High Rock Preserve/Scott Brook

Although I've written about the best-known preserves of the Cumberland Land Trust -- Mercy Woods, the Monastery, and Blackall/Ballou -- visits to the the smaller and lesser-known of their trails continue to reveal hidden gems. Most recently, I made a point of hiking the High Rock and Scott Brook preserves, which like Blackall and Ballou are two distinct properties that share an interconnected trail system.

It's a remarkable one, with many features that are unique to Land Trust trails in the state. The most prominent of these, an enormous wire corn-crib in the midst of the woods, is testimony to the fact that, as recently as three decades ago, much of this area was still an active farm. A plaque on the crib notes that this was part of the Gingras Pig Farm, home to 300 pigs, as recently as the 1980's. The cart paths which, here as in so many LT lands, form the basis of part of the trail system, were clearly in use more recently than most; they're still level, smooth, and just grassed over with little undergrowth. It makes for a bucolic stroll through the dense woods and marshes on either side of the nearby power lines.

It took the combined forces of the Blackstone River Watershed Council, Cumberland Land Trust, and the town's Conservation Commission to make all this possible; the barn and a number of ruined fixtures, including a silo and extensive pig pens, still stood on the property. The resulting area, mostly forested but including several old fields and meadows, is one of the most rewarding smaller preserves in the state, with a wide variety of terrain and habitats.

I stared my journey at the small trailhead at the southern end of the preserve on Scott Road, where the Bluebird Trail -- blazed blue of course -- begins. Almost immediately, you drop down via a well-built wooden stairway, dipping into the lush forest before climbing out again a moment later on the first of several sections which run along the power-line cut-through.

Along your left, you can see one of the many marshy areas, dotted with dead trees, suggesting that these are wetlands of a more recent vintage, and owe their existence to human intervention in the landscape. A little past that, after another dip into the woods, you'll come to a broader meadow, dotted with birdhouses, which will surely be a delight for bird-watchers of every feather. 

One last turn into the woods on the right then takes you to the junction with the Tucker Field Trail, blazed red. Tucker takes you back to the cut-through and over to the other side, going quite closely along the edge of one of the marshes, before crossing back over the water on a well-made footbridge. The trail continues roughly on a northwest line, past a shortcut trail blazed yellow (though it's red on the trail map). You then come to a junction with the Scott Brook Trail, blazed white; you can continue on red up to  Tucker field, or turn right and make a loop of it via the white trail. A short ways on, a shorter green trail crosses the path; I haven't tried it yet, but it looks enticing and will surely add variety to my next visit. White eventually arrives at its own trailhead; from here you can pick up red again, which shortly returns you to the familiar landmark of the corn crib. It's a modest trail system, but filled with lush scenery and unexpected twists and turns; the paths are thoughtfully laid out, and except for a few grassy areas where there are no blazes, well-marked. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for something a little off the beaten path -- you won't be disappointed!

The DuVal Trail

It's easily one of the most beautiful, well-designed and well-maintained trails in Rhode Island  -- and around this time of year, it's truly spectacular. No other trail I know boasts such an abundance of mountain laurel, and when I walked the trail this past Sunday, the blooms were just beginning to open. Within the next few days, they will emerge fully, and the trail will be hedged and overhung with delightful blossoms of white, pink, and red.

The DuVal trail system, though administered today by the South Kingstown Land Trust, has a history that far predates the land trust legislation. It goes back to 1983, when Helena-Hope Gammell, donated the first four acres; she later became a founding member of the SKLT. Her initial gift has now grown to 167 acres, along with 74 adjoining acres managed by the DEM. The area in full is known as "Susanna's Woods" after Ms. Gammell's niece Susanna Klebovitz, and features a rich example of the sandy, acidic soil and mixed oak and pine forests so characteristic of southeastern Rhode Island. Happily, the area was spared much of the infestation of gyspy moths a few years back, and the oaks still stand tall and proud as far as the eye can see.

Entry to the trail system is from a parking area in Post Road near the site of the old Quaker Meeting House, established in the late seventeenth century; George Fox himself was said to have spoken there in 1672. The meeting house itself is long gone, though the adjacent cemetery can still be seen; from the parking area, you'll walk about 500 feet west along the road to the trailhead. There, a stone memorial recalls Susan B. DuVal, whose bequest enabled the trail system to be established.  

From the trailhead, follow the blue blazes of the DuVal trail; if time is short or a more leisurely walk is desired, two loop trails -- the yellow "Lynn's Loop" and the red "Polly's Loop" -- branch off to your left a short distance later. The DuVal, though, is the star of the system, following the ridge line up and down for nearly three miles. At the 0.7-mile mark, it jogs across Gravelly Hill Road; a short while later, at the peak of the highest ridge, a viewpoint offers a glimpse of the distant blue waters of Narragansett Bay. From there, up and down you'll go, with the trail's sandy soil and carefully terraced log steps making your way an easy one. Mountain laurel abounds on every side, though for some unknown reason the most showy bright-pink blossoms always seem to bloom some distance from the trail.

