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    The Monastery Park

    4.7 (12 reviews)

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    Megan H.

    My senior dog loves it here because we can go the whole way, or cut it short and the white path and end our walk if he is too tired! Not many trails you can change your mind midway!! Definitely use a map or the AllTrails app because lots of dead ends. It can get muddy too! Definitely can be busy and no cans for trash/poop along the way so be prepared to carry. It's pretty clean with benches to sit on occasionally! Plenty of parking which is great! Love it here!

    Summer in the fields
    Tess W.

    Awesome, clean trails. Well-maintained and graveled. Good for leashed dogs. You can get a good workout in if you do a couple loops. Good for kids. There is a kids play area. A Veteran Memorial. Library. This could be an good place to tucker your kids and dogs out. Get them some books to read and let them learn a bit of history.

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    1 year ago

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    7 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    5 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    7 years ago

    I love to hike here. It's always peaceful and a great place to go to clear your head.

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    10 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    Ask the Community - The Monastery Park

    Review Highlights - The Monastery Park

    For those looking for the Monastery trail map to accompany the blazed (marked) trails, free copies are in the library.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Otis Smith Farm and Rowbottom Preserve

    Otis Smith Farm and Rowbottom Preserve

    4.0(2 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    The Otis Smith Farm and Rowbottom Preserve is a 55-acre preserve comprised of two parcels of land…read morefrom the Cumberland Land Trust. Located on the historic Otis Smith Farm land acquired from Brown University and the Kenneth and Barbara Rowbottom land, this preserve is a wonderful setting for some Rhode Island hiking. There are 4 color-blazed trails at the time of this review: --Yellow & White = Otis Lippitt Trail --Red = Rowbottom Trail --Blue = Rocky Ridge Trail There are technically 3 trailheads to delve into these interconnected trails, both the Otis Smith Trailhead on Scott Road (2 of them) and the Rowbottom Trailhead on Lippitt Ave. I started on Scott Road and found the White trailhead very easily, pulling my car off at the pictured/numbered green sign labelled "Cumberland Land Trust"...a big American flag waving in the wind. I spotted the Yellow trailhead on Scott Road as I was driving away marked with a very small homemade sign and no clear pull off for cars. I suggest driving down the road a bit and catching the White trail, much easier. All in all, the trails cover about 1.7 miles. Not a strenuous hike, but there are some interesting sights and changes in the landscape as you make your way through. Many of the trails follow historic farmer's cart paths and are intersected frequently with stone walls. There are signs of the old farm all over the place... look for the irrigation ditch that flowed from Little Pond to bring water to the fields. The trail markers are mostly well placed. There were a couple of times that I had to backtrack because I was following what looked like a path but in actuality I was straying from the trail. Take it slow and look around to be sure you are headed in the right direction. The White Trail brings you through a darkened area of the forest lush with ferns. It was really neat making my way through this dense green part of the woods (especially since the caterpillars have been feasting on the green overhead all spring/summer this year). The Red Trail brings you through a number of pine needle beds, soft and squishy underfoot. Lastly, the Blue Trail boasts some large rocky outcroppings of greenstone... and one really large, angry, bird going through feather molt who was not happy to have my trekking near his/her nest. Although this is a very beautiful area of Cumberland (and what drops this preserve down a star for me), on the Blue Trail there appears to be a makeshift wooden shelter up against the rocks. I wouldn't mind so much seeing this here but it is clear that teens trek out to party in the middle of the night. Evidence of campfires against the rock, broken glass, and trash were strewn about this area. I also came across some disturbing makeshift weaponry (think... thick sticks with nails and screws driven into one end, brandished like a medieval mace). A Lord of the Flies-type scene fluttered through my mind and I scurried away, finishing the loop and heading back for my car. Overall a decent hike... I simply wouldn't recommend poking around the shelter too much, especially with children in tow.

    This is a fun little trail! It's about 0.6 miles if you take the Otis Lippitt trail. It's a nice…read morelittle walk for the dog or family. Bring big spray though!

    Photos
    Otis Smith Farm and Rowbottom Preserve
    Otis Smith Farm and Rowbottom Preserve
    Otis Smith Farm and Rowbottom Preserve

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    Blackstone River Bikeway - Blue heron at Blackstone River Canal in Lonsdale, RI

    Blackstone River Bikeway

    4.5(54 reviews)
    3.1 mi

    The Blackstone River Park put on a historic tour with an NPS guide, so my review is more for that…read morethan for the bike path. There is a parking lot at the Wilber House (open seasonally) and the guide described and showed the site of the original mill off of the river canal and then walked us over the multistate bridge to the Ashton Mill and pointed out the smokestacks of the factory-turned-lofts and the old residence of the factory workers. If possible, you should check park events because it gave some great local history of the site. It sounds like they have some tours on weekdays and weekends. If not on a tour, there are some informational signs but not much to look at and wouldn't take more than 10 minutes to read the signs. The interaction was definitely a great additional to learning about the site.

