This is a beautiful park! I love how many options there are for playground climbing equipment. The…read morestage is really cool as well. It's particularly beautiful in the fall!

This is a really good local playground. Everything is cared for and well maintained. Highly…read morerecommended!

We stopped by mid-April for the Daffodil display and Parsons Preserve. Seems at some point in the…read more50's someone had the idea to plant a few flower bulbs...and today those bulbs have spread over an acre and a half. It's just lovely. The DNRT request a five dollar donation to view the daffodils. DNRT has several parcels of land in the area with hiking rails. Each trail we have visited has boardwalks over wet areas and are clearly blazed. Maps of the trails are in the parking areas of some of the locations along with information about ticks and other information you may need. Trails are well cleared, usually single wide with roots and rocks throughout. Definitely check out their website to see the many properties they have available for us all to enjoy.

This organization has so many beautiful properties for hiking and exploring. Many of them are dog…read morefriendly which is wonderful. I love the trails in the fall. I love the daffodils in the spring. They are so picturesque. Their staff and volunteers that are on certain sites are wonderful. I'm thankful to live in a place that has such trails and preserves.

I love coming in the fall it's so quiet and peaceful here …read more It's a nice long walk around the island. Wish the observation towers would be repaired. We saw deer running around. Many places on the island and nearby to take amazing pictures.

Gooseberry Island is a wonderful outdoor location full of history and the splendors of nature in…read morecoastal New England. I have been here twice; once for the beach and a second time for island hiking. The island is accessible by a man-made causeway connecting the mainland and the island over a sandbar that was used back in the day to originally gain entrance to this small piece of land. The island has a small beach with softer sand perfect for lounging around, catching some rays. The water is free from much seaweed and is great for small children as there are not many waves that come crashing into shore in this section adjacent to the parking lot. The lot fills up quickly in the summer months and it is recommended to get there early if you don't want to fight long and hard for a space to pull into. The rest of the shore is quite rocky but makes for some great shell and interesting rock finds. The remainder of the island is covered with thick, thorny brush. There is a main path that allows for hiking throughout the island. Of priority interest on the island is its history as a coastal defense installation; still seen today are a pair of WWII towers used for large artillery. Apparently there are other underground bunkers as well but they are mostly hidden by brush these days. Unfortunately, these structures are now covered in graffiti. It is very interesting to discover the history of this island's recent past. The island is open sunrise to sunset in the summer. Port-a-Johns are available for hikers and beach-goers... they are kinda disgusting (as most are) and never seem to have toilet paper so plan accordingly. Dogs are permitted on leashes. There is a boat launch available... I watched a couple people unload jet skis into the water during my time here most recently. Best of all... its free! If you're out early, pass by the parking fees at Horseneck beach and travel a bit farther down the road to visit this location!

Great place for a walk in the woods with the dog! Not a ton of parking available, maybe up to 8…read morecars, but there was only one other car there when I arrived around 10am. Convinient composting toilet at the start of the trail. The trail was incredibly well marked and well cleared. The Girl Scout Beach was lovely, I could imagine a nice swim there once it warms up a bit. I was also impressed with how little trash was on the trait. Nice job TNC!

My last stop of the day. Small parking off of Boston Neck Road. Easy to follow path, a little…read moreovergrown in parts, but a nice leisurely trip. Encountered a couple of hunters along the way, so make sure you're wearing your orange during the fall-spring. An added bonus is the bathroom at the beginning of the trail. The entire trail should take you about an hour and half.

New Bedford may not be on too many people's lists of places they must visit when in Massachusetts,…read morebut we like the town a lot. And no trip to New Bedford would be complete without a drive down to the waterfront where the heart of the town's fishing history, now spanning 3 centuries, lives. It's down by the commercial fishing piers where you'll find the Coast Guard park. Although it's a "pocket" park in size it's worth the stop to pay one's respects at the Lightship Sailors Memorial. A lightship is an anchored vessel affixed with a light that acts a warning beacon and a guide to ships at sea. Essentially, it's a ship that acts as a lighthouse. The Vineyard Lightship sank in the Hurricane of 1944 and all 12 men aboard perished one mile west of Cuttyhunk. The men aboard were fighting 100 mile winds and 20 foot seas that night and although they sent messages ashore to the Woods Hold Coast Guard station, those messages were filled with static and misunderstood, leaving potential rescuers to erroneously believe the sailors were successfully riding out the storm. This Coast Guard Memorial honors the service of all lightship sailors, but it's the names of the Vineyard Lightship men that are etched on the side of the granite memorial. Atop the memorial sits the fog bell from the Vineyard Lightship. After this moving bit of history, take a walk down the piers to take in the amazing display of fishing boats. It's these boats in particular that the lightships aim to guide. If you want to talk about a tough day at work, being a lobsterman, scalloper or shrimper would make most other complaints seem meager. These working boats are a sight to behold. They are incredible structures but nothing fancy about them. It's all work. Up close you can see the machinery and conditions in which these tough and scrappy fisherman work. I know there is a lot of controversy over the commercial fishing industry from both sides. Nonetheless, these men and women are doing a job that for those of us who eat seafood, puts food we love on the table. I try to think of these boats and fishermen whenever I sit down to a seafood meal. A trip to the New Bedford Harbor and the Coast Guard Park helps put the lives of both fishermen and Lightship sailors, so inextricably entwined, in perspective.

