Newly re-opened trail. Small parking lot after traveling down a narrow dirt road. Elevated…read morewalkways, nice scenery, and peace and quiet. They did a good job fixing this up and getting it re-opened.

With approximately 2 miles of trails to traverse and diverse landscapes to take in, the Yawgoo Pond…read moreTrail in South Kingstown is worthy of a visit. From the parking area on Barbers Pond Road, hikers begin their adventure on the Loop Trail. Near to the shores of the Yawgoo, one can connect to the Founders Loop Trail. Both afford sweeping views of the pond and its lapping waters. I enjoyed this land immensely. It features a kettle hole bog, brook with bridge crossing, historic graveyard, incredibly tall white pine trees, and of course, Yawgoo Pond. The trail is very well maintained and easy to follow. South Kingstown Land Trust signs with clearly defined arrows mark the way along with colored blazes to keep you on track. In 2014, Troop 1 Kingston Eagle Scouts built a bridge that makes crossing the Mud Brook a breeze. The "stately" white pines were by far my favorite feature of the hike. Go experience the sounds of nature enveloping you as you quietly pad across beds of pine needles in the shade of these massive trees. You won't regret it.

It's a relatively short set of trail loops but so meticulously maintained and planned that it's a…read moresheer joy to stroll along and admire the foliage, water features, and historical remnants. The trails meander among the environs of a former cotton mill and you'll come across the mill's foundation itself, the overseer's house, the spring house, and what tickled my fancy most, a cold cellar built into a ridge. (Seen from the street side, you'll never know that there was a man-made structure within it!) The springs and pond are simply captivating - a great place to visit in any season. The trailhead is in the midst of a quiet residential neighborhood - I hope they enjoy this gem daily and aren't jaded by it. Charming!

I was hiking in the area and came upon Biscuit City Preserve. At approximately 3/4 of a mile, I…read moremade a quick detour into its trails and I am so glad I did. The Preserve has a fishing pond, park benches, wood bridges, natural spring, historic ruins, and a variety of plants and animals. So much packed into its 11-acres of land. The pond itself is handicap accessible as it has crushed stone along its borders. Fishing at this site appears to be restricted to children under age 14. Ruins from a historic mill are a stone's throw from the pond. The foundation from the mill has beautifully constructed rock wall faces on a couple sides still. There is a water wheel pit and cellar holes in the area also. The water that powered the mill's activities still flows (first a gristmill, then cotton, then carriage and wagon manufacturing, back to gristmill, and lastly housing before a flood the fire fully destroyed it in the 1880s-1890s). Though there is a natural spring source on the property, it is protected by a spring house which is locked and boarded up. The trails are easy to follow and are well-maintained. A beautiful location acquired by the South Kingstown Land Trust.

A well-marked set of trails and loops that convey you through various types of terrain: oak…read morewoodland, eskers, vernal ponds, boulder fields, grasslands, white pine, and old stone walls. Portions of the preserve are sobering however: the oak forest is pretty much dead, devastated by past years' severe drought and invasive insect infestations. Although awful to see, it is also "awe-full" in that there is a somber beauty and grandeur in seeing vast swathes of these once-mighty trees bare-leafed and gaunt. While haunting, the trails do take you through vibrant (and apparently healthy) white pine woods, fields, and large vernal pools. The preserve has also thoughtfully provided some information signs, pointing out areas of environmental concern as well as important native tree varieties. There's plenty of parking available at the Old Mill Road trailhead as well as a convenient composting bathroom.

A whole lot of…read morerocks The Francis Carter Memorial Preserve is an eleven hundred acre track of land that has several very well marked trails running through it. Nice to see trails so well marked and with maps actually at places along the trails. Makes it virtually impossible to get lost and you know the exact distance of any individual trail. Many of the trails are short, only a bit more than a mile, but they all interconnect so you can get several hours of hiking in the beautiful woods. There are lots of cool rocks in New England but this place is just infested with rocks of every size and description, as well as numerous stone walls running through the woods. The hiking isn't difficult with just a few minor hills, but it does require some care to keep stepping over all the rocks. The Francis Carter Preserve is very popular with hikers but also with mountain bikers, equestrians, dog walkers, and in the winter cross country skis and snow shoes. A very nicely maintained and extremely well marked series of trails with all kinds of interesting flora, geographic features and of course lots and lots of wonderful rocks.

Right next to the Veterans Memorial Cemetery is the Queen's River Nature Preserve. This beautiful…read moreset of trails will take you to the Queen's River - reputedly the cleanest river in Rhode island - and what a tranquil trek that is! In addition to the marked trails, there are some unmarked ones (but no worries, they are well-maintained and will take you back to the mapped ones) that are well worth exploring - the best one imo is one that follows the meandering river bank and will eventually hook you up with one of the marked paths, thus making a nice loop back to the trailhead. (One drawback of the "official" trails is that they don't really make a loop so you will end up traversing former ground that you covered.) There is space for several cars to park at the trailhead; an alternative is to park along the edge of the Veterans Cemetery nearest to the Preserve, slip between the bordering fence, and there you are, a mere hop-skip-and-jump from the trailhead!

