Sweet Trail is a 8 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Durham, New Hampshire that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Four miles long from Longmarsh Road in Durham to the Great Bay Estuary in Newmarket, the Sweet Trail leads hikers by a remarkable array of upland forests, freshwater wetlands and tidal salt marsh. The Sweet Trail winds its way from second generation forests to Great Bay, a unique estuarine ecosystem of local, regional, and national significance. The estuary provides a rich aquatic habitat that supports more than 150 rare plant and animal species, and 55 exemplary natural communities.
There are two additional parking areas near the handicap accessible portion of the trail. They are located off of Rt 108 on Dame Rd and Bay Rd respectively. Please see brochure for more information.
For more information please visit the Great Bay Resource Protection Partnership at www. greatbaypartnership.org or contact The Nature Conservancys Great Bay Office at 603.659.2678, x 12.
From downtown Durham, take route 108 south toward Newmarket for approximately 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Longmarsh Road. The trailhead is located 2 miles down the road with parking on the left side just before the gate.
February 24, 2021February 20, 2021Well marked trail with not much elevation gain, but lots of great forest views. Trail is packed nicely and you can use spikes or snowshoes. Not many people on the trail either. Great way to spend an afternoon!
February 14, 2021microspikes the whole time. mostly packed trail.
February 8, 2021Trail was moderately packed down and easily used with or without snowshoes/micros. First time on this local trail and it’s our new fav!
February 7, 2021Great trail! Family and pet friendly! Very well marked! Went 2 days in a row!!!
February 5, 2021January 31, 2021January 11, 2021Trail was very welled marked We did yellow and blue. About 4 mile loop was nice
January 9, 2021January 3, 2021Trail is clearly marked. Parking at the start of the trail is limited (where all trails brings you). There’s a larger parking lot midway.
December 30, 2020Very well maintained and marked trail. With the in-out need to travel the whole trail, you’ll go 8+ miles (plus any extra loops you take). Hiking poles were valuable on the trail as were face masks (the trail can be relatively busy here and there). It wasn’t clear if hunting was allowed in all places, and may hikers had orange or bright colors on. A mix of hikers, photographers, dog walkers, and bikers were on the path. With the holiday season, many family groups were also on the trail (as some is relatively flat and easy to travel).. Most of the trail is through the woods with lots of pond and bay views along the way. There are 3 parking lots servicing the 4 miles of trails (one on Longmarsh Road at trail start as shown on All Trails. One on Dume Road (mid-way) and another on Bay Road (near the bay end point). You can get to the last 2 parking lots by turning off Rt 108 in Newmarket NH. Each lot holds about 5-6 cars. Mid way you will need to travel about .3 to .5miles on Dume road. The trail is so well marked that the markers were even placed on the road trees to verify you were going the right way. Due to shorter days, we actually ran out of time to do all 8 miles at once. So we returned a second day, parked in the middle lot, and completed the path to the bay. There weren’t many benches to rest and have a picnic (other than mid-way and at the bay). But there are plenty of rocks with pond views off the trail to make you own place. All in all, a nice peaceful and nicely wooded trail that is very well marked and with the multiple lots and loops allow you to make as long as a trail as you like. Would come back again, maybe when the days are longer and completing all 8 miles could be done in one day with time to start late, and have a picnic near a sunny bay.
November 27, 2020Sweet trail is longer than it appears on the map. It feels like you’re walking through Woodland for longer than 4 miles. But overall it is well-maintained and lots of beaver dams to check out
November 23, 2020I'm able to walk there from my house since a recent move. Could not have been given a better backyard
November 21, 2020Nice trails. parking lot small
November 20, 2020November 14, 2020it was a nice trail easy to walk and pretty well maintained nice boardwalks along the marsh and ponds that have some huge beaver dams that you walk behind like a wall! it's a fun trail and close to nearby towns!
November 8, 2020Beautiful trail. Minimal hiker traffic. Easy to follow.
October 25, 2020October 24, 2020Took a side trail to check out the beavers. Beautiful place to see.
October 18, 2020Very pretty in the fall
October 18, 2020October 10, 2020The trail was generally easy with some rocky inclines around trees and boulders
October 8, 2020We went on parts of two different trails. The highlight was by the beaver dam where a juvenile eagle was perched . Spent a long time watching him, beautiful!
October 4, 2020Great hike on a beautiful October day!
October 4, 2020beautiful no bugs.
October 4, 2020Beautiful day!
October 3, 2020September 24, 2020Beautiful Sunny warm September day with no bugs and a hint of foliage. The granite stone walls took me back in time and I appreciate the farmers who built those walls. Awesome view of marshlands.
September 23, 2020Great time today. Beautiful sights and sounds. No bugs!
September 21, 2020The perfect name for this trail. It really is a sweet trail, that I liken to a lovely walk in the woods. Went in late September and not a bug was to be buzzing. Parked at long marsh rd and brought my 3 dogs. The trail was well marked and easy to follow except one part, about 2 miles in where it seems like the trail ends up on a dirt Rd. Didn’t know whether to go right or left to pick it back up (go left) and you can easily find the remainder of the 2 mile trail out. Nothing too hard here, so a great hike for almost anyone (however long you decide to go). Lots of change in scenery and overall an enjoyable place to go.