A really nice park to just relax. Maybe it was the time of year I went but the weather was awesome…read moreand the trees were just turning color. Windy and cool out during October. I almost fell asleep !! Tip - plenty of inexpensive parking in the parking garage a block away.

One of the prettiest, smoothest, easiest and most accessible bike paths if you live in northeast RI…read moreor nearby MA border towns. The bikeway (approx. 20 miles) runs from Woonsocket, through Cumberland into Lincoln along the Blackstone River through lots of greenery and passing by bridges, dams, old mill buildings and historic sites. Of course, there are plenty of ways to do shorter rides/runs/walks. My riding buddies and I especially enjoy getting on at Albion Street in Cumberland (limited parking though!) and riding towards Ashton Mill (Cumberland) and into Lincoln for either a 10- or 12-mile spin, depending on where we decide to turn back. We also like the stretch from Woonsocket to Albion (about 9 miles back and forth) that starts out by taking us by sunny soccer fields in The River's Edge Recreation area. No matter where you get on, the terrain is mainly flat and it's easy to keep a steady pace.Be on the lookout for turtles sunning themselves on fallen trees in the river as well as occasional deer. And expect plenty of friendly waves and nods from walkers, runners and bikers on your journey. The Lincoln and Woonsocket ends offer ample parking.

The Blackstone River Park put on a historic tour with an NPS guide, so my review is more for that…read morethan for the bike path. There is a parking lot at the Wilber House (open seasonally) and the guide described and showed the site of the original mill off of the river canal and then walked us over the multistate bridge to the Ashton Mill and pointed out the smokestacks of the factory-turned-lofts and the old residence of the factory workers. If possible, you should check park events because it gave some great local history of the site. It sounds like they have some tours on weekdays and weekends. If not on a tour, there are some informational signs but not much to look at and wouldn't take more than 10 minutes to read the signs. The interaction was definitely a great additional to learning about the site.

Yellow headed demons…read more Wilbour Woods is lovely area that has miles of trails that wander through a heavily wooded area of Little Compton. Used all year long and is especially popular with mountain bikes but is also nice for easy hiking and snow shoeing. A very nice place, however...... When we went hiking here after a especially rainy part of August the biting flies were just so bad that we had to run back to the car with a cloud of horrible flies chasing us. Even when we got in the car the flies were landing on the windows, desperate to get at us. I've seen a whole lot of biting six legged creatures lusting after my blood but nothing quiet as bad as this. Like something out of a bad horror movie. The flies are variously known as deer flies, green flies. or yellow head flies. Doesn't matter what you call them, they love the salt marshes in New England and quite literally take chunks of flesh out of your body. This is a lovely place and it is said that stones placed by the local native Awashonks are visible in the woods. Lots of cool old trees, ferns and stone walls, it does look like a wonderful place for a winter or late fall hike. For now it is just about impossible to go into these woods, unless you happen to enjoy being ripped about by aggressive flies. DEET or any other possible insect repellent is totally useless against these aggressive and blood thirsty little demons. A lovely place best left to the yellow heads until the first frost.

This beautiful area is pet friendly unlike most of the hiking trails around here…read more However Please - LEASH your dogs!!! For the safety of both fur babies and humans alike. It isn't fair to others to allow your off-leash dog to interrupt their activity and it's rude to do so without first asking. Not only will keeping your dog under control create more peaceful encounters on the trail, it will also avoid unnecessary stress and potential altercations between dogs. Have encountered a ton of out of control dogs off leash coming after other pets and people so please just be vigilant & mindful if you plan on coming here. off leash but well behaved that is fine- not a problem. As for the ladies today who had a german shepard and bird dog who kept trying to literally maul my husband and I and our little guy- Thanks for no apology , not being able or willing to get any control and ruining our walk with your selfishness. If this keeps up they won't allow pets here anymore.

A short but enjoyable trail. They have signs up saying there's a detour, but the detour points in…read morethe direction of what appears to be the normal trail. So I don't know. People were walking their dogs on the trail even though there are multiple signs saying they are not allowed. Still an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

Powder Mill Ledges is a small, well-managed wildlife refuge in Smithfield, RI! I came here by…read moreaccident when I made a few wrong turns and accidentally ended up on US-44 instead of RI-146. Then I saw some signs for a wildlife refuge on the side of the highway and decided to make a spontaneous trip! The trails are well-marked. There's a series of stacked loops so you can choose exactly how much distance you want to cover. I did all 3 loops (orange, blue, and yellow) and it was only about 2 miles, taking less than an hour to cover. This is Rhode Island, where the highest point is only 810 feet, so there's barely any elevation on this hike. I think it would be appropriate for almost any age or fitness level. The trails aren't particularly set off from the road so you can see and hear traffic and stores at some points. It's not the best place to come if you want to feel totally away from civilization. That being said, it's definitely not crowded. I came here on a cold, sunny winter weekend and there were only a couple other people on the trail. I'll come here again if I want a quick hike that's a bit quieter than some of the busy spots in RI!