Hayfield Property

One of the lesser-known trails in Rhode Island is surely that of the Hayfield Property in Foster. Its trailhead is far down a narrow country road in a western corner of the state that few -- aside from locals -- have probably ever visited. Reached via Route 6 West, and then a jog on the Old Danielson Pike, whose bridge has been out for years, it lies on a road that is seldom reached without some deliberate destination. And this trail is a fine one.

The blazes are faded in places, and trail maintenance is falling a bit behind -- you'll encounter a variety of fallen branches and logs -- but it's well worth a visit. Most follow old carriage paths, and are wide and level though with a few lumps here and there were the stones have been eroded, or the soil settled. If you take both the outer perimeter loop and the inner one, over three miles of trails await, passing through hardwood forests with a few elders among the trees that suggest this land has long been left to the succession from field to brush to forest.

Mill ruins

At the terminus of the paths along Winsor Brook are the ruins of an old mill -- the site's description doesn't specify, but I suspect it was most likely a grist-mill or a sawmill -- the entrance to the old mill-race is still visible, as are some walls and an odd cellar-hole or two. The mill was likely one of those connected with the Hopkins Mills Historic District, a mill village (which you'll pass on the way to this hike) whose original home, the 1720 Hopkins-Potter house, one of the oldest in Foster.

The trail system is a bit rough and faded around the edges. The white "Chipmunk Trail" which runs the perimeter of the preserve is barely traceable and poorly blazed; I'd recommend instead coming in on the yellow (Hayfield) trail and keeping with it until you come to the mill site. After exploring there, you can return on the well-blazed Rocky Trail (red) and then the blue Pasture Trail. Despite their names, and the name of the preserve itself, the land is almost entirely forested; the lone clear area lies on its eastern perimeter. You'll feel a sense, as you walk here, that you're walking back in time -- and you are.