Posted By auntie on July 18, 2014

2.5 miles, exeter, ri

this is a really sweet little trail. the preserve is a nature conservancy property, so it is very well blazed and maintained and has excellent signage. it’s not far from the audubon society’s fisherville brook preserve, and you could conceivably combine the two into one nice long hike (more on that later).

cuttyhunk brook

the trail is yellow blazed, and is a lollypop loop. it runs pretty steadily downhill from the parking area for almost a half mile to the brook crossing. just beyond the brook the loop divides. i went counter-clockwise. there is a decent sized complex of cellar holes just past the split.

the trail

the woods are mostly beech and oak and white pine, with some stands of black birches mixed in here and there. there is also a crossing trail that could cut the loop short, which i chose not to do. just beyond this intersection you come to a large boulder field, or moraine.

another magnificent chicken-of-the-woods

the furthest reach of the loop trail picks up stony lane, and this stretch is pretty easy walking. the trail then dives back into the woods, and through a network of unblazed woods roads, but the blazing is easy to follow. it seems to end very quickly after that, and before you know it you’re back to the place where the loop splits and the brook crossing.

as i mentioned, instead of diving back into the woods from stony lane, you could continue across hopkins hill road, and then come to the parking area of the audubon society’s fisherville brook reserve, maybe about 9/10th of a mile total. this is another really beautiful property, and it has lots of good trails on it. i have created a map that has both preserves and their trail systems for your further hiking pleasure, here.

i have added this hike to the hikefinder.

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