One of the best trails I've been on. Most of the trail has wooden planks, and the rest of it…read moreyou're usually hugging a gate to the military base. The path from the parking lot takes you right to the waterfront, and you can continue on following the path along the gate (although I didn't go all the way around). Paths are clear and easy to follow to. As a side note, be wary of GPS. Mine wanted to take me into the military base, but the entrance road to the parking lot is next to the road to the military base; the last thing you want is the military coming after you. But the signs are clearly marked, so as long as you pay attention to the road and signs and not the GPS you should be fine.

Tucked away with a small parking lot that may fill on busy days. It is a short hike, but the views…read moreare great once you reach the coastline. Went after few days of rain with no concern for muddy areas as the boardwalks keep you out of the wet areas. Good short hike for rocky coastal view and didn't see anyone else during the whole hike!

So if you've ever seen the Wes Anderson movie "Moonrise Kingdom" - and you've hiked this trail to…read moreLong Pond - you'll recognize the scenery around the pond from the top of a massive glacial boulder. Regardless of its Hollywood connections (and my hats off to the camera crew and actors for getting up there!), this is quite the hiking area, though not for the faint-hearted. It does involve a bit of clambering up and down boulders, so be sure to bring a stout set of hiking boots or shoes ... and I'd recommend long pants to deal with the rocks and branches as you're more than likely to be finding yourself scooching down them on your butt at some points. (Yours truly wore only cross-trainers and boy did I regret it: I could not get any traction to summit that huge glacial formation and had to settle vicariously for the distant oohs and ahhs of wonderment from my wife and daughter). We started at the North Road trailhead for the main Narragansett Trail which is marked by yellow blazes but be aware (or beware?) that the turn-off to this spectacular view of the pond - while marked by a big red arrow on a rock - is an unmarked trail, so be sure to take mental pictures of the turns and forks so you don't get lost on the way back. But it sure is worth making this deviation! The main trial can be quite the hike and the opposite direction will take you into Connecticut if you so wish. There is supposed to be another unmarked trail opposite the one going to Long Pond which will take you to Ell Pond, but we weren't able to find the entrance to that trail from the main one - we're guessing probably because it's less traveled and maintained. In addition to Long pond, we were impressed by the large amount of rhododendrons in the forest - we promised ourselves to visit in the spring when they'd be blossoming as that must be a sight to see. This Narragansett Trail area is definitely worth repeat visits! Please note that there are no privys or running water at the trailhead - and parking areas are sparse.

The Long Pond-Ell Pond Nature Area is a spectacular location to stretch your legs and take in some…read morefantastic views of rural Rhode Island. As an avid hiker in the White Mountains of New Hampshire... it was wonderful to find beauty in one's own backyard. It was a crisp Saturday afternoon that I found myself driving down a dirt road in Hopkinton to the Long Pond trailhead. The drive down North Road (aka Old Rockville Road) itself was even enjoyable. The narrow dirt road meandered through branches, heavy with yellowed leaves until the obvious intersection of a couple of cars with several pull offs. There is room for 2 cars at this trailhead, with a pull off for another 2 just before the small parking area. The trail is well-marked with yellow blazes on the trees. Be mindful of who is participating in this hike... it isn't quite simply a leisurely walk in the woods. There are many rock scrambles, some elevation gain, and quite a bit of maneuvering to go to and fro. As you head down the trail from the parking area I mentioned, you reach a crossroads of sorts. If you turn left you hike a short ways until you reach a very large rock formation. At the top is wonderful outlook onto Long Pond. It is a great place to lunch. If you turn right you head toward views of Ell Pond (I didn't go this way on my trip). If you head "straight" which is actually kind of towards the right as well you descend into a forested valley and towards other adventures in the area. The hike to this crossroads is quite manageable and a quick trip. The beauty of this area is that you can make your hike as long or as short as you'd like. It is not a loop so you can decide to turn back at any point and be quite aware of how far and long it will take you. Great in any season I am sure... Fall was perfect. Wish I had gone when there was a bit more foliage to look at but stunning none-the-less. Quiet, serene, a joy to visit. I will most certainly visit this area again and traverse more of its trails. Be sure to wear your blaze orange during hunting season, September to February generally. I'm not sure how much hunting is allowed in this area but I'd rather be safe than sorry!

The forty steps is a good spot to catch the sunrise. It is on the cliffwalk. This spot has street…read moreparking which seems to be free during winter time and have to pay during warmer months, probably for crowd control. I came during winter but not alot of people come here for sunrise. There were more sunrise gazers at the other beaches. At the bottom of the steps, you can access the rocks and ocean. There are porta potties nearby. I would come back in warmer months.

This is a cool little spot with some history. I would make a stop here and enjoy the view. I also…read morethink they have a trail as well. Parking is a "B" though, FYI.

Great area just to get out and spot some birds and listen to song throughout the walk! Only…read moredownside, which is also great crowd control, is smaller parking lot for visiting. Otter Point Trails is a fine gravel/sand trail great for wheeled visitors as it is fairly level, no ruts or rocks to be able to utilize the full trail and farm pond viewing. Handicap parking right at trail head as well. Farm Field Loop and Osprey Point Trails have ruts and rocks, but very mild and easy for family walk for those with kids. Throughout the walk bird song is present, plenty of chipmunks, squirrels and even rabbits during a sunny afternoon walk today. Restroom by parking lot, but no running water just hand sanitizer for use. No pets, no bikes or jogging here. It is a peaceful walk outside of loud chatty people, so please be respectful as you enjoy the refuge! Great for short out and back if you have been missing hearing the birds!

