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Trails & Maps

South Kingstown Land Trust hosts nine unique and very different public hiking trails throughout our town with more than 14+ miles of carefully groomed trails. These trails have become an important feature of our local quality of life. They offer residents and visitors alike the opportunity to experience and enjoy nature and participate in healthy outdoor activity. Because the trails are all in preserved natural areas, protecting the habitat is very important and only  “passive recreation” (activities that minimize human impacts) are permitted. Some examples are observing and photographing nature and wildlife, birdwatching, historic and geologic observation, and of course walking and hiking.

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A checklist of birds found on our trails from the RI Bird Atlas 2.0, can be downloaded here.

Search for RI’s diverse groups of butterflies and “odonata” (dragonflies and damselflies) using RI Natural History Survey’s most recent checklists:  Checklist of RI Butterflies  ~ Checklist of RI Dragonflies & Damselflies

Rules of the trail are posted at each trail head kiosk, included below, and printed on the trail map. Visitors are encouraged to stay on marked trails and remain socially distanced from other hikers encountered on the trail.

Submit trail observations here.

Please leave the trails and the property as found for current and future generations to enjoy.

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Three of SKLT’s public trails, Weeden Trail, Thewlis Trail, and Tefft, now feature geocaching by Girl Scout Gold Award Recipient Sophia Boardman. Learn more at geocaching.com

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Yawgoo Trail is CLOSED indefinitely. We apologize for any inconvenience. We invite you to explore other SKLT trails and look forward to re-opening Yawgoo Trail as soon as possible.

The trail was closed in 2020 due to circumstances requiring a redirection of the trail that will involve building elevated bridges and boardwalks over the wetlands. You can donate directly to the planning and construction of the redirected trail which will restore access to the trail HERE. Stay tuned for updates!


 

Alewife Brook Trail

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 1.0 mile (Loop)
Points of interest:  The Alewife Brook Trail traverses a fine example of typical southern Rhode Island forest. Approximately 79 percent of this property hosts an upland forest canopy of scarlet, black, and white oak, red maple, white and pitch pine, hickory, beech and gray birch. The remaining 21 percent to the south along Alewife Brook is gently sloping wetlands with dense thickets of mountain laurel, rhododendron, sweet pepperbush, red maple, and alder. Both upland and wetland habitats can be observed from the trails here. This 43-acre property was acquired in July 2019 from the Rhode Island Boy Scouts with open space bond funds from RIDEM, the Town of South Kingstown, and with grants from the Bafflin Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, and the Champlin Foundation. Check out a video from the Rhode Island Natural History Survey on some of the flora found at Alewife.
Trailhead Directions: From the North or South via Route 1: take the exit for Route 110 (Ministerial Road). Follow Ministerial Road for 2.2 miles to a red blinking light. Take a left on Worden’s Pond Road and continue ¼ mile to trailhead parking on left.
From the North via Route 138: take Route 138 to Route 110 (Ministerial Road). Follow Ministerial Road for 3.8 miles to a red blinking light. Take a right on Worden’s Pond Road and continue ¼ mile to trailhead parking on left.

 

Biscuit City Trail 

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 0.6 miles
Points of interest: Donated in 2000, the 21-acre Biscuit City Preserve is historically significant to the Town of South Kingstown. Both Native Americans and colonists used it for a water source due to the natural spring that is located on the site. There are also many historic ruins which include the mill foundation, the water wheel pit, the cellar hole to the miller’s house, and a root cellar. The old spring house was renovated in 2008. Handicap accessible, the trail features a six-foot wide, 4 to 6-inch-deep layer of crushed blue stone leading 475 feet from the trailhead at Springdale Drive along the north and west shoreline edges of the half-acre Biscuit City Mill Pond. We are hoping that this area will open possibilities for persons with mobility issues to experience and appreciate an exquisite “pocket” nature reserve featuring varied flora and fauna, including native plants and fungi, a mature hickory, ash, and oak forest, aquatic animals and plants, and an impressive variety of birds.
Trailhead Directions: From the South: take either Route 2 or Route 110 (Ministerial Road) to Route 138. Take a right onto Route 138, and continue 3 miles from Route 2, or 1.1 miles from Route 110, to Biscuit City Road (just before the entrance to URI). Take a right onto Biscuit City Road and proceed 0.4 miles, then turn right onto Ledgewood Road. Follow Ledgewood to the end, then turn left on Springdale Drive. Proceed to the corner, and park on the right side of the road. The pond is on the right and visible from the road.
From the North: take either Route 1 or Route 2 to Route 138. From Route 2, take a left onto Route 138 and proceed per directions above. From Route 1 take a right onto Route 138 and proceed for 4 miles to Biscuit City Road. Take a left onto Biscuit City Road and proceed per directions above.
Download Trail Map 

