Posted By auntie on January 11, 2015

2.4 miles; west greenwich, ri

i decided to try downloading a track uploaded by another hiking blogger, hiking-in-ri. you can find this track at this link. hiking from a downloaded gps track is pretty much like hiking from a map, except you know where you are on the map. if that makes any sense. i just followed a trail until there was an intersection, then checked the gps to see which turn to make.

big river is a very large (more than 8,000 acres) tract of land mainly in west greenwich, ri, that was originally acquired by the state of rhode island with the intention of flooding it to make a reservoir, but environmental concerns which were raised during the 1970s cancelled the reservoir project, leaving a great hiking/biking area.

it is the opposite of a trackless wilderness. it’s very trackful. there are criss-crossing paths and old roads everywhere. i don’t recommend you attempt to hike here without a gps track or a map, and one of the best is the great swamp press map of big river.

remains of a bike helmet

this place is mountain bike heaven. i saw at least a dozen mountain bikers while i was out. the new england mountain bike association, or nemba, does a lot of work in here to keep it clean.

fireplace

there is something a little melancholy about big river, too, in that there were several communities that were displaced when the land was taken by the state. you can see old fireplaces, cellar holes, and cemeteries everywhere through here.

old gnarled tree

this beautiful old gnarly tree caught my eye. it wasn’t far from the old fireplace.

apples

sure enough, a little poking around uncovered fallen apples. this was somebody’s dooryard apple tree. wonder if they’re any good?

snowy princess pine

oh, and also, it was snowy. not my favorite hiking milleiu, but i am determined not to spend the winter stuck inside, so that means hiking in the snow. speaking of which, i thought it was kind of cool the way the snow kind of enclosed these princess pine plants.

old pump house?

there was this old structure that i’m guessing was an old pump house. there was a pretty substantial water supply system through here at one time.

new london turnpike

the new london turnpike passes right through big river straight as an arrow flight. this particular spot was a water crossing, as the road has eroded enough so that the water misses the culvert that passes under it.

i have added this hike to the hikefinder. please note that there are a lot more trails, tracks, and old woods roads in here than indicated on the map. trailhead, trail map

Categories: Rhode Island, Walks and Hikes
Tags: 2–5 miles, RI, West Greenwich RI