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 most beautiful, relaxing walk I've had in quite some time. A perfect trail spot for pets, very…read morepet friendly. The homeowner of the house facing the parking lot was very kind while working in his front yard, the whole area was a great experience.

I had a pretty decent experience at this park, but the weather was a factor in perhaps a lower…read morereview than it could be. This park is located off of a residential neighborhood in Groton, close to the coast and with hiking and cycling trails. One of the issues with this park is that none of the trails are really blazed, so although there's a trail map, there are a lot of deer paths and twisty trails that make navigation difficult. Rain makes this a little more tricky. We were there to see the Canopy Rock, which is a historical landmark, the site of a religious revival. Sadly, the rock is covered in graffiti, which was really disappointing. I plan on coming back to give this park another chance, because what we saw was interesting, but the rain really forced us to cut our visit short.

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!

This is one of those places I wish I could give more than 5 stars to. It's that's beautiful…read more Rodman's Hollow is indeed a hollow, sort of a big hole in the landscape. It's a bit under 50 acres and is crossed with hiking trails. 50 acres might not sound like much but since the trails go up and down and all around you can spend hours exploring this place. The Hollow was formed during the last period of glaciation, about 20,000 years ago and is the only know habitat of a small vole like creature. Don't plan on actually seeing the beast because they are reported to be extremely shy, but I have seen very small trails in the grass that might be made by the voles. Unfortunately besides the voles Rodman's Hollow is also home to an enormous amount of ticks. If you do go hiking make sure you take a bath in tick repellent or you might be taking home more than just fond memories. Rodman's Hollow is a relatively short bike ride from the center of town and only a few miles from Southeast Lighthouse. It's a incredible beautiful part of Block Island that unfortunately few people take the time to visit.

BI has done an outstanding job of preserving their green-space. Unfortunately they've done a…read moremiserable job of providing maps of any kind, most significantly lacking in trail maps. Rodman's Hollow is gorgeous and can keep you meandering for an afternoon. If you're an average hiker, or really anyone in good health, the BI trails will not be too challenging and they're full of gorgeous rewards. If you're not up for a long hike or any moderately challenging inclines, you may find yourself facing more of a hike than you'd hoped for since getting information about trails is the only downside to BI hiking.

This place is such a little treasure. This place is so well-maintained. It's stunning. There are so…read moremany different types of trees here and they are labeled so you can get an idea of what type of trees that you're looking at. There are several loops in this place that you can loop around different sections. The main loop is around the pond but there's other shoots so you can spend a couple hours here just wandering around checking out the different things. The trails are well maintained. You may get turned around a little only because there are so many loops but just keep your eye on the pond and you won't get lost. I recommend thisplace. It's very easy walk. My friend and I walked around for about an hour and a half half or so just taking in all of the scenery. We definitely plan to come back here in May or June when the mountain is at its peak because there is so much mountain Laurel here. I think that will be stunning at this time of year. I also want to come back in September October to watch the colors of the leaves change. The parking is off street parking. There are signs for two hour parking. I did not see any charged parking, but it looks like you can park on both sides of the roads up and down the street.

What a hidden gem! Wanted to take a walk along the water on a summer weekend day but finding a good…read morespot that allowed for social distancing was a challenge. Although the arboretum is not on the the sound, this place was perfect. Very quiet and incredibly expansive. I didn't do tons of exploring in here but it looks like there are plenty of paths to walk! The paths aren't paved but to be expected in this environment - very natural wooded area. If walking isn't what you are looking for there is space to spread out and have a picnic (no tables) overlooking some small ponds. This place is easily accessed from a Williams Street. Many of the addresses online have you enter through the gates on Monhegan Ave, you won't be able to access the arboretum here. Had to up on theto drive back out to the main road and drive to the other side of campus where you can access the arboretum. Easily found free 2-hour street parking. Not sure how easy it would be during the academic year but it wasn't an issue when I went but spots had definitely filled in by the time I got back to the car. Looking forward to coming back and this time more prepared to fully experience this wonderful spot!

Always looking for a new spot to take a stroll. This spot is down a long country road lined with…read moretidy homes. The GPS told me I had arrived, but nothing was there. I tried to re-position the pin on Yelp, and hopefully that will fix that situation. Fingers crossed. The trails here are a mix of widths and surfaces. All paths were maintained, even when some of the signage was hard to spot. I took a photo of the map located at the entrance and that helped us a couple of times to stay on trail. Some areas are wide enough to walk two abreast, while other areas have you brushing up against the undergrowth. It's a lovely, quiet area. Some trails are smooth dirt, others lots have of rocks and or roots and a few spots are muddy/low lying. Just be sure to wear appropriate foot wear, keep a close eye on the trail and you'll be fine. The height difference on this trail is minimal and as long as you are a good walker (not a small child for example) I would recommend this spot for it's quiet beauty. There is a large rock sign at the entrance to the parking area, and the parking lot looks to hold about two dozen vehicles give or take. Pets are welcome as long as they are on a leash and please clean up after them, thank you. Enjoy your walk in the woods.

A very green…read morehike The Westerly Town Forest is a woody area that contains several miles of hiking trails. All the trails are well marked and there is a accurate map at the start of the hike. Not a large place but if you follow all the different trails you can probably get in five miles of easy hiking. The forest is lovely with lots of old trees, ferns and other plants that are not usually found in this type of heavily forest environment. Everything is so green this time of year with all the different shades merging together to form a beautiful mosaic of color. The hiking is pretty easy and most of the trails wide and easy to follow. A few hills but the terrain is mostly flat and gentle. Lots of huge glacial boulders add some contrast to the ancient forest and stunning greenery. As to be expected the bugs were horrific in the forest. Lots of mosquitoes and other nasty critters out for blood. I suspect this is a much nicer place for a hike in the fall or better yet the winter. Probably a cool place for some cross country skiing after a heavy snow. Definitely not a place for a challenging hike but a lovely woods for older people, children or perhaps individuals that have trouble with lots of steep hills, rocks, ruts, or rugged and slippery footing. A great place for anyone that happens to love the color green.

Baseball hoops and…read moredogs Preston Community Park is a great local recreational center. They manage to put a whole lot of features in this park and it is well used in the warm weather and a pleasant place to visit in the winter. The park has sand volley ball courts, baseball and softball fields, tennis courts, horseshoe pits, basketball courts and even a little pond for skating in the cold weather. The park also has picnic tables and nice pavilion with benches, places to cook as well as bathrooms. There is also a walking path around the park as well as a dog walking trail. A nice community park that really does have something for everyone.

Nice place. There's a playground, track, trails, tennis court, basketball, base ball fields, dirty…read morepond like in all parks

Nice little 55 acre state park to enjoy kayak, paddle boarding or extremely small boat (see railway…read moreclearance photo) if trying to get to the stream. Spacious parking area with about 25 spots to include designated handicap. No restroom facilities here and no trash receptacles, strictly carry in/out here. Short walk down to the railway for picturesque view of the waterway. Perfect for a bit of fishing here or just a quick picnic using the grassy table area that includes park style charcoal grills for use. Enjoy!