Coastal New Hampshire GPS tour

New Hampshire may only have 18 miles of coastline – the shortest of any US coastal state – but packed into that short distance is an impressive array of ocean views, history, and recreation. Take a tour of this beautiful stretch of New England, then download plot points to your GPS device and take your own journey.

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Seabrook Beach, the first beach after crossing the state border, a short distance from Salisbury Beach in Massachusetts, is a subdued seashore alternative to the hustle and bustle of Hampton Beach to the north.

Beyond the vast parking lot, RV campground, and bathhouse facilities are the sandy dunes and expansive beach at Hampton Beach State Park.

Less than one mile north on Route 1A, Hampton Beach has a honky-town, boardwalk-style atmosphere with numerous shops, arcades, and restaurants – for sure, plenty of fried dough, clams, and chowder – facing the ocean. There is bountiful parking here, as well as facilities, lodging, and attractions. At left, one of the many T-shirt souvenir stores that line Ocean Avenue.

The coastline shifts from sandy to rocky just past the hustle and bustle of the center of Hampton Beach.

Cinnamon Rainbows, directly across from North Beach, is of the many surfboard shops along Route 1A. Many shops offer board rentals and other equipment.

As 1A stretches into the town of Rye, the surroundings shift from tourist-driven to opulence. Mansions with spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean line Ocean Boulevard. Although parking spaces are limited, a walking path along the coastline allows motorists to stroll while admiring the scenery.

One of the mansions along this stretch of Route 1A.

At nearby Rye Harbor, visitors can snack in season on fried clams at Rye Harborside, hire a charter fishing boat, or take in a whale watch from one of multiple outlets.

Adjacent to the harbor, Rye Harbor State Park offers a scenic lunch spot with facilities. Picnic tables and benches look out toward the Atlantic, the harbor, and the Isles of Shoals just a few miles off the New Hampshire coastline.

Wallis Sands State Beach is on the smaller side, but offers great views of the ocean and the rocky coastline to the north. The beach also offers a grassy picnic area.

Bikers can enjoy the views while riding along the road.

At left, a view of the rocky coast along a section of Route 1A just south of Odiorne State Park.

At the 135-acre Odiorne State Park, travelers find walking trails, picnic benches, beautiful scenery, and World War II history. Pictured, a bunker constructed during the war in order to hide guns was camouflaged into a hill.

Weaponry on display just below the bunker.

Odiorne is also home to the Seacoast Science Center, a museum aimed at educating visitors about the natural habitat found along the New Hampshire coastline.

A distant view of Whaleback Light, in Kittery, Maine, as seen from Odiorne.

Heading into New Castle, the historic Wentworth-by-the-Sea commands attention. A recent six-year, $30 million reconstruction brought the hotel – constructed in 1874 – back to its original glory.

Off limits to visitors, Walbach Tower, on the grounds of the US Navy Coast Guard station and Fort Constitution in Portsmouth, was built in 1812 by John de Barth Walbach, who came to America from France in 1797. Assigned to Fort Constitution in 1806, he led the Portsmouth defense. According to an nearby information plaque, he served until he was 93, and remains the oldest active serving officer in the history of the US Army.

The adjacent Fort Constitution, originally named Fort William and Mary, was erected by the British in the early 1600s. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, colonists surrounded the fort and seized nearly five tons of gunpowder that some believe was used to fight the British in other battles during the war. The site was renamed Fort Constitution in 1791.

Pictured, a view of Portsmouth Harbor Light as seen from Fort Constitution.

Shipbuilding at Portsmouth’s Strawbery Banke Museum, which depicts how Americans have lived through each of the country’s four centuries of history.

The nearby Peirce Island offers walking trails and sweeping views of the harbor. A boat launch and fishing pier are also on hand.

The nearby Peirce Island offers walking trails and sweeping views of the harbor. A boat launch and fishing pier are also on hand.