This is a beautiful refuge area with a nice easy closed loop trial that is easy to do on a nice…read morebeautiful day. We saw many birds, swans, snails, spiders, etc. Being a weekday in the off-season was easy to park and meander with little other humans around. The parking area only holds about 15-20 cars, so it's limited. The pond is large and tranquil...just a great place to get close to nature.

There is a good sized dirt parking area here with security lights. A trail map is located at the…read moretrail head and the paths are very clearly blazed. You can see they have been through and cleared winter debris from the trail. The terrain is rocky with plenty of roots and has a slight incline. Nothing too strenuous. An excellent location to get into the woods for a quick day hike.

This is such a hidden gem! I would def recommend making the trek out to enjoy it. We followed a…read moreroute on all trails but took our own way sometimes too making our hike about 6 miles. It wasn't very green yet but we cannot wait to come back in a month. There were some deer tracks, two garter snakes, a frog, and lots pretty birds. Oh and a crab! Our pup did great too. Make sure to check for ticks. We found a few on him!

Barn Island offers a 3 mi (5k) loop through a beautiful tidal marsh. I have been coming here since…read more1984 and never miss the chance to enjoy the walk. It is not aggressive or tedious but you should be ready for deer flies and mosquitoes.

I'm not a hiker but I love a trail that provides a nice scenic walk and Barn Island does just that…read more We walked on the red trail which you pick up from Palmer Neck Rd where there is parking for about 15 cars . Follow signs for the boat launch not your GPS , as that will bring you to another trailhead in a residential area whee there is no parking . The path is wide with some imbedded rocks/ stones and is predominantly flat. It runs through woods and marshes. This was a November day so there wasn't a bug in sight but when I looked into information, many hikers on a popular trail site noted the bugs. Although we didn't experience this, I took off a star knowing I'd never walk this at dusk or early morning and probably never in the summer knowing this ( CT and this area in particular had a EEE scare/ warnings this summer). The views across the marshes to the ocean and Little Narraganset Bay are beautiful. You can see across to Napatree Point and even see Watch Hill Light in the distance. The tidal marshes themselves are picturesque with swaying tall grasses and pools of water. The woods have many large lichen covered rocks along the perimeter and stone walls farther in. The path does have some areas that are muddy. We passed about 20 people some with dogs, a few with cameras and binoculars. Other than a few ducks we saw no wildlife. It was a nice flat picturesque walk over a portion of the 1000 + acre preserve. I'd definitely recommend it especially after a hard frost kills the bugs and we will definitely return!

Do you find yourself having to go to Foxwoods for some reason? Do you feel like you need to balance…read morethings out/cleanse yourself with nature before and/or after? Then I recommend a jaunt on Lantern Hill! We found a loop trail on AllTrails (blue blazes) which is about 1.5 miles and took 45 minutes. It was a bit rocky in a number of sections, so I recommend hiking shoes with good traction. Elevation got our hearts pumping. Nice hilltop views of a pond and yes, the casino. We also saw 5-10 vultures in a certain area. I wonder if they gamble.

The blue trail was very challenging, Rocky, required solid skillful footing. Beautiful views that…read moreonly got better the closer you got to the top! I was greeted by three hawks at the top! Very clear day you could see for miles!! Loved this hike!

The Canonchet Preserves offer approximately 750 acres of land between the Hopkinton Land Trust and…read morethe Nature Conservancy. Well-maintained and blazed trails provide miles and miles of trekking and historical points of interest to explore. A stone's throw from I-95, this outdoor space is easy to get to and quick to locate. There are many ways to access this land but I started my most recent visit from the parking lot located on Route 3. Much of the area here is a combination of hills and swamplands. Brooks run through the acreage including Canonchet Brook South Fork and the Tomaquag Brook. These water sources are part of the reason there are so many archaeological finds on these lands. According to information about the property, both were significant in pre-Colonial use and offer pre-industrial revolution water powered mill sites. I had the opportunity to check out a mill dam, the Stone Bridge, Foster Sawmill Ruins (circa Revolutionary War era), and the Jonathan G Foster barn foundation. The trails were not too strenuous... I stayed primarily in the Hoxsite-designated area and put in just under 3 miles (Canonchet Trail to Hoxsie Trail loop). So many rock walls intersections and history here; originally farmland owned by the Hoxsie family. How fantastic it is that the public has the opportunity to utilize this land to get a bit a fresh air and immerse oneself in Rhode Island's past. Closed from the 1/2 hour after sunset to the 1/2 hour before sunrise. Open for hiking and "landscape appreciation". Bring orange during season as portions of this land are open for deer hunting. Do not bring a metal detector to go rooting around in the accessible sites as it is prohibited. I visited in early spring which allowed easy views of the landscape without leaves hiding just how far everything is spread out.

The Ephraim Hunt Ministerial Land is a conservation area maintained by the Rehoboth Land Trust that…read moreoffers several well maintained pathways through the local woodlands. At approximately 64 acres, this land is a quiet, peaceful place to stretch your legs. Tucked away on Pond Street, there is a dirt parking lot that allows several cars to pull in off the road. The land was purchased by the Rehoboth Land Trust when the Congregational Church at the center of town required funds to repair their sanctuary ceiling and steeple. Wanting to maintain the land as undeveloped, this area remains open to the public to soak in the sights and sounds of nature. Hunting is allowed on the property in-season so be sure to take precautions, as appropriate. Swamps, old fields, brooks, and a high knoll mark the land. A map of the area greets you when you pass through the main gate, though I feel like there were more trails than what was pictured. All-in-all, there are only so many ways to go so its hard to get lost. There are some ups and downs and a lovely little boardwalk that helps you traverse some of the wetlands. The trails were very well maintained and easy to traverse - the blue to orange path gives you a nice loop through the land. The furthest end of the loop skirts the Rehoboth Village Cemetery if you want to make a quick detour.