Rhode Island’s North-South Trail

The North-​South trail one of RI’s (mostly natural) wonders and best kept secrets. It’s is system of concrete, dirt, and deep back woods that connects our best parks, management areas, and wildlife reserves (Buck Hill, George Washington, Arcadia, Burlingame) and stretches across the entire state of RI (and a little bit into CT)! It’s well over 78 miles long, considering that the northern access point is in Douglas State Forest in MA, not right at the border. And if you do it as a through hike you need to go off trail for food and water reserves. We walked it over 4 consecutive days, between 16 – 22 miles/​day.
When I think of RI, I think of the hidden fields, waterfalls, ancient cemeteries, and old carriage trails that I encountered on the trail. Such incredible beauty! Favorite stretches include the bolder fields in Arcadia and the lushness of Burriville. Most of Foster is on concrete roads — I could have skipped Foster altogether.
The trail is very well marked and maintained, though there really aren’t a whole lot of resources for food, water, or lodging directly off the trail. Hiking it definitely requires a lot of research and pre-​planning. And perhaps some help from your friends for pickups or food drop-​offs. Recommended to do it from North to South to end up at Blue Shutters Beach in Charleston, but starting from the south makes sense if you want to link up with the Mid-​State trail and walk on up through MA into NH.
Cliff Vanover’s guidebook is a must — it’s out of print but the library has a few copies.

Rhode Island’s North-​South Trail is 77 miles long. It begins on the MA-​RI border in the Buck Hill Management Area in Burrillville and ends at the Atlantic Ocean on the Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown. In 2003, my son and I hiked the entire trail, doing it piecemeal over a number of weekends (with my wife dropping us off and picking us up). It was an unforgettable experience, with plenty of nature and history along the way.
If you’re also interested in doing the entire trail, I would recommend getting a copy of Cliff Vanover’s guidebook. I found it quite helpful.