The Sweet Trail, Durham NH


• 4-star hike
• 9 mile out-and-back
• Easy | Gain 490 feet
• Durham & Newmarket, NH | Seacoast Region
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A vibrant landscape view under a clear blue sky features a tranquil pond dotted with lily pads across its calm surface. Across the water, a dense border of green evergreen trees stretches horizontally along the distant shoreline. In the foreground on the right, large weathered grey rocks anchor the scene, alongside a small leafy green bush and a tall tree with brilliant red and golden autumn foliage catching the sunlight. A thin wispy cloud drifts through the bright blue sky above the treeline.
Colby Marsh viewed from the blue spur trail.

The Sweet Trail strings together a trail through a patchwork of marshland and forest as it heads towards the brackish waters and expansive views over the Great Bay. It runs one way, from Longmarsh Road in Durham to the shore of the bay in Newmarket, so it is not a loop - a fact that trail signs along the route repeatedly like to remind you.

In the early 1970s, shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis planned an oil refinery on Durham Point, complete with a pipeline stretching out to the Isles of Shoals. Local residents organized, and the plan was defeated in 1974. The fight raised the profile of Great Bay, which later became a National Estuarine Research Reserve, and a coalition called the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership has since protected habitat around the bay.
⬤ 4★ Title   9.2 mi out & back, easy, gain 490 ft
GPX File ·  AllTrails ·  Directions GPX?
 P  Free parking  

Today the trail crosses land owned and managed by the Town of Durham, The Nature Conservancy, New Hampshire Fish and Game, and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. Local volunteers built the trail with help from the Appalachian Mountain Club, and it is named for Cy and Bobbie Sweet, longtime supporters of conservation around the bay.

Terrain along the trail is mostly flat and easy to traverse, with only an occasional brief rocky section. Because the route passes through several ownerships, trail markers vary, but the many 'Sweet Trail' white tin squares with a blue arrow are the ones to follow. Along the way you will pass stone walls and old foundations, and several beaver ponds with lodges, dams and chewed trees. Some of the dead pines standing in the water hold heron nests, so bring binoculars if you're so inclined. Interpretive signs on the trail cover the refinery story and tips for spotting wildlife.

A wooden trail sign on the left reads 'SWEET TRAIL' with a white diamond marker pointing left, set against a backdrop of a tranquil marshland under a clear blue sky. The calm marsh water is filled with patches of lily pads and scattered reeds, reflecting the distant tree line adorned with early autumn foliage. Lush grassy vegetation and scattered rocks line the foreground bank, while silhouetted tree branches frame the upper left corner of the composition.
The Sweet Trail is a patchwork of marshland and forest.

At the trail's north end, close to the Longmarsh Road trailhead where most hikers will start their journey along this trail, watch out for the blue signposted arrows on the right. These lead to what is possibly our favorite viewpoint along the trail - a scenic viewpoint across Colby Marsh - one that seems to be overlooked by many hikers on the Sweet Trail.

Further south, the Jeff's Hill Trail cut-off can save you two-thirds of a mile each way, if you want to avoid a meandering section of the Sweet Trail and divert onto this short inclined trail.

The main trailhead is on Longmarsh Road in Durham, with parking on the left just before the gate. Expand our map to see additional parking locations and driving directions links that intersect with the trail along its route.

A hiker wearing a bright red shirt and a dark backpack walks away from the camera along a trail winding through a dense autumn forest. The forest floor is blanketed with fallen golden-brown leaves and moss-covered rocks, dotted with patches of green ferns. Slender tree trunks rise vertically on all sides, filtering bright sunlight that creates a dappled pattern of light and shadow across the woodland scene.
Shaded trail with mostly easy terrain.

A large tree with vibrant orange, yellow, and red autumn leaves extends dramatically across the frame, hanging low over a calm body of water. The brilliant foliage is brilliantly backlit by the sun, creating a warm canopy against a clear blue sky. Below, the intricate branches and colorful leaves cast a striking, detailed reflection onto the clear surface of the water, while a distant treeline borders the far shore.
A reflection of striking fall colors.

A massive, weathered glacial erratic boulder rests on a forest floor blanketed with fallen autumn leaves. The large grey rock features deep cracks and crevices across its rounded surface and is surrounded by a dense woodland of tall, slender trees. Bright sunlight filters through the overhead canopy of branches and green-gold autumn leaves, casting soft light and shadows across the rocky, leaf-strewn ground.
Plenty to see under the forest canopy, including glacial erratics.

A tranquil marshland stretches across the landscape beneath a clear blue sky, its calm waters densely covered with green lily pads and patches of open reflection. In the foreground, two prominent tree trunks stand on the grassy bank, framed by vibrant autumn foliage in shades of orange and yellow overhead. A dense border of evergreen and deciduous trees lines the distant shores of the wetland, with a single tall, slender bare tree rising near the center under the bright sunlight.
More marshland views on the Sweet Trail.

A scenic coastal landscape under a vibrant blue sky features a calm body of water with scattered patches of golden marsh grass and muddy shoals. In the mid-ground, a small, lush island densely covered with green trees sits surrounded by the water, with a low grassy shoreline. The foreground is dominated by a thick expanse of tall, dry brown marsh grass stretching horizontally across the bottom of the frame, with a distant treeline visible along the horizon.
The Sweet Trail ends at the side of the Great Bay.

External links:
The Sweet Trail at The Nature Conservancy

Trailspotting nearby:
4★ Stratham Hill Park (1-5 mi)
3★ Little Harbor Loop (2 mi)
4★ Rockingham Portsmouth Branch Rail Trail (28 mi)
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