Posted By auntie on December 5, 2014

3.75 miles; westerly, ri

i headed out early this morning (well, early for me) to get in a quick hike before running a bunch of other errands, and i realized i hadn’t been to riverwood in ages. this is a westerly land trust property that can be found at the end of boy scout lane. it’s, as i mentioned before, very weird to get on to. i did the orange trail, which runs around the perimeter of the property, by the railroad tracks and the pawcatuck river, and also did a side excursion up the blue trail, which climbs the big granite knob in the center of the property. the two trails combined make 3.75 miles.

frosty leaves

it was pretty cold this morning, and the fallen leaves were still sporting a coating of rime. or hoarfrost. whatever.

old quarry

westerly has been known for its granite for many years, and there is an old quarry on the property. there are big piles of quarried stone everywhere, like legos or blocks left behind by a giant child.

chapman pond from the blue trail

there’s even an overlook of sorts. you wouldn’t see much in the summer. but then, i don’t recommend visiting riverwood in the summer. it’s very overgrown in places and very, very buggy.

pawcatuck river

as i mentioned, the orange trail follows the river for about half its length, and there are a few spots where it’s clear enough to go down to the water’s edge.

w men, men, men

as you might surmise from the name of the road to this place, there’s a boy scout camp at the beginning of the trail system. i took the yellow trail from the orange to go back to my car, and it passed right through the camp. when i first looked at this outhouse, all i saw was “men, men, men,” and i couldn’t help thinking of this:

“batten down the ladies’ room” indeed.

you can find riverwood in the hikefinder. the mileage posted there is for both the blue and orange trails combined. the orange trail by itself is 2.75 miles.

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