 

Browning Woods Trail

Difficulty: Easy / Moderate
Length: 3 miles
Points of interest: The Browning Woods Trail begins at about 100 feet above sea level, passing over a swamp and intermittent stream, before gradually ascending to almost 200 feet through wooded uplands. Visitors can view the remains of the Browning homestead and a long-abandoned cellar hole. The trail crosses three parcels of land. The largest, the 165-acre Browning Woods Farm, was purchased from Harold Browning Jr. in 1999. The Browning Woods Farm was part of the original Pettaquamscutt Purchase in which settlers purchased 49 square miles from the Narragansett Sachems, and was in the Browning family for 10 generations before it was protected by SKLT. In 2001 and 2003, the two adjacent lots were purchased from the Kenney family and the Animal Rescue League, together encompassing an additional 92 acres. These acquisitions were funded by The Nature Conservancy (with funds from The Champlin Foundations and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation), RI Department of Environmental Management’s Forest Legacy Program, the Town of South Kingstown’s open space bond program, and the RI Greenways Council. The Greenways grant also helped to fund the trail construction and signage.
Trailhead Directions: From the South: take Route 1 to Shannock Road. Stay on Shannock Road for 1.3 miles to a stop sign. Bear left and continue another 0.2 mile on Shannock Road. The parking area is recessed on the right, across from 794 Shannock Road and Moraine Court.
From the North: take Route 2 to Shannock Road (ReStore will be on the corner). Turn left onto Shannock Road and continue 2.7 miles. The parking area is recessed on the left, across from 794 Shannock Road and Moraine Court.

 

Crawley Preserve Trail System

Difficulty: Easy / Moderate
Length: 2.3 miles (total); 1.55 miles (Blue-Red Loop)
Points of interest: Crawley Preserve hosts four well-marked trails on 99 acres straddling two towns: Richmond and South Kingstown, with most of the property (84.2 acres) in Richmond. The trails pass though upland forest of beech, oak, and the occasional white pine. The Preserve was acquired in 2003 as a joint project of the Richmond Rural Preservation Land Trust and SKLT, and funded by the Town of South Kingstown and the Nature Conservancy. Check out Richmond Rural Preservation. Land Trust’s Interpretative Trail Guide for Crawley Preserve
Trailhead Directions: From the South: take either Route 2 or Route 110 (Ministerial Road) to Route 138. Make a left onto Route 138 and continue 2 miles from Route 2 or 3.3 miles from Route 110 to Old Usquepaugh Road. Turn right onto Old Usquepaugh Road and continue 0.1 mile, passing a stone dam on the right, then bear right onto Glen Rock Road. Continue 0.3 mile to the parking area on left.
From the North: take Route 2 to Route 138. Turn right on Route 138 and proceed per directions above.

 

DuVal Trail System

Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 7.28 miles (to walk roundtrip both linear and loop trails)
Points of interest: Located in an area known as Susanna’s Woods, the DuVal Trail System features the 4.8 mile out-and-back DuVal (Blue) Trail, the 2.4 mile out-and-back Jones Camp (Green) Trail, the 0.7 mile Polly’s Rock Loop (Red) Trail), and the 0.6 mile Lynn’s Loop (Yellow) Trail. The trails cross numerous parcels of land protected by SKLT and DEM between 1983 and 2013. These trails feature the hill and kettle topography of a terminal moraine left by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age. Susanna’s Woods is noted for its stands of oak once used as woodlots for the plantation families who farmed the flat land nearer the coast. Though the area was never cleared, it has been continually cut for 300 years.
Trailhead Directions: From Route 1 southbound, take the Perryville Center exit and continue for 0.4 mile. Turn left onto Post Road and continue for 0.5 miles. The parking area will be on the left at the foot of the Quaker Burial Ground Historical Cemetery.
From Route 1 northbound, take the first U-turn after the Moonstone Beach Road exit and proceed per directions above.

