Want a great summer hike? Hit these 10 trails recommended by Walking RI's John Kostrzewa

For such a small state (just 1,200 square miles), Rhode Island has an amazing number of different hikes with a wide range of terrains, wildlife, histories and glacial features.

Here are a few of my favorites that I’ve explored while writing the “Walking Rhode Island” column that are good options for summertime.

Enjoy!

Best waterfall

The Falls River tumbles over Stepstone Falls in Exeter, dropping 10 feet over a terrace of flat stones – some natural and some man-made from a quarrying operation – to create a cascade of splashing water. The white spray from the falls sparkles in the summer sunshine.

You can reach the falls by driving down Falls River Road, but it’s more fun to hike upstream on the Ben Utter Trail. You’ll be rewarded with a relaxing rest stop on the smooth, stone landings on the banks of the river.

Best bird-watching hike

Hundreds of migratory birds stop at the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown on their flights up and down the East Coast. You can spot and hear a wide variety of colorful songbirds and seabirds in the inland thickets and along the rocky shore while walking on a wide, flat path that rims a crescent-shaped beach. The waves crashing on the rocky coast are a bonus.

If you visit, don’t miss the white board at the end of the trail where visitors list dozens of birds they have identified while walking in the preserve.

Most dog-friendly hike

Cow Pond in Lincoln, nestled among low, grassy ridges on a hilltop, is a gathering spot for dogs and their owners. On summer afternoons, I’ve seen dogs splashing and cooling off in the water while their owners chat on the banks of the tiny pond.

Dog walkers, and other visitors, can take one of several old cart paths and dirt roads that cross wide-open fields and run gently uphill to the pond.

Chase Farm Conservation Park is not a dog park however, and pets have to be leashed. Any waste must be picked up and disposed of.

Best ocean views

Lion’s Head Gorge in Jamestown's Beavertail State Park is a one-of-a-kind wonder, named for the crashing of waves into a high-walled cleft of rock, which sounds like a lion’s roar.

From a rocky trail that runs around the perimeter of the peninsula, walkers can view sailboats and Brenton Point in Newport across the East Passage and hidden beaches and caves along a path high above the West Passage. There’s also a panoramic view of the ocean from the rocks below an iconic lighthouse at the southern tip of the park.

Best historical hike

A short dirt path runs down to the Branch River in North Smithfield and offers a good look at the dams built by John Slater to harness the waterpower and run what was once the largest textile mill in the United States. Another trail leads to the rebuilt Slatersville Mill, with a distinctive, five-story bell tower, that still stands at the end of a network of canals, sluice gates, raceways and bridges.

Further along the trail, you’ll find a white church, a common green, tenant houses and a commercial block of shops that in the 1800s formed the first planned mill village in America. Slatersville became a model for other mill towns and was replicated all along the Blackstone River during the Industrial Revolution.

Best family-friendly walk

The wide, flat path that enters the Simmons Mill Pond Management Area in Little Compton is lined with dozens of hand-lettered signs that describe the trees, wildlife, rocks and rich history of the 433-acre preserve. It’s a special place to walk with children and grandchildren.

To extend your hike, choose from many well-marked trails that circle six ponds on the property to see an old grist mill site and a variety of birds, trees and wildlife.

Best urban walk

Climb up a long slope to a grassy meadow at the top of Providence's Neutaconkanut Hill (the highest point in Providence at 296 feet) and you’ll be rewarded with a sweeping view of the downtown.

For centuries, the Narragansets held ceremonies on the hill, which became the northwest boundary of Providence under a 1636 agreement between Roger Williams and tribal leaders.

Other trails from the hilltop cross wetlands, brooks and rocky overlooks. Don’t miss the Camaros graveyard, the remains of Chevy automobiles that were stolen and stripped and are now slowly sinking into the hillside.

Best osprey views

Ospreys, once an endangered species in Rhode Island, now nest along rivers, swamps and waterways across the state. One of the best views of the fishhawks is from an earthen dike which forms the Great Swamp in South Kingstown. The ospreys nest high atop telephone poles, and if you are lucky, you can spot one taking flight, soaring high into the clouds and then diving into the swamp to spear a fish with its talons before flying back to the nest to feed its young.

It’s a breathtaking sight.

Best farm walk

Rhode Island is dotted with many old family farms that offer easy walks across rolling hills, pastures and fields.

Lawton Farm in Cranston has all that plus a footbridge over Cranberry Brook, which bisects the 54-acre preserve. Visitors can choose from 30-, 60- or 90-minute walks. The longer loop follows the perimeter of the land, lined with stone walls and red maple, black walnut and beech trees, while shorter paths cross meadows, hay fields and lines of hedgerow.

Best glacial pond

The glaciers that crept down from Canada 15,000 years ago carved out Long Pond in Hopkinton. The trail, high above the southern bank of the pond, crosses a ledge and passes ice-split erratics, giving hikers a great view of the crystal-blue water.

But the most interesting feature is at the west end of the pond where the trail climbs the rocky steps of the “Cathedral,” a natural cleft cut between high rock walls. At the top, hikers can scramble up a giant outcropping, where scenes from the movie “Moonrise Kingdom,” were filmed, for a good look at the length of the pond.

The Walking Rhode Island column runs twice a month in the Providence Sunday Journal. John Kostrzewa, a former assistant managing editor/business at The Journal, welcomes email at [email protected]. His book, “Walking Rhode Island: 40 Hikes for Nature and History Lovers with Pictures, GPS Coordinates and Trail Maps,” is available at local booksellers and at Amazon.com.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 10 best summer hikes in RI, from ocean views to bird-watching