Eventually, you'll wind your way down to the trail's end, at the intersection of three roads: Sand Pine Trail, L'Ahinch Road, and Red House Road. One can make a sort of loop by following the unmaintained part of Red House Road to the south, and cutting back to the DuVal trail on a brief shortcut, though since this passes through private land, it's not recommended. Better to return as you came, rich with the realization that a trail taken in its other direction is, in many ways, a whole new one. On your return, as you refresh yourself with some cool water, take a moment and have a look at the old cemetery: it's an object lesson in the transience of human life, here amidst the greater continuity of nature itself, which will ever claim and reclaim the soil from which it springs. However long the span of our lives, we are really only visitors in this vastness; for anyone in need of a little life perspective, I can recommend no better remedy than a hike along the twists and turns of the DuVal trail.

New Trails in Glocester!

It's one of the largest expansions in recent memory to the trail system of any Land Trust property in recent years, and as with the previously existing trails at the Glocester Land Trust's Sprague Farm preserve, all the new trails are robustly cleared and blazed, and thoughtfully laid out.

The star of the show, without doubt, is the new William S. Klutz trail, blazed red. It starts conveniently from the gravel parking area near the end of the paved section of Joe Sweet Road; the parking area has been there for some years, but until recently serviced no trails.  Now, you can park and head in on a wonderfully well-made and well-groomed trail, the gateway to a wide variety of trails new and old.

The first section follows an old cart path along the side of a ridge before descending to an old homestead and cellar hole, which features one of the tallest and most striking ruined chimneys I've ever seen. You can trace the back of the flue as it rises from the original hearth, and the top -- which would have been above the roofline -- is largely intact. To your left, a blue-blazed "Chimney Trail" connects back to Joe Sweet Road. Continuing, you'll come to the second of two intersections with the green-blazed Striped Maple trail, which connects with the original Sprague Farm Loop. Further on, the trail heads up over the first of several rocky ridges; a glance at the ground will show you the hard work that went into this section of the trail, where numerous small trees had to be trimmed down to ground level. A short while later, you'll see the Stone Wall Trail on your right, which also connects to the loop trail.  Ahead on your left, yet another new path, the Lobohawk Trail, also connects back to Joe Sweet Road. Continue on, though, and you'll finally come out on the Haystack Hill trail, blazed yellow; to your right, it will take you back to the loop trail and the rest of the Sprague system, while if you turn left you'll head back to an intersection with the unpaved part of Joe Sweet Road, passing Mr. Sweet's original farmstead on your right.

It's easily my favorite new trail in Rhode Island! -- or will be, until I discover the next one.

Crawley Preserve

It's a modest trail system, but a rewarding shorter hike -- it pairs well with Browning Woods Farm -- passing through a lovely forest of mostly hardwoods, including oak, beech and hickory. There are, alas, the inevitable bare patches of dead trees from the 2016-2018 gypsy moth infestation, but with them there comes a consolation of light, as the sun now penetrates into formerly shaded areas, making a home for new understory species. There's plenty of up and down, too, to get the blood flowing on a chilly fall or spring day.

The trailhead is located on Glen Rock Road; approaching from the south, one passes by the venerable Kenyon's Grist Mill, which has been steadily grinding flour since 1696 (the present building dates to 1886) -- if it's open, you owe yourself a visit to pick up some of their fabulous stone-ground flour). The road winds steeply up, and you'll want to keep an eye out to locate the parking area on your left. There's room for around six or seven cars, and a clearly-marked trailhead with kiosk will guide you onto any of the three blazed trails. I recommend you start on the Crawley trail, blazed blue, which takes you directly up to the ridge-top, where you can glimpse some fine views of the valley and the Glen Rock Reservoir when the leaf cover isn't too dense.

Along the Crawley Trail

After the climb, you'll come to an intersection with the Red Fox trail (red); take a left, and ascend a bit further through a more open area. A short while later, you'll come upon the Box Turtle Trail (yellow) where another left will take you along the perimeter of the preserve, close by a working farm (watch your step, as there's an electric fence along one side); due to tree loss, the blazes are intermittent but the path is fairly easy to follow. Returning to red, you'll soon reach the far corner of protected land, and can head back on the Crawley Trail -- but be sure to take the yellow-blazed Brook Trail that soon spurs off to the left. On it, you'll cross an unnamed brook twice on well-made bridges, and emerge to find yourself once more at the parking area.

As you drive home, remember to thank the Crawley family, whose generosity made this preserve possible -- along with the South Kingstown Land Trust, the Richmond Rural Preservation Land Trust, and the Nature Conservancy, all of whose efforts contributed to creating this small gem of a woodland trail system.