Great Bay
0+

Acres Covered

0

Bird, Fish, and Plant Species

0+

Square Miles Drain To The Bay

0

Communities Connected

Seven rivers meet the sea on Great Bay. Twice a day, the tides carry the salty waters of the Gulf of Maine 15 miles inland. While this geographic configuration has earned it the nickname “New Hampshire’s hidden coast,” the bay’s waters are fed by tidal rivers that extend far to the north and west. On Great Bay’s “cross-grained and wily waters,” there are countless places to explore and things to learn.

Credit: Tim Briggs/NH Sea Grant

The Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve offers many opportunities to explore, protect, and learn about the bay.

Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve logo

WHO LIVES ALONG GREAT BAY?

With its wide diversity of habitats, the Great Bay watershed is home to many native animals, fish, plants, and trees.

Osprey
Osprey can be found around Great Bay
Osprey are among several birds you might spot on Great Bay. You can watch ospreys in real time on the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve's osprey cam.
Seals
Seals can be found around Great Bay
Credit: NPS / Kaitlin Thoresen
A common sight on the coast, harbor seals often also travel into Great Bay and up tidal rivers.
Snapping turtles
Snapping turtles can be found around Great Bay
Credit: Shapiro S
If you stop to help a snapping turtle cross the road, move it toward the direction it was headed. Just don't lift it by the tail, you could both get hurt! (A shovel can help.)
Eelgrass
Eelgrass can be found around Great Bay
Credit: Tim Briggs/NH Sea Grant
Unlike saltmarshes, seagrasses are not the darlings of landscape artists, but these ecosystem allstarshelp keep water clean, support local fisheries, and help control erosion. You can visit the eelgrass exhibit at the Great Bay Reserve.
Autumn meadowhawk dragonflies
Autumn meadowhawk dragonflies can be found around Great Bay
Credit: NPS/Jennifer Conrad
Autumn meadowhawk dragonflies are the first dragonflies to be seen in the spring along the boardwalk at the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Lobsters
Lobsters can be found around Great Bay
Credit: The Wells Reserve
The lobsters we love to eat rely on clean waters and healthy habitats in Great Bay.

Show your love and help protect Great Bay...

There's a lot to love about Great Bay. You can help protect it and all the benefits it provides.

Explore Great Bay

Turn on toggles below to show activities around the map and click the map markers to learn about a location's amenities, accessibility, and more.

Activities

Amenities