It's one of the most thoughtfully laid out and signed trails in the state, but one gets the sense that it's not as well-known as it should be. It's certainly easy to miss the small parking area off Shannock Road just across from Moraine Road -- and the small size of the lot belies the sizable loop trail system, which runs to more than three miles (despite the South Kingstown Land Trust's figure of 2.5 miles). Along its route, it passes many natural and man-made features of considerable interest, among them the original farmstead of the
Browning family, with a well-preserved cellar hole and barn foundation. An interpretative sign there seems to have been temporarily removed, but the history of the site is fascinating: The Browning farm was part of the original
Pettaquamscutt purchase, and remained in the the Browning family for ten generations before it was eventually protected as a preserve. Many agencies came together to make this possible, among them the Nature Conservancy, the Champlin Foundation, and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with SKLT taking the role of managing the preserve and developing a trail system.
The trail takes the form of what longtime walkers often call a "lollipop" -- a single trail that splits into a loop. The trail starts in a classic south county landscape, with sandy soil and a variety of pines and hardwoods; helpful signs identify the pitch pines and other conifers, as well as common ground plants such as Indian Cucumber Root. Roughly a half-mile in, you come to the fork for the loop -- take a right, and you'll soon come upon the remains of the Browning farmstead off to your right. Continuing through mature forest, the trail slowly loops around to the left, crossing and re-crossing a partly-overgrown meadow of scrub and grass, then following a cart path along an old stone wall. From there, the trail rises up a modest hill, then weaves its way around to close the loop. It's a well-graded, well-groomed trail, and a real pleasure to hike; the quality and length of the trail makes it ideal for families with younger children.
