Date visited: 5/21/2022
This is a fantastic Nature Preserve, that has a little bit of everything. We hike a 2.5 mile loop
trail that had three distinct sections. The first
section is a wide, flat, gravel path that leads from the parking lot to the shore. The second
part is a walk along the shore, which is somewhat
rocky and "shelly" in places that leads to Rome Point. The third part of the path is a wooded
trail that runs along side the back of Bissel
Cove. It really is like three places in one! The beachy area is a bit rocky, but it's a
wonderful spot for the dogs when the weather is hot!
Seabee Museum & Memorial Park
Dates visited: 7/29/2022 & 10/4/2023
This museum and park is a memorial to the US Navy Seabees, who were stationed in Davisville (part of North Kingstown) from 1942 to 1994.
Seabees are also known as the US Naval Construction Battalion, and date back to World War II. The giant seabee caught my eye from the street,
so we stopped and checked the place out. We returned a second time, over a year later. We accessed the park from the
Quonset Point Bike Trail, and took a few more photos of different sections of the park.
Ryan Park
Date visited: 8/20/2022
There's a jumble of unblazed trails here. I definitely needed the GPS for this one. There is a
pond nearby, but none of the two and a half miles of trails we hiked went anywhere near the pond. The last third of our loop lacked shade.
This wasn't a bad hike by any means, just not a very memorable one.
Date visited: 8/20/2022
This is a regular park, with athletic fields and playgrounds and what not. Due to the heat, we skipped the standard park stuff and went to
the rear of the park where this is a boat launch, a bike trail, and a short
trail that runs along side Mill Cove. It was pretty scenic, but the dogs weren't feeling it. For whatever reason, they didn't want to
cooperate with the photos here, though I did manage to get a couple good ones. Both dogs also got to cool off in the water for a bit.
Wilson Park
Date visited: 12/19/2024
We returned to this park while we were visiting Wickford Village during the holiday
season. This time, we walked the paved track, and stopped to take a photo near what look like brand new pickle ball courts. Instead
of walking back to the village via West Main Street, we utilized the path through Bush Hill
that leads back to the village.
Dates visited: 7/29/2022 & 7/11/2023
Calf Pasture Point Recreation Area
Dates visited: 7/29/2022 & 7/11/2023
This is one of four beaches in North Kingstown that I've found that allow dogs year round. Non residents can only access the beach
via a 1.5 mile walk on the Quonset Point Bike Path. There's a loop you can hike
that incorporates the beach front around the point, and a wide dirt path through the woods back to the bike path. On our first visit, we did not
complete the loop. We basically just walked the bike path to the beach, and turned around. The weather was gloomy that day,
and we had already done a long walk at a different place. On our second visit, we did walk the entire loop,
which according to my Apple Watch, was just short of 4.5 miles total. The beach is more rocky than sandy, so probably not the
ideal sun-bathing beach. Even on a hot, clear summer evening, the beach was practially
deserted. The dogs had just gone to the groomers earlier that day, and with the short hair weren't hot enough to actually
go into the water.
King/Benson Preserve
Date visited: 7/6/2023
This is one of the Nature Conservancy's "flagship" preserves. There's a one mile blue bazed trail that connects to a yellow blazed
loop trail. The yellow trail goes down a hill over a long section of wooden planks until it reaches a pond at the site of an old girl
scout camp. We didn't pass anyone on our way down to the pond, but there was a few groups of people down at the pond once we got there.
The beach area wasn't very big, so it was hard to take pictures of the dogs in the pond. Mandy and Lexi enjoyed cooling off in the pond.
Shortly after the pond, there is a nice section of trail lined with very tall pine trees, and a small waterfall that was barely a
waterfall. We hiked a bit over three miles here.
Jamestown Bridge Lookout
Date visited: 7/6/2023
This is a scenic lookout spot, about a quarter mile on the opposite side of Route 1A from
King/Benson Preserve. The spot offers a nice view of the Jamestown Bridge and
the west portion of Narragansett Bay.
