Slowly but surely, the warm days of springtime will replace this late-winter chill, pulling Rhode Islanders out of doors. The state offers countless unique and beautiful spots for hiking, nature-viewing, and birding, many of them virtually unknown. A great way to find them is by using Weekend Walks in Rhode Island, a guide book by Ken Weber, former nature columnist for the Providence Journal who passed away in 2007.
Weekend Walks covers wild places across RI, from north to south and from East Bay out to Block Island. It includes places you've surely heard of -- Ninigret, Great Swamp, Newport's Cliff Walk -- and others you perhaps haven't -- Ben Utter Trail, Fort Nature, or Weetamoo Woods. Small as Rhode Island is, still it may surprise you to look at the book's map and realize you have a nature preserve or wildlife refuge right in your backyard. (I discovered one exactly 2.1 miles from my house!)
Weber describes the level of difficulty and the length of each trail, as well as all of the unique natural and historical features of each spot. For better or for worse, RI doesn't offer much in the way of overly technical, strenuous hiking. Most every trail in the book is accessible to anyone in relatively good shape, and many are quite family-friendly. And of course, if you're in Rhode Island, no trail is more than an hour from your home -- all you need is a free afternoon. Driving directions are provided, but bring a map or GPS if you're shaky with ummarked roads and the lesser-known corners of the State.
A few recommendations from recent walks: For sweeping views across just-thawed waters, head to Long Pond and Ell Pond (a single trail connects the two), climb atop the outcroppings, and marvel at the miles of dense forest to either side of Long Pond. For surprising waterfalls at the site of an old spool-and-bobbin mill (only a handful of stones remain today), explore the Narragansett Trail in Rockville, crossing back and forth across the RI/CT line as you hike through the woods. For beavers and birds (like the fascinating woodcocks mentioned in last week's article), visit Fisherville Brook Wildlife Refuge in the late afternoon, and linger on the bridge long enough for the beavers to slap their tails in annoyance. Want to visit one of the few RI cliffs perfect for climbing, and a 200-year-old graveyard along the trail? Durfee Hill in Glocester has both, and more.
Whatever your hiking, birding, or nature-exploring needs this spring, the Weekend Walks in Rhode Island guide book is the perfect starting point. Soon you'll be discovering places you never imagined were tucked into these woods, or rediscovering spots you haven't seen in years.
Weekend Walks in Rhode Island is available through the publisher website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many local bookstores throughout the state.
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