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    Mowry Conservation Area

    4.4 (7 reviews)

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    Nice map and sign
    Brian S.

    Rocks water but no parking The Mowry Conservation Area is an almost 50 acre track of land that was donated by the Mowry family to the town of Smithfield. It was in the Mowry family and was worked as a farm since at least 1845. The land is lovely, especially when covered by snow. Lot of old pines and hemlocks, huge boulders, steep little hills and streams. Remains of very ancient stone walls cross the land and even rusty metal things and stone foundations from an old forge can be seen when the snow isn't covering everything. The hiking isn' difficult but can get tough when there is ice and snow on the ground because of the numerous steep little hills. Easy to slide down an icy patch into a very cold stream. Or even worse off a little cliff. The one negative is that there really isn't a parking lot and you have to park on the side of the very narrow street. Hard to imagine how the area can hold more than a few cars safely at one time and when snow is piled up on the side of the road it becomes quite dangerous. A lovely little hiking area with lots of beautiful scenery and glimpses into history. Just don't expect to find a good place to park

    Starting out on the trail
    Kelly S.

    Lovely place to get into nature for awhile! Two marked trails (red and yellow) which make for a lovely hike on a weekend. Between the dense woods, and the bubbling water, it's a respite from the sounds of cars and city life in general. Limited parking, across the street from where the trails begin. It looks as though there are more trails being constructed across the street, but there are no maps or blazes up yet. If you stray from the marked paths, be sure to look out for poison ivy!

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    Wolf Hill Forest Preserve

    Wolf Hill Forest Preserve

    (21 reviews)

    Great hike close to PVD - also a great overlook of the city in the distance! My husband and I hiked…read moreabout 2 miles here. The different trails intersect frequently, which means you can really make a hike however long you'd like. There was a QR code to scan to get the trail map where we started our hike. Everything was well marked and well maintained. There was also a small boardwalk area to keep you out of a swampy area. Parking was a bit confusing. We parked in the Carltons Trail cul de sac which had both "parking for trail" and "no parking" signs on the same pole. We took the risk and parked because the "no parking" sign looked a little less official. The leaves had just come down from the trees, which made the path difficult to navigate at some points; we kept tripping over rocks on the path that you couldn't see. I may reserve this hike more for spring and summer for this reason!

    This is a tough series of trails!…read more Ninety percent of the hike is littered with rocks and roots - mostly rocks. This is entirely on a hill with steep grade changes starting at the very beginning. I gave only 4 stars because there are not enough flashes and there are many side trails not flashed or on a map. There are some amazing rock formations, but not enough to thrill me as the hike was too mentally taxing for a Sunday hike. Be sure to wear serious hiking boots, trekking poles, water and snacks. Trekking poles are an absolute must to help with balance and navigation through the rocky grades. I was guided by the Kostrzewa book, but needed a topo map for actual guidance. I will suggest that for anyone else. I can check this hike off my list of Rhode Island trails. I won't return.

    Lime Rock Nature Preserve - Lake view

    Lime Rock Nature Preserve

    (12 reviews)

    This place is so cool! I actually had no idea that it was even here and I've lived in Rhode Island…read moremy entire life. I stumbled upon it when I was househunting and it was a house for sale right next-door. I would have loved to of bought it just for this location! There are a few trails through here and they are marked so well there's no possible way you can get lost. Leads you out to a big lake. It's really neat because they're used to be a rail road that went through here and you can still see some of the stuff left behind.

    There is only enough parking for 3 cars at the trailhead…read more The start of the trail runs along a stagnant stream, that breeds mosquitoes, so you should use mosquitoes spray before you start the trail. It is a calming trail, that is quite woodsy and you will hear many birds including woodpeckers ! You will definitely need to keep your eye on the trail, as there are a lot of rocks and tree roots on the trail that could easily twist an ankle or worse ! There are some inclines and downgrades on this trail, there Is one treacherous section before you get to the pond, that is a steep downgrade full of rocks ! The pond does offer some nice views and the trail is easy to follow. This trail is evaluated as a beginner's trail but there are some areas that in my opinion are intermediate in difficulty. A person should be in average physical condition, to do this trail. I am almost 75 years old, in average physical condition and was able to complete this trail. Overall this is a pretty good trail!

    Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge

    Powder Mill Ledges Wildlife Refuge

    (13 reviews)

    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!

    Mowry Conservation Area - hiking - Updated May 2026

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