Peirce Island, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Peirce Island is a great morning trip with the kids! There’s a playground with ocean views right next to a free parking lot, making it so easy with kids!
Getting there and parking
On the maps app the playground is not clearly labeled. If you type in Pierce Island for directions on your phone it will take you far past the playground. After you go through downtown Portsmouth and cross over the bridge onto Pierce Island, continue straight. There is a parking lot on your left but there is also a small parking area directly next to the playground that you can’t miss. I usually park there and it is free parking.
Bathrooms
There are porta-potties in the parking lot near the playground available in the winter. Right near the parking lot is an entrance to Four Tree Island, through a gate and down a walking path. There are seasonal bathrooms there that are open from April-October. It is a bit of a far walk for little legs! So I would suggest bringing a toddler potty in the car!
Picnic table areas
We love picnics! Our picnic blanket is permanently in our car in the summer months. Check out my essentials page for my favorite one! Pierce Island has two separate areas with picnic tables. Four Tree Island (entrance near the parking lot) has so many picnic tables, some with covered structures and some with charcoal grills. You have to bring your own charcoal, lighter fluid and lighter but it’s a beautiful spot to grill!
The other area we mostly go to is the park right near the playground. There’s an easy walking path through a quiet park with picnic tables situated along the water.
Beach area
This is hardly a beach and I can’t really recommend it because I think it is a little dangerous, so be cautious here! To access it it is behind the volleyball court and there’s a small path to the water. There’s cool views of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the cranes, so the kids love that! This is right along the Piscataqua River so I definitely would not let my kids swim in this water, the current is very strong. Of course they like the sand and they love to get dirty, so we go straight home after visiting the beach.
