We went to George B. Parker Woodland in Coventry, Rhode Island at the height of the fall season.
If that doesn't hook you, I don't know what will.
What we brought:
-Targus laptop backpack filled with water and personal belongings.
-Crappy sneakers (because the trail was muddy- be sure to keep in mind whether or not it has rained in the past few days when you go on your hikes). On this trail, there are wood planks and bridges that pass over swampy grounds.
-Yoda and Gandalf, our walking sticks.
-Cell phone for taking these pictures.
Before choosing to hike here, I did a little bit of research.
There are a number of hiking clubs in RI and various resources that you can use to plot your destination and trail. Disclaimer: most of them are confusing to read, outdated, or don't give a clear description of where to go or how to get to the trails (i.e. I STILL can't figure out how to navigate Arcadia Management Area in Exeter, and I desperately want to be able to. Do you need two cars, or can you choose trails that loop back to your original destination?)
If you're an amateur, which is what this blog is all about, you want someone to spell these things out for you.
In the spirit of filling in that gap, here is the map that we used to navigate-- it was posted at the beginning of the orange trail.
The blue loop was the closest to access, but we didn't realize it was the longest blue trail until we arrived back at the car, huffing and puffing (3 miles). It took us about 2 hours. A lot of it is uphill, so don't hike this trail unless you're prepared to get a little bit of a workout. It's also a rather popular spot-- we ran into at least 6 other pairs/groups of hikers-- so although you will be alone for most of the way, be prepared to bump into other people.
Part of the trail runs along a large stream and also hits old sites with cairns and house foundations, both of which are pictured below (I linked to someone else's picture of the cairn sign because mine was cut off!)
Let me know if you go!
I love George B. Parker. It too, is one of my favorites in RI. As for Arcadia, R and I seem to think that there should be trails that loop. (That you could piece together anyway--not designated the way the blue loop is at George B. Parker). The problem is that there are just so many trails in Arcadia, it is easy to become disoriented (in my opinion).
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