Arcadia Management Area - Rhode Island State Parks
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.58969, -71.75827
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| Escoheag Trail Trailhead Parking at Plain Road |
TRAIL MAP:
There isn't a trail map that I could find. The closest thing would be on Trailforks:
DISTANCES:
I had this trip planned months ago as an add-on on the way home from an REI hiking trip in Maine that I had registered for. REI then cancelled all of their adventure trips but I kept the Rhode Island part and so glad I did - it was so much fun!
Friday, June 27, 2025
HIKE: Long Pond Woods and Ell Preserve - 5.2 miles
HIKE: Arcadia Management Area Stepstone Falls - 6.2 miles
HIKE: Turner Reservoir Trail - 3.4 miles
Saturday, June 28, 2025
HIKE - Colt State Park Hiking Trails - 1.7 miles
ZUMBA - In-person Zumba with Nellie G
BIKE - Easy Bay Bike Path with Colt State Park Bike Trails - 32.4 miles
THE HIKE:
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| Heading down Plain Road from the parking area. |
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| Keeping left when the Barber Trail goes right. |
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| When Plain Road bends to the right, left on Tanner Cutoff but there will be no blazing and no sign until a good distance in. |
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| Trailforks shows this trail but Gaia does not. It will meet up with the trail on the Gaia app eventually. |
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| Tufted Titmouse |
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| Great Crested Flycatcher |
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| A Tanner Cutoff sign! |
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| There is a massive blow down but a path to the left ... |
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| ... comes out on an old road then veers back into the woods beyond the blow down. |
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| So people think if you package your garbage up neatly it's OK to leave it there? NOT! |
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| Blue and yellow blazes appear. |
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| Stepstone Falls |
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| You can drive to Stepstone Falls but why when you can hike there? |
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| Crossing the bridge over ... |
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| ... Wood River. |
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| A white-blazed path on the other side is the 77-mile long North-South Trail that runs the length of Rhode Island from the Atlantic Ocean to the Massachusetts border. |
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| This crosses back over to the other side of Wood River on a footbridge. |
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| A North-South Trail sign. |
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| American Goldfinch |
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| Eastern Kingbird |
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| Ben Utter Trail is blazed yellow. |
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| I believe blue might be the Escoheag Trail but it's hard to tell without a trail map. |
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| The trail veers left as Tanner Washout, a hiking only trail. |
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| This is a very pretty trail along Wood River. |
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| Coming out on Plain Road ... |
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| ... looking back at the trail sign with names. Still confused as to which trail is which color. |
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| A short distance to the right on Plain Road ... |
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| ... to left on the, yes I suppose it is blue, Escoheag Trail. |
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| And it is still also the white North-South Trail. |
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| Staying with white the rest of the way. |
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| Damselfly |
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| I noticed this sign off to the right. |
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| Seems to be an old cemetery with unmarked graves. |
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| Still on the Escoheag Trail even though it is blazed white now? Without a map the trails are very confusing. Thank goodness for the app that at least shows where you are. |
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| The trail descends along pretty ledges. |
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| Coming out at a parking area ... |
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| ... where the Escoheag Trail is a gravel road ... |
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| ... back to the parking area. |