    The Blackstone River Bikeway is a beautiful way to explore the Blackstone Valley, whether by bike…read moreor on foot and offers something for everyone to enjoy. We have done it both ways, mostly by bike. It is a beautiful green space that goes along rivers and small waterfalls, just lovely. With over 24 miles already constructed, the vision is for it to extend 48 miles from downtown Worcester, MA, to India Point Park in Providence, RI. From there, it connects with the existing East Bay Bike Path and continues to Bristol, RI, for additional 14.5 miles. When completed, the Blackstone River Bikeway will serve as an alternate mode of transportation for commuters as well as the region's premier recreational resource, connecting New England's second and third largest cities.

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    Blackstone River Bikeway
    Blackstone River Bikeway - Black crowned night heron with his dinner in the Blackstone River Canal in Lonsdale, RI

    Black crowned night heron with his dinner in the Blackstone River Canal in Lonsdale, RI

    Blackstone River Bikeway

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    Lime Rock Nature Preserve - Lake view

    Lime Rock Nature Preserve

    4.2(12 reviews)
    3.3 mi

    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!

    Photos
    Lime Rock Nature Preserve - Typical trail

    Typical trail

    Lime Rock Nature Preserve - Creek falling into the lake

    Creek falling into the lake

    Lime Rock Nature Preserve - Dam and outflow

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    Dam and outflow

    Hawkins Woods - New paths but visible

    Hawkins Woods

    4.0(2 reviews)
    4.2 mi

    Well done Plainville! I recently moved to Plainville from a town who seemed like it was actively…read moretrying to cut down all wooded areas to build more straight-faced colonials. More than any town needs. Plainville feels like "my people" since they voted to avoid this situation with this property and open a wooded area instead. I went to a quick walk to check out Hawkins Woods last Sunday. Keep in mind that this spot is a work in progress. There is a nice parking area and a sign at the trail head. Currently there is one trail that I think was 1.9 miles or less. There is a orange line on the map for the property marker. And there were 3 or more disc golf targets already set up. I only found 3. I went to the right first and followed the disc golf path. When I felt I lost the path, I went back to the yellow trail that goes straight ahead from the parking lot. They haven't had a chance to mark the trees so the arrows are on the ground. The path is mostly visible to the eye and will become more so with use. I may have gotten lost a bit but found my way back to the path. There was a lovely stone wall which may be the property border. These are very pretty woods. There were many birds as well. This will be a great place for winter walking or snowshoeing as long as the parking lot is cleared. If you need a longer walk, this is a very picturesque street to walk on as well. Thank you to the residents & town of Plainville for making this lovely spot!

    Hawkins Woods is a great place to go for a walk. There are a few trails. The main trail is well…read moremarked with wooden arrow signs. If you like taking pictures of nature, this is a very good place. It is a peaceful part of Plainville. Sunset from the field through the woods is beautiful. We meet a lot of folks walking their dogs. Some areas are WET, I would recommend waterproof hikers or boots. There is a practice basket for the disc golf to the right of the main trail. There are 9 holes for the disc golf. You can walk the course as well. We enjoy going there numerous times a week.

    Photos
    Hawkins Woods - Field

    Field

    Hawkins Woods - Main path from parking lot at sunset.

    Main path from parking lot at sunset.

    Hawkins Woods - Signs for the trail

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    Signs for the trail

    Birchwold Farm Conservation Area - The way a trail should be marked

    Birchwold Farm Conservation Area

    3.0(3 reviews)
    6.3 mi

    WATCH YOUR SURROUNDINGS HERE!…read more I used to come here a lot a few years back and absolutely loved walking here. However today, I cannot say the same. The weirdest thing happened to me this morning on my walk. I was walking here with my dog and as soon as we got out of the car and only a few steps in, this women came out of no where and asked if she could walk with us. I will say, she did open with "I know this is a really weird thing to ask." In my head, I was like yeah it is, but what's the harm, we're in a nice area. I made sure to keep my distance, as I was still nervous/creeped out by the situation. The conversation started out fine, "oh your dogs cute, what's her name, what breed is she." However as we walked a little further, she started asking more personal questions, "where are you from, how old are you, etc" This is when I knew, something was just off. So when my dog stopped and she kept walking a little further, I turned around and ran to my car. The vibes were just not right and in my gut I knew there was something off about the whole situation. I could be completely wrong and maybe she was just looking for a friendly walk with someone. However, the personal questions or saying "I don't know this area very well can you show me the path to walk." That line alone was very off putting because there is a clear open path to follow here. I even told her this but she continued to walk with us even when I knew she could tell I was feeling uncomfortable. So PLEASE be aware of your surroundings and make sure you are safe. It's a nice area, however you just never know. She was probably in her early thirties, tall, African American - I don't recall her name. You just never know what could happen, things might seem perfectly fine, but always have your guard up like I did! Sorry for the long message, but I just want to make people aware of what happened so it doesn't happen to you!!

    I hiked this for the first time this year and found trail markings missing and ended up on a road…read moretaking me far away from the trail. BE VERY COGNAZANT OF THE TRAIL I found myself on another trail with excellent marking, but leading me further away. The trailhead at Birchwald refers to only 2 markings - red and green. Within a mile those are gone.

    Photos
    Birchwold Farm Conservation Area - The state line in the woods. If you see this, get back on the trail!!

    The state line in the woods. If you see this, get back on the trail!!

    Birchwold Farm Conservation Area
    Birchwold Farm Conservation Area

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    The Monastery Park - hiking - Updated June 2026

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