Spink Neck Beach
Date visited: 10/4/2023
This the fourth different beach we've visited in the Quonset Point section of town. Like the others, it opens out to the
bay, so the waves are mild. Mandy and Lexi love sitting in the water when it's calm. Also like the other Quonset beaches, dogs are allowed
here year round. We visited on an 80 degree afternoon in early October. There's a very short trail that leads out to some rocks.
Roy Boy's Clam Shack
Dates visited: 8/13/2024 & 8/16/2024
We've stopped here for food a number of times on our trips to Rhode Island. It's reasonably priced, the food is excellent, and there is
dog-friendly outdoor seating. I've gotten clam rolls and shrimp po-boys here, and the dogs get a plain hot dog.
Bush Hill Open Space
Date visited: 12/19/2024
There's a trail here through the woods and a salt marsh, leading from Wilson Park to
Wickford Village. I'm not a fan of these kinds of trails this time of year, because
everything looks so blah. I bet the marsh looks really beautiful in the summer time. The trail served it's purpose though, as
we were able to use the trail to get back to the village from the park.
Bissel Cove
Date visited: 3/3/2025
There is a shoreline access point at the corner of Worlsey and Seaview Avenues with a small parking area. The signs indicate a parking sticker
from the town is required to park. There's a small cobble beach, and some rockier areas that look out on the cove. This spot is more of a boat
launch or fishing spot than a swimming area. We were only here for about 10 minutes or so. We took some photos and then left.
Briggs Boesch Farm
Date visited: 7/26/2025
The trail here briefly crosses into North Kingstown. You can read more about this place, and see the rest of the photos on the
East Greenwich page.
North Kingstown High School
Date visited: 3/29/2026
This was our starting and ending point for the days adventures. The high school features many sidewalks and athletic fields, and is a
pretty nice spot for a walk in it's own right, but we mainly used it as a place to park in order to walk
to Lone Tree Point Beach.
Duck Cove
Date visited: 3/29/2026
On our walk from North Kingstown High School, we passed through Duck Cove on our way
to Lone Tree Point Beach. There's a walking path that leads from Duck Cove Road to William Street, across
a small causeway over the south end of the cove.
Smith's Castle
Date visited: 5/12/2026
First of all, it's not really a "castle". It's a "house museum", originally built in 1678, and is one of the oldest houses in
Rhode Island. Now it's a museum, and leashed dogs are allowed on the grounds, as long as there isn't any special events taking place.
The grounds also feature some very short hiking trails. The "Old Farm Road Trail" is a short loop through the woods, and the only
"real" trail here. It might be a quarter of a mile long, but does feature a couple nice foot bridges. The "Spring Path" is only a few
steps leading out to the site of an old spring. The third trail, the "Sea View Railroad Trail" was completely overgrown and not
passable. While I found the trails disappointing, the rest of the grounds are very nice, and feature a scenic view of
"Mill Cove" (a different body of water than the same named one in Warwick) and Rabbit Island. This
is a decent place for a quick stop to enjoy some nice grounds and views, but not a great spot if you're looking for a substantial
walk.
Dog Patch Beach
Date visited: 7/19/2026
Out of all the "secret" beaches we've visited, this one may be the most secret. It's not labeled on most maps, and it's in the
middle of the Quonset Industrial Park. I discovered that there is actually access to the beach via a Facebook post. There are
three parking spots (one is handicapped), and a narrow, overgrown trail that leads to the beach. There's a sign that reads
"Access Beach and Trail at your own risk". The actual beach area opens
to the bay, and extends about three quarters of a mile from the Port of Davisville to the Quonset State Airport.
It's actually a pretty nice spot. On the way back, I discovered a small side trail with a steep wooden stair case (about five steps),
that leads to a mowed area between the woods and the barbed wire fence, bypassing the overgrown section of the trail. Unless
you're really looking for an adventure, I wouldn't recommend this when there are already a number of dog-friendly beaches
nearby. That being said, I had a lot of fun exploring this new area.