 

Sculpture Trail

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 0.4 miles
Points of interest: The Sculpture Trail occupies about three upland acres of an otherwise wet and forested 22-acre parcel of protected land. The flat and easy to walk trail takes the visitor by numerous art installations created from a variety of materials.
Thanks to Troy West and Claudia Flynn for their inspiration and hard work on this project.
Trailhead Directions: From Route 1 northbound: take the Green Hill Beach Road exit. Proceed for ¼ mile then take a left on Green Hill Beach Road. Continue for 0.6 mile. The trailhead is a break in the stone wall (on your left) across from Bedford Drive. Park only on the left (east) side of the road.
From Route 1 southbound: take the U-turn exit for Green Hill Beach Road. Proceed 0.4 miles on Route 1 northbound then proceed per directions above.
Download Trail Map

 

Thewlis – DAR Trail

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 0.8 miles (Loop)
Points of interest: Thewlis Woods features stands of eastern white pine, scarlet oak, and beech. Turkey, coyote, fisher, and many other animals find food and shelter on this property. Harold Thewlis donated 28 acres of wooded upland to The Nature Conservancy in May 1994 who then passed ownership of the property to the South Kingstown Land Trust. The hiking trail was built in 2006 by John Tarasevich as an Eagle Scout project, and generously funded by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
Trailhead Directions: From Route 1 northbound or southbound take the Wakefield exit (if approaching from the northbound side, you’ll need to do a U-turn). Continue 0.3 miles then bear left onto Old Post Road. Follow Old Post Road. for 0.2 miles then take a left onto Dockray Street. Take your first right onto Pine Hill Road (note: the road will take a sharp bend to the left). Proceed for 0.3 miles. Woodbine Road will be on your left. Park on the right-side shoulder just before the trail sign.

 

Weeden Trail

Difficulty: Easy
Length: Approximately 1.5 miles (varies by season and active farming)
Points of interest: Located on a glacial outwash plain, this easy-to-walk trail features pastoral views of stone walls and fields actively cultivated for hay and corn. Visitors may also enjoy views of fields managed for wildlife habitat and a large grove of larch trees. The adjoining “Woodcock Campus” hosts the South Kingstown Land Trust offices and Barn, the site of our annual auction and many other events throughout the year.
Trailhead Directions: From the North or South: take Route 1 to Matunuck Beach Road. Take the second driveway on the right (17 Matunuck Beach Road) and park in the lot for the South Kingstown Land Trust Barn. The trail starts just inside the opening in the stone wall as you enter the parking lot. Download Trail Map. Download a 2018 Plant Inventory of Weeden Farm. Download Stone Wall Geology Tour at Weeden Farm Pamphlet.

 

Yawgoo Trail

Yawgoo Trail is CLOSED indefinitely. We apologize for any inconvenience. We invite you to explore other SKLT trails and look forward to re-opening Yawgoo Trail as soon as possible.

The trail was closed in 2020 due to circumstances requiring a redirection of the trail that will involve building elevated bridges and boardwalks over the wetlands. You can donate directly to the planning and construction of the redirected trail which will restore access to the trail HERE. Stay tuned for updates!

Difficulty: Moderate
Length: TBD
Points of interest: The Yawgoo Pond Trail takes the hiker by a kettle hole bog, over Mud Brook, and through a grove of stately white pine trees. Yawgoo Trail is also noted for its thick under-story of mountain laurel, especially near the steep banks of the kettle hole, and spectacular views of pristine Yawgoo Pond. Protecting the south and east sides of Yawgoo Pond, this property was acquired in two stages. The first acquisition was a 12.-acre parcel at the south end of Yawgoo Pond, funded through private donations in February 2001. The second acquisition, in October of 2005, preserved 68.3 acres on the east side of the pond. This project received support from the DEM Forest Legacy and Open Space Bond Fund, The Nature Conservancy, The Champlin Foundations, The Bafflin Foundation, and private donations from neighbors.
Trailhead Directions: From the North or South: take Route 2 (South County Trail) to Barber’s Pond Road at the State fishing area. Proceed 0.25 miles to a gravel parking area on the left side of the road.

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