The West Warwick Greenway is part of the RI Rail Trail/Trestle Trail, the Washington Secondary Bike…read morePath and the East Coast Greenway. All at the same time. Parking to enter the trail at this location is behind Horgan Elementary School, near the public tennis courts and skate park. There is also a red caboose to the east of the parking lot that you can explore. A homage to the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad that once ran along this pathway. Walking or riding to the south and west, the trail leads toward the Coventry Greenway which is often tree covered, passes a couple of ponds, crosses bridges, runs near two historic homes you can tour, at least two cemeteries and a conservation area. This trail ends about six miles before the CT State line in Coventry, RI. Heading to the north and east, leads to downtown West Warwick and offers a more urban excursion. The path often follows the road in this area, crosses some busy streets and is a nice way to access downtown businesses and government offices. Ultimately the north/east direction will lead you into Cranston and further on into downtown Providence. The entire pathway is paved making it an excellent outing for wheelchairs (motorized or otherwise), strollers, walkers, bikes and pedestrians alike. Walk on the left, ride on the right. If you bring your pup, keep it on a leash and take home any 'gifts' they make. There are normally no facilities along the route, but from time to time you will find a port-a-john in a parking area or stop in one of the businesses to buy an ice cream or pop and use their restroom. There are benches placed along the route at uneven intervals and from time to time you'll see old train tracks, a platform, switches and telegraph poles still visible next to the trail. The trails are well maintained with fence repair work and rain mitigation ongoing. The pathways are not cleared of snow and ice and may be closed if the weather has been inclement.

I run through this small river walk to add some scenery to my jogs around the neighborhood. I'll…read moreopt to take this- maybe 500 foot long pathway as opposed to the street. This is certainly not a hiking trail or anything worth driving out of the way for. If you find yourself for whatever reason strolling through the area it is not far out of the way for a quick walk.

Railroads rivers and…read moreivy The Phenix-Harris River Walk is a hiking and biking path that was constructed along an old rail road bed. It follows the Pawtuxet River and eventually will be connected to other short hiking trails to form a much longer one. The walk is short and flat, probably only a little more than a half mile but hopefully one day will be much longer when it is connected to the other paths. It's a pleasant little walk in the winter and is a decent place for some easy cross country skiing. It the spring and summer the bugs are quite bad and the path is infested with some very healthy poison ivy. You definitely have to be careful where you step. Certainly not the most exciting path but at least the Pawtuxet River does seem to be cleaner than it was a decade ago. Once the walk is connected to a few other paths in the area it will be an interesting walk along a river right in the middle of a congested and developed urban area.

At the north end of Hope Village lies the Trott-Perry Land Preserve, a beautiful greenspace open to…read morethe public. Managed by Hope Associates, Inc., this land includes nature trails, access to the Pawtuxet River, and a baseball field. The parcel was acquired in the 1990s by Drs. Raymond H. Trott and Thomas Perry. Look carefully as you drive through town and you will find North Doctor's Lane. There is a large parking area for Doctor's Field where the trailhead begins. I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the rolling landscape. At approximately 3/4 of a mile, the red-blazed trail packs a punch with groves of oak, maple, cedar, pine, birch, sassafras and so much more! I saw a number of white-tailed deer and birds during my time here. There is a rope swing set up at the eastern bank of the Pawtuxet. A peaceful jaunt through the woods. Worth checking out if you are in the area!

This is one of those unsung RI landmarks. Way back when, there was brief talk of the new Patriots…read morestadium being built here. But alas, it's remained just a place to sled in the winter and walk around during the rest of the year. Really, not formal parking, just a handful of spots in a couple of openings. But it's a nice little getaway nonetheless.

I did not know the State of Rhode Island has it's very own Desert! Seriously, we have lived here…read morefor over a decade and I am just now finding this out? I have tried to locate exactly who is responsible for this land, checking with both the town West Greenwich town website, and the State of Rhode Island website, neither of which identifies itself as the care taker so I am unable to provide a web address for more information. That said, this place just wowed me. We lived in the actual desert at one time (AZ) and this spot is more like the dunes in SoCal than the high desert of Tucson. It's a bunch of sandy dunes undulating under the blue sky. Surrounded by woodlands, it's hidden from the road. A quick look up on the satellite map shows this is a spot for winter sledding. Sorry I missed that as a kid. First off, there are two locations: one is located on the north side of Division Street nestled between Division and Rt 95. The other is on the south side of Division Street, listed as the West Greenwich Sand Dunes. While exploring this area one bight autumn day, we came across a group of military personnel, practicing their 'jumping out of helicopter' skills. That was a very good time and there were quite a few people who brought their lawn chairs to enjoy the show, camera's in hand. We wandered around as best we could, trying to stay out of the way of the jumpers (they had targets on the ground they were supposed to land near, so this was pretty easy to do) and have returned again and again to explore more of this area and the surrounding Big River Management area woodlands. I'm sure this desert is part of said Big River Mgmt area of which you can easily find hiking information on line. The general area is popular with hikers, walkers, bikers and runners. Seriously, if you are a fan of the desert, are new to RI, or just never knew there was such a thing in this state, you have got to stop by some fine day and take a walk around. It's like being at the beach, minus the water.

