The Steere Hill farm Conservation Area and Phillips Farm is an absolutely gorgeous piece of land…read more It's one of those places that feels like several different hikes all rolled into one. Hundreds of acres of wetlands, wide-open fields, miles of trails, and nesting grounds for birds. The open fields here are definitely the highlight. Complete with historic cemetery, picnic areas, benches to soak in the view and listen to nature. On my last visit the lupine, wide variety of wildflowers, and steady summer breeze made me linger longer than I usually do when I'm trying to pack the miles in. The history is abundant here with old foundations, stone walls, abandoned hay balers and manure spreaders, former orchards, beech tree groves, areas where livestock roamed, and so much more. The trails were incredibly well marked. Their online trail map is precisely marked. Wildlife was abundant and included a possum, frog, birds, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and countless butterflies. Some sections were more popular than others so I had a mix of alone time paired with hiker encounters. I put in about 8.5 miles with very little repeating which is a nice perk when you're looking to increase mileage and have something interesting to look at while doing so. The trails are well maintained and fairly wide. Definitely check this place out!

I'm always on the look for a new trail running spot. This spot is a well maintained, multi faceted,…read moreinterwoven trail system. You can do shorter 2.5 ish miles or extend it to your pleasure. A nice mix of grass and gravel trails. Not too flat, not too hilly. Some spots offer supreme views of this part of the state. It even has a portapotty on the trail! Lace up and head out!

Connor's Farm Conservation Area is by far, one of my favorite places for hiking in Rhode Island…read more Described as a hidden gem within the state, the main trailhead for this area is nestled in a nice neighborhood in Smithfield. If you are looking for a little bit of elevation, this is your place. I traipsed around here for approximately 2 miles and enjoyed every moment of it. Ponds, birdhouses, brooks, glacial rock formations, caves, overlooks, beech groves, a wild cranberry bog, stone bridges and so much more. The trails are marked by color - red, green, blue, and yellow. It is very easy to stay on trail here as everything is very well marked and their are signs at most intersections identifying where you are on the map. It is the one hike I've taken lately where the maps at the trailhead were actually stocked! This land was once part of the Connors family farm (surprise!). The trail system was built by the Boy Scouts in the 90s. My favorite view was from the top of the boulder field. Do expect some strenuous sections but its worth it! Beautiful in the spring/summer!

Nice place for a quiet, peaceful lunch and meditation, or hike. Not very long or strenuous. Limited…read moreparking.

Beautiful Compact Off…read morethe beaten path I stumbled upon the existence of this spot on the visitrhodeisland Instagram page, having never heard of it previously. As a family, we gave it a shot for a what-the-heck hike, and all four of us fell immediately in love. Mowry really, REALLY dials up curb appeal right off the bat. Wandering down from the road into the conservation area, you're greeted by a large rock outcropping over a pristine rushing brook, covered by a nice pedestrian bridge - combined, it's a very halcyon scene, and gorgeous. Beyond lie two short hiking trails: red is ~0.5 miles and yellow is ~0.75 miles, and they connect so you can have a short jaunt or a longer one. There's some mild elevation change, but all very manageable in sneakers - all beginner-friendly or dog-walk appropriate. A little gem nestled in north central RI, this one deserves your attention for its natural beauty and serene wall ability. Highest recommendation.

Super pretty. We went today - and it was snowy but excellent hike day. The water running was the…read moremost perfect sound. Otherwise it was so quiet. Clearly marked trails. Decent ups and downs that made it feel like I was getting some exercise in. Cute little bridge. I would give it five stars if it were longer - but that's not the fault of the trail I guess: we just ended up looping and it got repetitive.

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!

Food was good. Diner style menu. Service is good. Welcoming. Prices reasonable. We get breakfast…read morethere on weekends.

Wide, flat, easy trail that is great for families. I was here recently searching for glass apples…read moreas part of the "Apple Trails" event that Smithfield hosts every October. I didn't find any apples, but I still enjoyed my walk on this trail. Fall is a really good time to be here, because the foliage colors are beautiful, and with fewer leaves on the trees, you can see more of the water views. The trail is not long (only about a mile in each direction), and there is parking at either end. At the midpoint of the trail, there are benches overlooking the water (Stillwater Reservoir, I think?) that make for a nice spot to sit, relax, and maybe enjoy a snack before continuing on.

If you're looking for short, level, easy path, you'll find it here. That said, in the summer, views…read moreare somewhat limited due to vegetation, and it's just 1.1 miles long, so out and back is a short 2.2 mile trek. At .8 miles (from the lot where we parked), there are two benches which offer a view of the river. There is also a lot at the other end of the trail, so the benches would be at .3 miles respectively. On the plus side, the trail is quiet and we only saw a few people. On the negative side, it's very short, it's not a loop, there are limited views in the summer, and it's not especially interesting. I wouldn't go out of my way to walk here, but if it's convenient to your locale, or your limited on time, this might be your spot!

