Hiking & Walking Trails

Hodge Family Wildlife Preserve

Hodge Family Wildlife Preserve trail is one of the most beautiful hikes on Block Island as it offers exceptional views especially at sunset. This trail is one of the easiest and great for those with mobility issues. There is an all-terrain wheelchair available for this trail by contacting the Nature Conservancy with 24-hour advance notice at 401.466.2129. From the parking lot area, this trail has a round-trip walking time of 30 minutes and a distance of 2 miles .

Hodge Preserve trail leads to a large meadow that is alive with wildflowers in the spring. However, it is a wonderful trail to visit anytime of year with unobstructed views to the ocean.

Clayhead Long Lot to Bluff Trail

Clayhead Long Lot to Bluff Trail is one of the more frequently visited trails on Block Island.  It has a moderate degree of difficulty with some steep slopes and uneven ground. This trail has a round-trip walking time of 1 hour and a distance of 1.5 miles and is marked so you can easily find your way directly to the bluff looking over the Atlantic Ocean.

Clayhead Preserve is mostly coastal shrubland which is an optimal habitat for migratory birds in the spring and fall. The Long Lot trail has a wonderful enclosed feeling running through thick vegetation interspersed by small open meadows and a number of isolated ponds. Please note that there are no glass floats hidden on this trail.

Clayhead Bluff Trail
Clayhead Bluff Trail is the oldest and longest trail on island and takes you out to the thickets of Block Island. This trail has a moderate degree of difficulty with some steep slopes and uneven ground. From the parking lot area, it has a round-trip walking time of 2.5 hours and a distance of 5 miles. This trail eventually leads to the beach and runs along the whole Clayhead Bluff Edge that leads back to Corn Neck Road where you have the option to venture further to see The North Light.

Clayhead Preserve is mostly coastal shrubland which is an optimal habitat for migratory birds in the spring and fall. There are many spectacular views from the vistas along the trail including glimpses of Old Harbor, The South East Light and Beacon Hill and beyond.

Great Salt Pond/Harrison Trail

The Great Salt Pond to Beacon Hill Loop also known as the Harrison Trail is distinct with vegetation and rolling hills. This trail is a quiet trail as it is on mostly private property but accessible to the public through easements. It is rated as a difficulty level of moderate with some steep slopes and uneven ground and has a round-trip walking time of 1.5 hours and a distance of 2.25 miles.

The first part of this trail starts at Ball O' Brien park and after crossing over West Side Road, you will see the Greenway Trail marker that leads to the second part of the trail. While the lush vegetation prevents the wide views that are common in many other areas of the trail system, there are still nice vistas to be found on this path. At different points, the landscape opens up, making it possible to see glimpses of town, New Harbor and Clay Head.

Turnip Farm and Elaine Loffredo Preserve Trails

Turnip Farm and Elaine Loffredo Preserve Trails are owned by the Block Island Land Trust. This property has many grasslands that have wildflowers in the Fall especially the purple northern blazing star. This trail is rated as moderate to difficult with a few steep slopes. From the parking lot area, this trail has a round-trip walking time of 1 hour and a distance of 2 miles.

There are also some very high hilltops that offer dramatic views looking south towards Lewis Farm and out towards Montauk. It is a quieter trail on busier days and allows you to truly connect to the surrounding nature.

Nathan Mott Park to Beacon Hill Road Trail

Nathan Mott Park to Beacon Hill Road trail has special history as Nathan Mott Park was the first park on Block Island and a gift from Lucretia Mott Ball who was a major landowner in the late 1930s. This trail is rated as difficult and from the parking lot area, has a round-trip walking time of 1 hour and a distance of 2 miles.

Lewis Dickens Farm

 Lewis Dickens Farm is one of the easiest and great for those with mobility issues. There is an all-terrain wheelchair available for this trail by contacting the Nature Conservancy with 24-hour advance notice at 401.466.2129. This trail has a round-trip walking time of 20 minutes and a distance of .6 miles. It looks as how Block Island used to look in the 1950s all the way back to the 1700s. It offers dramatic views of the ocean, Montauk and the wind farms. In the Fall, it is a spectacular time to see wildflowers and in the winter a great place to see sea ducks, often seeing numbers of ducks in the thousands.

Win Dodge Trail

The Win Dodge Preserve is rated as difficult with hard steep slopes and uneven ground and has a round-trip walking time of 45 minutes and a distance of 1 mile. The preserve was actually owned by a man named Winfield Dodge and it was his homestead. There are some spectacular sights including old barn foundations along with pastural views that lead back to Lewis Dickens Farm.

Rodman's Hollow Trail

Rodman's Hollow is a glacial outwash plain that was conserved starting in 1972 and is the place where the act of conservation on Block Island started. The trail is rated as moderate to difficult with some steep slopes and uneven ground. From the parking lot area, this trail connects to Black Rock Road, an unpaved road and has a round-trip walking time of 2 hours and a distance of 3.65 miles leading all the way to the ocean. It is known as the epicenter for the American Burying Beetle, a federally threatened species.

Rodman’s Hollow features shad trees that bloom in the spring and it is awash in white and looks as if it snowed. There are mainly grassland species and wildlife such as the Barn Owl who nests in the bluff nearby and the soaring northern harrier. There are also sandy hilltops known as moranial grasslands and those have unique types of plants that are only found in Rodman's Hollow and are globally threatened habitats. The Hollow offers some of the most dramatic views on the east coast offering unobstructed views looking towards Montauk and the Atlantic Ocean.

Fresh Pond Trail

Fresh Pond Trail features the largest freshwater pond on Block Island. It offers amazing fishing and spectacular views throughout. This trail is rated as moderate to difficult with some steep slopes and uneven ground and has a round-trip walking time of 1 hour and a distance of 1.5 miles.

Fresh Pond features the house Smilin Thru' near the trailhead that is one of the oldest houses on Block Island where a famous song was written in the 1920s. As you begin the trail, you encounter some shrubs which then opens up to the pond where you can see wading birds like the great blue heron and snowy egret. Further down the trail are pasture areas and hayfields and a spur trail that takes you to a high hill that offers panaromic vieww with sights such as the Southeast Light, wind farms and into town.

Fresh Swamp Preserve Trail

Fresh Swamp Preserve is a tale of two trails. The first part of this trail is very dense with beautiful shrubs and common milkweed and offers shelter on windy days for both hikers and wildlife. The second part of this trail is open fields and is amazing for seeing dragonflies and osprey and harriers. Degree of difficulty is rated as moderate with some steep slopes and uneven ground and has a round-trip walking time of 1 hour and a distance of 1.75 miles.

Fresh Swamp Trail has a few streams within and a large swamp which are the headwaters of the Great Salt Pond. In addition to this preserve being a haven for wildlife, it is also really important for the water quality of the island's inter ponds and the Great Salt Pond.