Outdoor Recreation
Dover’s climate captures the full spectrum of four seasons. However, its proximity to the ocean tempers both the summer heat and winter cold.
The greater Dover area features magnificent parks, trails, towers, views, hikes, and access to the water and has more than 150 acres of richly equipped parklands, three rivers, a 73-acre pond, and a year-round program of activities and events.
Rising to a 298-foot elevation overlooking Dover, the Garrison Hill Park and Tower has provided visitors and residents alike with a bird’s eye view of Dover and its surrounding communities for more than 100 years. The park’s facilities include colorful climbing equipment for children, a covered picnic pavilion, and an observation tower.
From the tower, a replica of the original 1913 structure, visitors can enjoy breathtaking, panoramic views from the White Mountains to the Isles of Shoals five miles out into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Cochecho, Bellamy, Piscataqua, and Salmon Falls rivers run through and around Dover, offering both scenic vistas and recreational opportunities. For visitors who are approaching Dover by boat, head straight up the Cochecho River to downtown Dover and dock at George’s Marina, a full-service marina that includes dock slips, a nearby restaurant, and service and repair of all types of craft.
Don’t have a boat of your own? Hop aboard the Cochecho Traveler, Cochecho River Tours and Cruises’ 25-foot party pontoon boat. Based at George’s Marina, Cochecho River Tours and Cruises offers daily tours of the Cochecho and Piscataqua rivers and Great Bay, plus chartered cruises by appointment.
Too tame for your taste? Call Portsmouth Rent and Ride for a guided—or unguided—kayak tour of the Cochecho and other rivers. The company also provides rentals and guided tours by bike, snowshoe, cross-country skis, and cross skates. You’ll even find a state-of-the-art skate park right in downtown Dover for inline hockey, rollerblading, and skateboarding.
Sports enthusiasts of all ages enjoy Dover’s many parks. Hilton Park is a beautiful historic state park on the Piscataqua River, offering a playground, picnic area, dock for fishing, boat launch, and grills. Visitors to the Willand Pond Recreation Area can enjoy the 73-acre pond in all seasons. A trail takes foot travelers along the pond’s northeastern shore, and the pond is ideal for fishing and boating in the spring through fall and ice skating and ice fishing in the winter.
Visitors travel from far and wide to walk, snowshoe, and cross-country ski through Dover’s natural areas. Bellamy Park (on Bellamy Road) features magnificent woodlands, grassy open spaces, wooded trails, spectacular views along the picturesque Bellamy River, and a first-class disc golf course. The Bellamy Wildlife Management Area (on Old Garrison Road) is a hunter’s paradise teeming with wildlife and an extensive network of trails that cross both field and forest to wind along the shores of the Bellamy River. The nearby Bellamy Wildlife Sanctuary (off Bay View Road) is a haven for many creatures, including several endangered birds species. A one-mile, looping path takes walkers along the shores of the Bellamy River.
Visitors also can enjoy the newest addition to the Dover Park system: Cochecho Park is located off Sixth Street along the Cochecho River. This 20-acre protected area offers a network of trails for walking and winter sporting activities.
More walking and running trails can be found on the grounds of the Strafford County Farm, located in the rural northwest corner of the city. Both the Bluebird Trail and Cathy Shiro O’Brien Cross-Country Trail, named for the native Dover Olympian, follow the edge of the Cochecho River. Both trails lead past the historic marker commemorating the site of the old asylum, the burning of which triggered the passage of landmark legislation to protect the rights of the infirm.
(Stop by the Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce to pick up the latest Walking Guide of Strafford County, a free brochure of the Heart Healthy Task Force that details trails for hiking, biking, snow shoeing, and dog-walking.)
Golfers marvel at the New Hampshire golf scene. The Cochecho Country Club, a magnificent 18-hole private course, is just two miles from downtown Dover. The Links at Outlook public golf course in nearby South Berwick, Maine, offers 18 championship holes built in the Scottish tradition. The Sunningdale Golf Club is another charming public course and is located in Somersworth, as is The Oaks Golf Links.
For outdoor enthusiasts planning to spend some time in the area, the Old Stage Campground accommodates tents, trailers, and RVs with three-way hookups. Ayer’s Lake Farm Campground and Cottages offers waterfront and wooded RV and tent sites. Canoe rentals are available on site.