Trail was a little overgrown when I went, so I couldn't get to deep, but the scenery is great, and…read morewhen I was a kid it was a great fishing spot, although I don't know if they still stock it.

Hard to believe that this gorgeous little trail exists right on the outskirts of East Greenwich…read morevillage! It's a well-kept secret (at least to me, who has lived here for 25 years) and a true hidden gem. The trailhead is located at the back of the St Patrick's cemetery and is marked by the East Greenwich Land Trust. The trail is very peaceful (notwithstanding the cemetery ...) and goes straight to Bleachery Pond and the associated dam. We visited the morning after a rainstorm and it was spectacular! There's a trail to the left that will follow the Maskerchugg River and skirt what I think are some remnants of an old mill along its banks. It's a little overgrown but a nice hike and you are serenaded by the gurgling of the stream along the way. The trail will come to an end as marked by a small bench - but for those brave enough, one could conceivably swing across using an overhead rope that someone rigged (we did not ... !). Well worth a visit to decompress from city (er, village?) life!

Such a beautiful trail. I stumbled upon this one day when I was in the area and wanted to explore…read more It was very busy that day, I love when people get out into nature. Nice sized parking lot that is on rocks for sure. They used to have tons of bird houses but they're gone now- not sure why. But it's very cool under the trees a nice breeze, and so many areas where you can overlook water. Be cautious though, every trail I've ever done has different color marked trails for some odd reason this has 2 trails and they're both marked yellow which can cause for serious confusion. I didn't like this at all because if we weren't paying attention we could've ended up not following the path we entered. I'm not a use my phone type of person for a trail map, I simply want to enjoy my time use the tree cues and go about my walk. It's very clean, you run into all types of people here, families, fur babies, I even ran into a lady who had goats one time it was pretty cool. There is also from what I'm told a swan that practically owns this water, I was told it's been there for years. Very beautiful swan might I say. There's 2 water overlooks one is to the right when you pretty much first walk in, go to the right of the path, they have a bench to overlook but this is more like just a bunch of Lilly pads still pretty. But if you go much longer and stay pretty much to your right you will end up by the water and a big rock you can sit on, just be careful not to fall in. They also if you keep going ( it's hard to explain which "path" to take because as I said they're both yellow, who did this and why), but there is a buddy bridge which is so cute to honor pets who have passed. All in all I liked the trail just pay attention to what you're doing. I been twice and never went all the way, as the two yellow trails are confusing and I'm not that adventurous to get lost. Happy hiking!

I'm not exactly a nature lover or an outdoorsman but I've gradually developed a liking to the…read moreoccasional secluded walk. This is a quality spot. Of the trails I have been to, this was probably the clearest. Some wooden planks across the muddy/water areas to. There are multiple branches to the path but everything is clearly labeled.

Small trail behind the high school. Good for beginers and a quick stroll, but can get old fast for…read moreexperienced people. Have spotted a couple deer, but otherwise not really any wildlife. Beginning runs right next to Rt4 so its also not very quiet. Plenty of trail markers and a couple hills, you could do worse for a quick stroll.

Follow cleared trails through sunny and shaded areas. Located through parking lot of school…read more Limited people using trails. Good for walking or biking, taking your canine for a stroll.

Beautiful, large park with many different sections. A great boardwalk by the narrow beach. A…read morewonderful place to take dogs, lots of benches to take rests, and an ample parking lot whose potholes were recently fixed, yay! Sometimes it's hard to find out what part of the park you're meant to meet someone in since there are so many sections. You can walk along the long beach or try a woodsy hiking trail. The trails on the right of the beach have either steps or a gradual slope to get up to the top of them, and you can look down over a small cliff to see the water below. The trails on the left of the gazebo are beautiful and give you many options, but people ride horses here, so be mindful of the droppings! This park has fantastic sunsets and multiple picnic areas, plus multi Porta potties that are usually in decent condition to use if needed. The bridge is great to look at, but can get crowded with families doing holiday photo shoots in the fall, so I've become wary of coming here since being stuck on one side of the bridge while a family made us wait to cross until they were done with pictures (ugh). I've come here for walks/hikes and even to wade at multiple times of year and always enjoy a beautiful day and peaceful experience here.

