New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway celebration a major leap for East Coast Greenway in New England

The East Coast Greenway Alliance is set to celebrate a significant advancement in New England's greenway development with the official opening of a 7.8-mile segment of the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Wednesday, September 4, at 4 PM at Portsmouth Skate Park (305 Greenland Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801).

This new segment marks a major step forward for New Hampshire’s portion of the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile non-motorized, multi-use trail connecting communities from Maine to Florida. The New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway is a transformative addition to the broader effort of connecting major cities, small towns and natural areas along the Eastern Seaboard.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony will feature East Coast Greenway Alliance Executive Director Dennis Markatos-Soriano alongside New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas and other local and regional officials and trail supporters. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the new trail through group bike rides or walks or at their own pace.

With this opening, New Hampshire has achieved more than 50 percent completion of its portion of the East Coast Greenway, moving from last place to a top-eight ranking among states in terms of trail completion percentage. The full New Hampshire route of the Greenway is expected to be completed within the next decade.

This progress is part of broader momentum for the East Coast Greenway in New England. The new segment is a key link in the development of a 150-mile stretch connecting Portland, Maine, to Boston - and the nearly complete 250-mile segment from Boston to New Haven, Connecticut.

The New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway has been a collaborative effort since planning began in 2007, led by the Rockingham Planning Commission and the nonprofit New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway Alliance. Key partners include the seven corridor communities of Portsmouth, Greenland, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton, Hampton Falls and Seabrook; the New Hampshire Department of Transportation; chambers of commerce; the National Park Service; the East Coast Greenway Alliance; trail groups in neighboring states; the University of New Hampshire; and many dedicated volunteers.

The completed Phase 1 of the Seacoast Greenway stretches from Portsmouth through North Hampton, establishing a critical connection to Maine. Meanwhile, feasibility studies are underway for extending the Eastern Trail’s connectivity from Kittery to North Berwick in Maine.

South of the newly opened segment, another 1.6-mile trail segment through Hampton is currently in the design phase, with construction expected in the coming years. Additionally, the proposed 2.3-mile Hampton Marsh section, which will connect Drakeside Road in Hampton to the Hampton Falls/Seabrook town line, received a $1.4 million RAISE Grant this spring to advance its planning and design.

The final 2.3 miles of the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway, which will connect through Seabrook to the completed Salisbury Rail Trail in Massachusetts, is slated for construction in 2030.

With projects advancing across Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, the East Coast Greenway continues to make strides toward its goal of a fully connected, safe and accessible trail network along the Eastern Seaboard.

Planning to attend the ribbon cutting? Parking at the Portsmouth Skate Park is limited, but overflow parking is available at the Portsmouth Plains Ballfield and Playground, as well as a small park-and-ride lot at 533 Greenland Road. Attendees are encouraged to bike to the event using the trail.