The trails were a little too muddy and overgrown for me to fully explore them, but what I did do…read moreoffered some views and a quiet escape. Even had a couple deer dart in front of me on the trail.

Veterans Memorial Park is a picturesque, hidden gem, surprisingly located... in the middle of…read moreBarrington (funny for such a seemingly secluded locale). You can access the park via a dirt road, just off of West Street, next to the YMCA. Park at the YMCA or drive down the dirt road a bit to park inside. It is an easy jump skip from the East Bay Bike Path as well for those using a bipedal method of transportation. The trails are not extensive, only about 2.5 miles in total if you traverse all of the loops, but the views of Brickyard Pond are worth it. The 84-acre body of water sits on 230 acres of land, named for its history as a site of the brick-making industry in the area up until the 1940's. Due to hazardous structures in the water, swimming is not allowed. Fishing is allowed only certain times of the year since the pond is home to some herring spawning grounds. There is a boat launch as well as several points of access to the water for kayaking. Two trails, the Red and Green, make their way along the shore of the pond and into the forested acreage of the park. Summersweet plants flower everywhere along the trails, filling the air with their pleasant aroma. For the most part I stayed on trail but there were a number of unmarked routes leading who-knows-where. I explored some of these but didn't stray too far. The trails were well-marked with their colored blazes and arrow signs but with so many trails breaking off from the main loops, it was easy to get turned around. Well-kept, there were several bridges and walkways built into the path to skip over lazy moving streams and marshy areas. From their maps, it appears that several more trails looping around the pond are in the works, connecting the park to the bike patch directly. It will be wonderful once development is complete. Near the boat launch is a peaceful clearing with tables and park benches. A great place for a picnic or to simply kick back and soak up the outdoors. A nice find in downtown Barrington. As a side note: there was a surprising amount of litter in the parking lot inside the grounds... the trails were clean but some of the areas with grills and benches were visited by litter bugs and party animals. Trash, broken glass... dropped it down to 4-stars for me despite my enjoyable experience in the rest of the park.

The Miller Bird Sanctuary is a 45+ acre parcel of conservation land nestled on Lake Street in…read moreRehoboth, MA. There are several blazed trails through this land offering approximately one mile of trekking through peaceful woodlands. Upon arrival, there is a small pull off that can accommodate a couple of cars. On entry, guests are greeted with a wooden sign depicting the available trails: red, white, and blue. The red trail loops through the bulk of the land; the white trail offers a small spur. The blue trail can be treated as an out and back and runs parallel to Lake Street. The red and blue trails are well-marked and kept; easy to traverse. The white trail is a bit overgrown and as far as I could tell, not marked at all. There is a bridge that passes over some impressive vernal pools. Beautiful! I did come across a couple species of birds on my most recent visit: a Downy Woodpecker and an Eastern Towhee (thank you Google image search... as I am not an avid birder). I performed a couple of loops to increase my mileage but didn't mind the multiple loops as I kept my eyes to the sky for any other species I might encounter during my jaunt. Worth a visit if you are looking to stretch your legs without a huge commitment. There are picnic tables in a couple locations as well as benches at the farther end of the red loop.

A really nice quiet spot. Amazing sunsets here, when you first enter its farmland so it's open and…read moreexpansive. Then you walk along a forest trail, that eventually opens up to the Bay with tides. It's very quiet here. There's a good amount of parking, probably like for 8-9 cars. I've seen deer, turkey, flocks of geese, rabbits lots of wildlife. Dogs aren't allowed because it's a protected area. One of my favorite places to go.

At over 70 acres, this wildlife refuge is situated on a parcel of land that comprises Barrington's…read morehistoric Nockum Hill. A beautiful outdoor space any time of the year; there are a number of trails to peruse this mix of coastal wetland filled with marshes, fields, forest, and farmland. There is a small parking area on George Street just as the road starts to curve. A small sign marks the entrance to the first trailhead. Named for a Barrington native and prominent naturalist, the trails here meander through the various landscape. A couple off-shoots give you access to areas like a small boardwalk area that extends into the upper marshlands. Several of the fields have birdhouses erected that attract all kinds of species. I believe I caught a couple views of some bluebirds during my time here. And geese. So many geese. Another trail delivers you to the sandy shores of the Hundred Acre Cove. Really beautiful in January when I visited, all iced over. This beach is a nesting area for the diamondback terrapin. There is a park bench on this shoreline to soak in the views. Of note, there is a seemingly out of place pistol range on site for the Barrington Police which is very well-marked for safety. All-in-all, a pleasant place to get outside.