Wolf Hill

The view from Mercer Lookout

Wolf Hill Forest Preserve is one of the most popular hiking areas in Rhode Island, and the reasons aren't hard to see -- an extensive, well-blazed and well-maintained trail system, hikes ranging from easy strolls to rugged cliffs, and some of the most dramatic scenery in the state. The view from Mercer Lookout, where one can see the Providence skyline on the horizon, is one of the gems of the Land Trust system. The fact that it's easily accessible from Providence and other more populated areas is also a factor; on a perfect summer or fall day it's often hard to find parking on Waterview Drive -- but whatever you do, please don't enter the condominium complex at the end of the road -- that's private parking only for residents and guests. There's additional parking in a lot next to the Leo Bouchard Conservation Center, as well as -- as signs advise -- over on Mountaindale Road, where a gravel drive takes you up to a wooded lot with easy access to the trails.

The Magic Door

There are dozens of different routes one could choose -- but to show some of the diversity of what's available, I offer two suggested routes. The first is easy enough that the whole family can enjoy it, presuming that the kids have a modest amount of hiking experience, while the second offers greater distance and more challenging terrain; both include a stop at Mercer Lookout.

Route One: Start at the parking lot of Leo Bouchard -- you can tell your kids that the keyhole cut in the hedge is a magic doorway to a fantastical kingdom -- and it will be true. You'll have a brief climb at the beginning, then descend into deep forest. Your first intersection, on the left, is the "Farm House Loop" -- you can add it to your hike for a little more length -- but I recommend just proceeding directly to the Mary Mowry Trail, blazed green. There's a reason that the longest trail in the system is named after her; the land on which you stand was donated by her to the town, and is the centerpiece of the preserve (the Smithfield Police Department nearby is also on land she donated). Head to your right, and you'll soon come to the trailhead for the WWII Memorial Trail (yellow) on your left. After a modest climb to the ridge, you'll descend and cross over the power lines.

WWII Memorial

When you reach the other side, ignore the arrow and just proceed along the edge of the power-line cut. You'll soon come to a second entrance into the woods, just at the site of the WWII memorial -- this is where, on August 5th 1943, a training flight crashed, killing three servicemen; you'll see a memorial and a large boulder on which visitors have left smaller stones in tribute. Here you'll pick up the yellow trail again, following it to your right; when you come to a crossing of a smaller power line, go straight across and follow the white blazes -- they will take you to Mercer Lookout, with its fabulous view. On your return, follow white back, and then return via the yellow trail, to green, taking a right onto Mary Mowry, and your next left onto Leo Bouchard -- pass back through the "magic door" and you'll be on your way home.

The Cliffs of Mowry

Route Two: This starts the same as route one, only when you get to the junction with the WWII memorial trail, stay on Mary Mowry (green). Stick with the green blazes again when the Ken Weber trail branches off (red). You'll descend for a while, then come face-to-face with a very steep climb over and around boulders up the hill. For a moment, it's as if you found yourself in the White Mountains -- but, after a brief traverse and a second climb, you'll find yourself once again on an easy trail. When you reach the "T" intersection with Ken Weber, take a right on red (so to speak) and follow it to the cut for the smaller power line. You'll see red and blue blazes (as the trail from the Mountaindale Rd. parking lot joins you), but keep going left down the cut until you see yellow. Follow those blazes -- this is an extension of the WWII trail -- until they take a right into the woods (you'll be quite near the interstate at this point). Follow that trail through the woods to another junction with blue; take a right on blue and you'll soon be at Mercer Lookout. From there, continue on blue to the right of the lookout; you'll pass a lovely vernal pool on your left and then return to the cut for the smaller power line. You're now on your return journey -- you can choose white, or yellow, or red to head back through the woods and across the main power line. On the other side, follow red to the right (or stay on yellow if you've chosen yellow); take a right on Mary Mowry when you reach it, then a left on Leo Bouchard.