The Quiet New Hampshire Beach to Find Sea Glass Before Anyone Else Wakes Up

Located in New Hampshire’s Seacoast Region, the Town of Rye, New Hampshire, boasts eight miles of serpentine beaches along the rocky coast of the Atlantic Ocean that together make up the longest such stretch in the state. They have been a prominent seaside vacation destination since the Victorian era, and they are all perfect spots for finding sea glass—my favorite being Sawyers Beach.

Originally private, Sawyers Beach was generously donated to the town of Rye by the Sawyer family in 1952, and today it’s open year-round to the public. This 200-foot stretch of light-colored sand and rocks tends to be a little quieter than some of the larger beaches nearby, perhaps because it lacks public restrooms and food stands. Get there for sunrise, or at least earlier in the morning, and you might be hunting beach glass by yourself; note that from the Saturday before Memorial Day through the Saturday after Labor Day, pets are only allowed on the beach between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m., and not between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. The small parking lot is for permitted Rye residents only, so visitors tend to park alongside Route 1A (a.k.a Ocean Boulevard).

Rye’s rocky coastline is truly ideal for discovering sea glass, as the rocks swirling in the tides wear the glass smooth faster than pure-sand beaches. Sawyers Beach is a hot spot for green, blue, clear, and brown pieces of sea glass. Listen to the waves crashing in and enjoy hunting for these well-worn treasures. I also enjoy watching the surfers in the area stretching north from the Beach Club. If you wish to extend your sea glass hunt, you can simply walk south onto 0.2-mile Philbrick’s Beach, which is also rocky and therefore a haven for sea glass discoveries.

From Philbrick’s Beach, you can walk a smidge more than 0.5 miles north up to Jenness State Beach, the most popular beach in Rye. You can, of course, drive, but be advised that there are only 67 metered parking spots for the beach, and they have an hourly fee of $1-$3 between April 1 and October 31 (parking is free November 1 through March 31, when it’s one of the state’s many hotspots for birding). I like to walk and peek at the Philbricks by the Sea cottages, run by 12th- and 13th-generation descendants of the area’s founding Philbricks family. Jenness has a bathhouse and picnic area, but it’s not known for producing a notable amount of sea glass.

After a few hours of sea glass hunting, I like to flex my far-sighted muscles with a bit of local sightseeing. As a lighthouse enthusiast, I tend to take the 20-minute drive up to the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse; if you plan far enough in advance, you can join their Summer Picnic or one of the Sunset Lighthouse Cruises.

Before the lighthouse, there’s also Odiorne State Park with the easy, 2.8-mile Odiorne Loop Trail and the very family-friendly Seacoast Science Center. Another sightseeing option is walking the 1.35-mile boardwalk of Hampton Beach, about a 20-minute drive south of Jenness, to check out the shops, restaurants, and live entertainment during the busier summer months.

Looking for a classic East Coast summer getaway destination with great beach glass hunting? Save this article to be sure Sawyers Beach in Rye, New Hampshire, makes it onto your itinerary.