Odiorne Point State Park at 334 acres, varies in terrain from dense woodlands and salt marshes to sandy beaches and rocky shores, trails range from single track to wide dirt roads. Views of the Gulf of Maine and the Isles of Shoals, you can spot four lighthouses (Boone Island Lighthouse, Whaleback Light, Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, and Portland Head Light).
The park is also the site of one of the “Sunken Forests of New Hampshire,” an area of petrified tree stumps, once of a forest that sank below sea level 11,000-ish years ago after the end of the Wisconsin Glaciation. The “Drowned Forest” shows the roots of white pine and hemlock coniferous trees, but only visible at some low tides. Miles off the shoreline, fishermen have reported finding mammoth and mastodon teeth among their catch, suggesting the forest was more expansive.
During World War II, the United States government, via eminent domain, condemned and purchased the site to construct Fort Dearborn in 1942. The fort was built primarily to install two 16-inch Mark IIMI guns, housed in reinforced concrete and earth casemates to protect the harbor and nearby Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. These encasements are still intact today with paths leading right up to them.
Fort Dearborn’s military role was brief. By 1948, it was deactivated, its guns dismantled, and the property converted into a radar station for the U.S. Air Force. In 1961, the site was turned over to the state of New Hampshire, with no option offered to the former owners to buy back the land.
With 314 species of birds recorded on eBird, it’s quite the hotspot for birders. Birds photographed during this outing include Hairy Woodpecker, Common Yellowthroat, Gray Catbird, Pine Warbler, White-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Blue Jay, and Double-crested Cormorant.
Odiorne Point State Park facilities include picnic areas, open fields, a playground, restrooms, and a bathhouse. The park also contains the Seacoast Science Center, which features aquariums, touch tanks, whale skeletons, and conducts marine mammal rescue work. There is a $4/person entrance fee (not including the science center) and reservations are available. Expect high visitation during the summer and weekends.