What a great state park. Great trails to take your dogs on. Horseback riding is so fun. They have…read moresuch a big area you can do picnics you can just do a nice walk. There is a small beach not to be like oh my God this is amazing, but it's still a great place to spend the day.

Big River Management Area, is a Big Area! We have been on several of their trails, parking in a…read morevairety of places. It's a diverse area and one of our 'go to' spots for getting into nature. Our past few hikes have been around Carr Pond. We drive down Division Street, to Carr Pond Road, and park street side. There are a couple of parking lots, both before Carr Pond Road, and after. Just depends on how long you want your hike to last, and where you want to walk. There are DEM signs posted on a tree and obvious signs that cars have been parking in this particular spot on Carr Pond Road. The hike around the pond has taken just over 3 miles to well over 4.5 miles. We usually wander through the interconnecting trails as the mood strikes us. It is important, when taking a walk quite this long, that you DO bring a bottle or two of water per person. You will also appreciate bug spray. I have forgotten the bug spray, and although definitely 'do-able', not quite as enjoyable. This particular summer, we have had a lot of rain and mushrooms are everywhere along the trail. A few large puddles have developed along the trail that are full of small toads (I just love these cute little critters). The trails are very well maintained for the most part and it is easy to walk 'around' these low lying areas. A few less travelled paths are a bit over grown, but nothing that isn't easily navigable. The pond itself is large with a variety of areas where you can picnic (bug spray), meditate and just enjoy the serenity of the pond. There are also a number of old building foundations, dams, rock walls and a historical cemetary. We use a phone app to track our hikes as we do tend to wander and it's a good way to see when we are close to our pathway out. After a few visits, you begin to recognize where you are but the first couple of trips can be questionable. The change is altitude is minimal with a couple of paths that have a good 'up grade' (or down grade as the case may be). You do need quality footware here as the paths are a variety of gravelly, rocky, roots and dirt. It change from one type to another on any of the individual paths. The trails are color coded if you want to stick to just one. The path width can also chagee dramatically from four person wide to barely one person wide on any given trail. It's best to be prepared for all possibilities. Most of the path around Carr pond is in shade but if you wander into other areas of the BIg River Management Area, you may be in full sun for most of the walk, so plan to wear a hat, bring sunscreen, have water and maybe a snack. Most of all, Have Fun!

Roomy and extensive trails that will loop you around two bodies of water - Carrs Pond and Tarbox…read morePond - but also many side trails that crisscross and branch off the main ones. If you're new to this preserve - as we were - better download the AllTrails app onto your smartphone as unfortunately, trail blazes are virtually non-existent and there's no map posted at the trailhead. But it is nice making your way to the two lily-covered ponds, though viewing them in the height of summer is tough with all the leaves and undergrowth. We intend to visit again in the fall (when the colors should be spectacular!) and early winter.

The Trestle Trail, a section of the Washington Secondary Trail, is a wooded section of 'bike path'…read morethat connects the western end of the Coventry Greenway to the Moosup Valley Trail in CT. It follows an abandoned rail corridor and is part of the East Coast Greenway project which will ultimately link 25 urban cities between Maine and Florida. Well, that sounds like a challenge. We were able to visit on a beautiful autumn afternoon. There were lots of people out enjoying the day. Dog walkers (remember to bring your doggie poop bag to pick up after them please!) bike riders, folks on rollerblades, families, couples. This seems to be a popular outing location. There is a parking spot at 210 Flat River Road, and another, closer to CT, at 51 Hill Farm Road. The trail is paved, with the usual policy of walk on the left, ride on the right meaning you can see the bikes approaching you and get off the road for them to pass if there is no room to go around you. There is also a horse trail running along the sides in this section. From the lot on Hill Farm Road, following the path toward CT, you pass a large pond with small waterfall (which you can hear, but not see as it flows away from the path), then becomes wooded along both sides for quite a while. It does cross over or under a couple of roadways and a few houses but for the most part is a nice walk in the woods. Heading back toward Coventry/Warwick from this same parking lot, the path leads through more populated areas passing behind businesses and homes, although still wooded on one or both sides for a fair amount of time, passing by a camp ground and another lake. There are a couple more places to park along the Washington Secondary Trail path that are closer to town, including near the Coventry Library and behind the Paine House museum on Station Street. This link makes a nice way to commute on your bike within town and a lovely outing for family or place to get in your steps.