paths
Highest peak
144 ft
Breakfast Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
10 beaches · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Rye?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Rye have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Rye is ahead of 90% of U.S. towns, #23 of 126 in New Hampshire. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Rye’s overall grade.
Conserved land23% of the land · typical NH town 19% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · NH 1.2 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land117 acres of park per 1,000 residents (655 acres) · NH 44 · U.S. 13AParks close to home55% of residents within a half mile of a park · NH 40% · U.S. 72%C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 90%
LessMore
New Hampshire towns of 2,500+ (126)Ahead of 82%
New Hampshire towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so Rye’s 23% is ahead of 70% of New Hampshire towns, while its trails per square mile lead 41% of them.
Water is more than half of Rye’s area (24 of 37 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 8%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Odiorne Point State Park, with 4.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rye Town Forest
Managed by Town of Rye
223 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Seavey Acres
Managed by Town of Rye
58 acres0.6 mi of trail
Seavey Woods Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Rye Harbor State Park
Park
64 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 10 parks & preserves
Odiorne Point State Park320 acres · 4.7 mi of trail
DirectionsRye Town Forest223 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · Town of Rye
DirectionsSeavey Acres58 acres · 0.6 mi of trail · Town of Rye
Rye Harbor State Park64 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGulf of Maine Cod Spawning Protection Area59 acres · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Jim Raynes Forest56 acres
Charles E. Rand Memorial Forest25 acres · Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire
DirectionsMarden Woods25 acres
DirectionsWallis Sands State Park23 acres
DirectionsOuter Marker Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,821 conserved acres
23% of Rye’s land. Water is left out: Rye has 12.6 square miles of land and 24.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Rye’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city417 ac
USDA easements (NRCS)199 ac
State natural resources168 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land162 ac
Other state land140 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits123 ac
Regional agency113 ac
Conservation Easement · 758 acLocal Other or Unknown · 583 acLocal Resource Management Area · 214 acPrivate Conservation · 191 acState Park · 168 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 467 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 79 of 97 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rye Town Forest Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 175 | Unknown |
| Odiorne Point State Park State Park | State natural resources | 140 | Open |
| Brown Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 92 | Unknown |
| White House Farm Subdivision Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 90 | Unknown |
| Awcomin Marsh Private Conservation | Not recorded | 85 | Unknown |
| Massacre Marsh Local Resource Management Area | Not recorded | 64 | Unknown |
| Pioneer Road Land Local Other or Unknown | Other state land | 61 | Unknown |
| Rye Water District Land Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 59 | Unknown |
| Brown Mill Pond And White Cedars Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 49 | Unknown |
| Meadows Local Other or Unknown | Not recorded | 35 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
20 places to go in Rye
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Rye
Foss Beach
DirectionsJenness Beach
DirectionsJenness State Beach
DirectionsPhilbricks Beach
DirectionsPirates Cove Beach
DirectionsRye North Beach
DirectionsSawyers Beach
DirectionsWallis Sands BeachIn Wallis Sands State Park
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Rye
Rye Recreation AreaIn Rye Town Forest
DirectionsPlus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Rye
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Rye
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Rye
Breakfast Hill144 ft elevation
DirectionsPicnic areas in Rye
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.2 miUnpaved · 7.0 mi
Seavey Woods Trail0.6 mi
Sagamore Trail0.5 mi
New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway0.3 mi
Sugar Maple Trail0.3 mi
Battery Seaman Trail0.3 mi
Littleton Road Nature Trail0.1 mi
Panaview Path0.1 mi
Frost Point Loop0.1 mi
Rabbit Run0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
7.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
0.9 mi
off-road bike paths
5.3 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
East Coast Greenway (NH)Bike route
0.3 miNew Hampshire Seacoast GreenwayBike route
0.3 miCourts & fields
17Tennis
4Baseball
4Equestrian
2Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →6 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 8 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Elijah Locke HouseBuilding · listed 1979
About itParsons HomesteadBuilding · listed 1980
About itSt. Andrew's By-The-SeaBuilding · listed 2001
About itPulpit Rock Base-End Station (N. 142)Structure · listed 2010
About itBeach Club, TheBuilding · listed 2013
About itRye Town HallBuilding · listed 2020
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Rye: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 34 | 36 | 44 | 55 | 66 | 75 | 80 | 79 | 72 | 60 | 49 | 39 |
| Rain (in) | 3.5 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
February is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 80 °F). 4.9 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in Rye →
Next door
Rye and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rye | 23% | 1.1 | 117 | 55% | A |
| New Castle | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| North Hampton | 23% | 0.7 | 90 | 67% | A |
| Portsmouth | 13% | 1.3 | 11 | 78% | A− |
| Greenland | 22% | 0.6 | 1 | 30% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Rye
Where can I hike in Rye?
The longest trail networks: Odiorne Point State Park, 4.7 miles; Rye Town Forest, 1.1 miles; Seavey Acres, 0.6 miles; Rye Harbor State Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Rye is conserved land?
23% of its land, against a typical 19% for a New Hampshire town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Rye’s trails?
Odiorne Point State Park and Rye Town Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Rye?
7.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.1 of painted or protected lanes, 0.9 of off-road paths and 5.3 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: East Coast Greenway (NH) and New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway.
Is there public land near Rye?
6,384 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Rye or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 656 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Rye have?
Ahead of 90% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #23 of 126 in New Hampshire. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Rye neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →