Newport

◂︎ Mandy & Lexi's Rhode Island Adventures

Newport

Cliff Walk

Date visited: 6/5/2022

This was another great trip to Rhode Island. We walked the Northern half of the Cliff Walk trail. The trail hugs the Eastern Newport coast. The entire trail runs 3 1/2 miles, but since we have to walk out and back, that would be 7 miles to walk the whole thing. That is a little bit much for the dogs, well Mandy anyway. The section we did walk was mostly paved, except for the short segment on the rocks. We also checked out Easton's Beach which is on the North end of the trail. The weather was perfect for this walk. It was 66 degrees, sunny and breezy. A small section of the trail between Narragansett Avenue and Webster Street was closed, and there was a short detour set up. The trail runs right by Salve Regina University, which made a nice backdrop for some of the pictures. We turned around once we hit "The Cove," which is a small beachy area after the boulder section, where the dogs were able to check out the water. Hopefully we'll be able to come back and check out the Southern portion of the trail at a later date.

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Fort Adams State Park

Date visited: 8/7/2022

We escaped the brutal Connecticut heat and humidity by spending a day in Newport, RI, where it was 78 degrees and very windy! We walked what is called the "Fort Adams Bay Walk", a trail that combines some park roads and paved walking trails that loop the park. It was very windy, I had to catch my hat that blew off my head before it blew into the water. It was a fun walk with great views of the bay. There is also a fort here, but I didn't take the paid tour since I had the dogs with me. There are a few spots where the dogs could get into the water to cool off as well. This was a really great visit.

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Brenton Point State Park

Dates visited: 8/7/2022 & 7/28/2023

This is another great state park in Newport. There's a lot of access to the rocky shoreline. People were flying kites on the grassy area, and there were people parasailing on the water. There are some nice monuments here too. I bypassed the "trail" listed in the All-Trails app and mostly just walked around the rocky coast.

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We returned the next summer. Again, it was a hot and humid day inland, but here it was in the mid 80's and very breezy by the shore. This time we walked here from King Beach, and took many pictures around the rocky shoreline. Since we didn't hike the trail last time, we went for it this time. It's an easy flat walk on a wide, mowed trail that ran mostly through a meadow. There is an observation tower about half way through. We climbed to the top of that as well. Most of the photos I took were of sections of the park that we didn't cover on our first visit. That being said, I did take some photos by the monuments again. One thing I noticed is how green the grass was this time around. Last year, Rhode Island was going through a masssive drought. This year, we're approaching records for the amount of rain received in July!

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Downtown Newport

Date visited: 9/15/2022

We decided to visit the historic downtown tourist area of Newport on a gorgeous day in the middle of September. Since it was a Thursday and school was back in session, I thought it wouldn't be that crazy, but I thought wrong. It took me 20 minutes to find a place to park. All the lots were full. It also turned out that a boat show was going on here as well. Once we parked, we roughly followed the "Colonial Tree Trail" in the All-Trails app, which led us around some of the lesser known historic sites. I expanded the route to include the busy area around Thames Street, which is at the heart of the Newport Tourist District. The dogs got a lot of compliments with how well they pose for pictures!

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King Park

Date visited: 11/5/2022

This is a lesser known beach in Newport. It's basically a town park, with two small beachy areas attached to it. It's a good place to just relax. There's about a miles worth of a walking trail around the park. It seems dogs are allowed year round here, but parking is by permit only in-season, from May 15 to October 1st I think (but don't quote me on that). There were record high temperatures throughout the region on this day. It was 70 degrees in Newport, in November, so it was definitely a good day to go to a beach! The weather forecast also called for cloudy skies most of the day, but it was bright and sunny in Newport so it was a great day all around.

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Castle Hill Lighthouse

Date visited: 7/28/2023

This is a famous historical landmark in the town of Newport. The lighthouse is still operated by the US Coast Guard, but is located on property owned by the Castle Hill Inn, a very high end establishment in Newport. The site is used often for events and weddings. I'm not positive that the grounds are open to the general public. We found the place via the All-Trails app, and while there was signs for "Lighthouse Parking", there were also signs that said "Private Property, for inn guests only". As a group of 20 somethings all dressed up in suits and fancy dresses walked by us, I felt like we crashed a high-end party or something! Still, I figured the worst that could happen would be that we were asked to leave, and that didn't happen. We also passed a couple that were there to walk their dog on the trail as well. Speaking of the trail, it is beautiful and well maintained, with good access to the exterior of the lighthouse, as well as some very scenic vistas. I love the picture of Mandy and Lexi on the dock chairs. It look likes they're having a blast on vacation!

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Easton's Beach

Dates visited: 6/5/2022 & 1/27/2023

We spotted this beach initially when we walked the Cliff Walk. This beach is located at the start of the Cliff Walk, but we could only take pictures of the beach from the road that day because dogs aren't allowed during the summer months. We came back on a day, that was definitely not a summer day and checked out the beach. It's a popular beach in Newport, which the locals also call "First Beach". "Second Beach" and Third Beach are located nearby in neighboring Middletown. I actually think those beaches are nicer than this one. We also took a detour while we were here to walk over to Dunlap Wheeler Park and Atlantic Beach in Middletown, which is pretty much one lot over from Easton's Beach. When we arrived here on a brisk January day, there were actually people surfing, as well as some other dogs that were fetching balls in the water. It was a bit too cold for us to do any of those activities, but we enjoyed our walk anyway!

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King's Beach

Dates visited: 1/27/2023 & 7/28/2023

Not to be confused with King's Park Beach, this is a completely different place. There's a rocky area along side Ocean Avenue, a spot for fishing and boat access, as well as a small natural sandy beach, with lots of sea weed. We visited here twice so far, once in the middle of winter, and the other time smack dab in the middle of summer. Both times we parked near the fishing area and climbed some rocks that have a beautiful view of the ocean. The views are so great you can't really tell the winter photos apart from the summer photos. On both visits, we also walked along side Ocean Avenue until we reached Brenton Point State Park. This is a wonderful lesser known beach that is a perfect place to bring the dogs to cool off in the hot summer months. While the waves crash hard in some sections, there are other areas that are calm for the dogs to take a dip. Some people were camped out along the side of the road and on the rocks in lawn chairs. There is plenty of road side parking, as well as a small lot at the fishing area. This is a great beach alternative for dog owners, over the more touristy beaches in the area, especially since most, if not all of them, don't allow dogs in the summer.

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Rovensky Park

Date visited: 2/9/2024

This is a very small park with a stone dust walking trail that circles the park. Finding places to park in Newport is challenging, so we actually stopped here because street parking is available along side this park from October 2nd through May 30th (otherwise, you need a resident sticker). We walked the trail here, but then headed down Bellvue Avenue and Ledge Road to get to Land's End.

Land's End

Dates visited: 2/9/2024

This is a scenic spot located on the southern tip of Newport at the end of Ledge Road. It is a popular fishing spot. The southern end of the Cliff Walk also passes through here. We walked here from Rovensky Park where we parked, about a mile away. There's some limited parking here on Ledge Road, but a resident sticker is required in the summer months (May 1st through October 1st). We arrived right as the sun was setting, so it was a good time to take some photos!