Scenic Rhode Island

2 Manchester Print Works Road,
Lincoln, Rhode Island 02865

Lincoln Woods State Park is definitely not a low key place. It has many visitors at any given time, and is usually buzzing with activity. However Lincoln Woods still earns a spot on this blog because of it's functionality and versatility. It is a large area of land (some 627 acres) not far from major urban areas such as Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket, and other neighboring towns. It has woods and walking trails, horseback riding trails, fields for parties and picnics, sports fields, a good size pond, and lots of parking.

The pond has a nice sand beach, convenient for when you can't get to the ocean, but it's pretty crowded most of the summer. You can rent sites and fields for events, as well as tents and tables. You can hike, boat, canoe, kayak, swim, walk your dog, people watch and much more, all in one place.

My friend and I will take her dogs there and do the 3-mile-or-so walk all the way around the pond, so dogs are welcome as long as they're on a leash. Most areas are accessible by car, and there are bathrooms by the beach. The fields and picnic areas are great to rent for parties and there is plenty of parking either in the lots or in the party areas themselves. The park is well staffed and well maintained. If you don't mind the crowds, it's not a bad place to have a gathering or just to hang out.

State Park Web Site

South Kingston, RI
Off Route 1

I've featured a lot of different places on this blog, but I have yet to do a beach post. RI has a lot of great beaches, from Scarborough to Narragansett, from Matunuck to Misquamicut, but my favorite beach is not even one you can go to. From April to the beginning of September, Moonstone Beach is not accessible to anyone except the endangered species which it protects.

Admittedly, I've only been to this beach a couple of times because beach-goers are not actually allowed during the summer months. But the few times I did visit, it left a wonderful impression on me and this was the only beach I saw fit to feature on this blog. I'm not sure if it was the absence of people, parking lots, or public bathrooms that lured me in, but it is a truly beautiful and scenic spot.

The pale, smooth pebbles along the water give the beach its name, and the water seems to be clearer here than at other beaches. Moonstone used to be famous for being a nudist beach, but ownership of the beach has switched hands several times and the nudist portion steadily shrunk, until the late 80's when the whole thing was devoted to protecting the wildlife (it is actually technically part of the Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, featured in an earlier post).

Nevertheless, Moonstone rarely has visitors, and if you can find a place to park you are free to walk the beach (as long as you keep your clothes on and mind the wildlife). It is slightly unfortunate to have the beach off limits to beach-going, but at the same time it is refreshing to have one that isn't swamped with people.

Fort Wetherill Road,
Jamestown, RI 02835

Fort Wetherill was a favorite destination of mine when I was a little kid. It is home to a massive old military fort, complete with pitch black halls of rubble and graffiti, huge gun emplacements, winding paths and secret stair cases overgrown with shrubbery. Or so it all seemed as a child. Nowadays it's still pretty cool, but the mystique and adventure of it has gone down a bit. My favorite thing about this park now is the view of Narragansett Bay.

The fort was originally just an earthen embankment created during the Revolutionary War to look out over and help protect the entrance to the bay. It briefly passed into the hands of the British and French before falling dormant after the war. The area was known as Fort Dumpling starting around 1800 but was renamed its current name in 1900. The fort was used briefly during WWII and became a state park in 1972.

Although the fort continues to crumble and visitors are not allowed inside, it's still a historic ruin and the views of Narragansett Bay are breathtaking. You can walk right out to the high cliffs overlooking the ocean, and I think there are a few benches. It's a relatively quite place most of the time, with few visitors---perfect for relaxing by yourself or with close friends and family.

State Park Web Site

Boston Neck Road, Route 1A
Between Hamilton Allenton Road and 138
Wickford, RI

My Dad and I stumbled upon this little walkway to the ocean quite a few years ago by accident. We were driving in the area and we saw cars parked along the side of the road. At this point, there was no parking lot, no sign, no name---the entrance itself was sort of hidden. But as of two or three years ago it has become official, and unfortunately more people now visit the path.

The preserve itself mainly consists of a wide, well-traveled path about a mile long. It takes you to a rocky beach with a great view of the Jamestown bridge. It's not a beach for swimming or sunbathing, but it is less busy and still just as scenic. You can walk up and down the beach either way; the left direction will eventually lead to a small inlet/marsh area.

Just recently, I discovered some of the other smaller paths off of the main one. It might seem like you're wandering lost at times, but all of the paths eventually lead back to the main one. This park is one of my favorites because few people travel there, and most of them just go down to the beach and back. The smaller paths lead you through a variety of landscapes, without traveling too far.

The main path is good for the elderly and small children since it's relatively short and easy to travel on, although sneakers are recommended. Like all other RI parks, all your trash is carry-in, carry-out and there are rules against camping and building fires. Last time I was there I actually saw a volunteer park ranger type person walking around the minor paths. But despite how much it's grown, it's still a great out-of-the-way place to visit, especially if you like being by the ocean.


RI Parks website

1040 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road
South Kingstown, RI 02879

Trustom Pond is a quiet little refuge off of Route 1 in South County, a little past the Matunuck State Beaches. It has a few miles of pathways that run through a variety of landscapes. You first enter through a wide-open field of tall grass where you just might see some deer (but beware of ticks, stay on the paths). Then you'll walk by a freshwater pond, home to snapping turtles, birds, and plenty of lily pads. You can take the path into the woods to see my second favorite tree in the state (complete with complementary bench), or you can continue on to the saltwater marsh.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife site, Trustom's salt pond is the only undeveloped one on the state. It's the home to a lot of unique and threatened wildlife, such as the piping plover and the osprey.

There's an information center and public bathrooms available next to the small parking lot. It can get busy in the summer with all the beach goers traveling up and down Rt. 1, but usually it's uncrowded and serene. The walking paths are well maintained, but the wooded parts can get pretty muddy. Just be sure to mind the wildlife and protect yourself from deer ticks which can carry diseases such as Lyme.