Trout laurel and…read moreXmas The Queen's River Nature Preserve is an almost 200 acre swatch of land that is centered around the Queen's River. This is considered one of the most pristine and cleanest river in the state and loaded with brook trout and all kinds of other types of critters. The trails meander through lots of woods, open fields and wet lands and has plenty of cool old trees as well as large areas of mountain laurel. The river is a whole lot smaller than I thought it would be but it is lovely and very, very cean and is one of those rivers that never warms up. Still freezing cold even in the summer. Queen's River isn't particularly well marked and you'll probably get lost but that's all right because you'll come out to a road of field that will guide you. There is lots of wild life including a wide variety of birds as well as lots and lots of deer. Just beware that bow hunting is allowed from Sept 15th through Jan 31 and at least 200 square inches of bright florescent orange is not only required by law but also good idea so you won't get shot in the arse by some over anxious bow hunter. Queen's River is a lovely and very, very clean place for a easy hike through a varied environment and some spirited soul even put up Xmas decorations on some of the blue spruce trees. Not many hills or difficult terrain but a great place to take your time and look, listen and smell what the river and woods has to offer.

A short walk in the…read morewoods Richard Trails is a new hiking area in the town of Charlestown. The first time I went there wasn't any real trails and you had to bushwhack through the woods Difficult but fun. There is now one short trail that is cut through the trees. Only about a half a mile it is a work in progress and I've heard that they plan to extend it and add others during the summer. The little area is a popular geocache and people come here for that as well as hiking. If you get creative and make your own trails you can hike for several hours in here. Bushwhacking is a whole lot easier in the winter when you can see your own foot prints in the snow. A nice area that will become nicer as more trails are cut and more maps become available. Right now it is a cool little place for a short hike or to do some bushwhacking through the woods. I suspect this area gets really buggy in the spring so the cold and snow is the best time to get adventurous in these woods.

My house is very close to Richards trails so I usually run past it when I go for runs, yesterday I…read moredecided to go in and check out the trails. After walking less then a have mile I realized I was completely lost. I wandered around for about 20 minutes before finding my way back. I won't be coming back soon

At first blush, I wasn't too impressed by this small preserve but as we got deeper into the trail,…read moreI soon changed my mind. Most of the beginning of the trail was a little eerie as we passed through a section rife with dead oaks - made you really wonder what happened (an insect invasion? Fungal? Climate?). But we soon came to some areas that were simply wonderful: groves of rhododendrons and mountain laurels, arching over the path and forming green tunnels; varied pines and spruces (including an area of adorable "Charlie Brown" type Christmas tree-sized ones); and best of all, absolutely huge American Holly trees, rivaling the neighboring oaks in canopy size and height. We never knew that hollies could get that big! Amazing. The paths are well marked and easy to hike - about a mile or so as a loop. A side loop will take you by the banks of Alewife Brook, a calm and tranquil waterway. Not too many people seem to visit but it's well worth a visit just to see those big rhododendrons and hollies!

At just under two miles, the Bradner Preserve offers two well-maintained trails through the woods…read moreof Richmond, RI. Blazed in blue and yellow, the Hanging Rock Trail and Wolf Tree Trail meander through 64-acres of land donated to the Richmond Rural Preservation Land Trust by the Bradner brothers. The sloping land provides a little bit of elevation gain and some interesting sites to take in. Download the Interpretive Trail Guide before your visit and you can stop at each numbered post to learn a little bit about the land, flora, and fauna you may come across. Amongst the cinnamon fern, american beech trees, and sweet pepperbush there are two notable stops on this hike: the Hanging Rock and the Wolf Tree (for which the trails are names after). The Hanging Rock is a glacial boulder perched precipitously at the edge of a small dropoff. It's actually pretty neat how few contact points it contains. The Wolf Tree, a 160+ year old northern red oak, is an imposing and impressive presence along the yellow trail. Sprinkle in some small stream crossings, stone walls, and glimpses of nearby barns and housing... you have yourself an enjoyable jaunt through the wooded terrain. Didn't spot a great deal of wildlife during my visit. Small pull-off available for parking.

Well-maintained, well-marked trail, it's a fabulously beautiful and peaceful hike in autumn. Full…read moreof diverse trees (maples, oaks, pitch and white pines, hickory) and wildlife (we saw a large eastern black racer sunning itself on the trail - perfectly harmless and more scared of us then us of it!), this 2.5 to 3 mile loop will take you past many stone walls as well as the remains of the old Browning homestead. The trail also thoughtfully provides a few interpretive placards describing natural features along the way as well as tags labeling some of the notable native flora. A very nice appreciative touch! There is a convenient small parking lot at the trail head. Another fine preserve and trail from the exemplary South Kingstown Land Trust.

Wide walking path to easily enjoy a stroll. Main walking path does not offer a lot of shade for a…read morehot and sunny day. Just stopped in quick for a little bit of troll hunting and Iver looks great!!

Ryan Park is a good place to go for a walk and it is fun to find the troll. I will note that the…read moretroll is not near the main entrance and athletic fields (closer to another entrance).

Jointly managed by the estimable South County Land Trust and the Richmond Land Trust, Crawley…read morePreserve is yet another diversely beautiful and tranquil nature preserve. There are several trails to choose from - and a couple of those are equestrian-friendly as well. We forgot to bring our horses (ahem ,,,) but no matter: we took the yellow trail that led us to Sandy's Brook, numerous boulders (including an impressively massive wall-like glacial erratic), fieldstone walls, and foliage that morphed from oak stands to beech groves to spruces. The trails are well-maintained and blazed; you can make several different loops of your choice and ambition. The trailhead map also shows markers for interesting sights or landmarks of note. Did I mention that it was very beautiful and quiet? Sigh.