Arcadia Management Area

7/10Mommy Approved Smiling Faces

http://riparks.com/Locations/LocationArcadia.html

260 Arcadia Rd

Hope Valley, RI 02832

(401)539-2356

Arcadia Management Area is mostly for for the true outdoors-man.  It is so vast, 14,000 acres that are forests mostly and is Rhode Island’s largest recreational area!  If your family is truly into nature and outdoor adventures, this would be a great spot for you to come!  Not all parts are ideal for young children in my opinion.  I say this just because of the density of this location.  It is so big and so heavily forested that, in a car, you can drive for what seems like forever with only endless trees in sight, so if you get lost in this forest on foot, you could find yourself in over your head.

When we went, we did not see too many people on the trails.  We saw a fair amount of people in the parking areas though.  People that come here tend to be interested in fishing, mountain biking, hiking, hunting, boating such as canoeing and kayaking, camping, picnicking and horse-back riding.  The trails can range from hikes of almost 2 miles to over 10 miles varying from easy to moderate.

Even though I did not give this a high rating on my page, I do think this is a nice, remote place to visit.  My score was due to that fact that for kids, it isn’t entirely suitable for them.  We hiked on two separate occasions with the kids.  The first time we went to the Roaring Brook area.  It has a very long wooden planked walkway  that boarders water in some areas.  It has picnic tables positioned in front of a pond for a beautiful view early on during the hike. There is also a waterfall upon entering the trail, which my kids were pretty excited about!  Because this trail is short, half of a mile, we ventured off this path and into the forest more once we were done.The second time we went to Breakhart Pond and walked it’s trail.  It is 1.5 miles long.  The pond was pretty and we also saw brooks, waterfalls and streams with some wooden bridges throughout.  The portion that my kids enjoyed most was the fair amount of wildlife.  You can find birds, fish, toads, and I’m sure several other animals.  These were just some of the common ones we came across during our time here.

 

Breakhart Pond has hiking and a designated fishing area

The Skinny:

• Location : Arcadia Management Area is an outdoor recreational area vast and heavily forested more ideal for a skilled outdoors-man than a novice due to its size and density.  I will say the place was kept very clean, the people and staff seem to do a fabulous job of taking their trash with them and cleaning up after one another!
• Hours : Sun up to Sundown
• Weather : Needs to be a decent day due to being entirely out in the elements here
• Parking and Admission : Abundant amount of FREE parking
• Recommendations :
  1. Having some sort of app on your phone or other navigational tool that you know how to use so you don’t end up getting deeper in the forest than you would like to.
  2. Bug spray
  3. Sun screen
  4. Snacks or a lunch as there isn’t anyplace to purchase food nearby
  5. Be aware of proper fishing regulations here if you intend to fish so you don’t do anything you shouldn’t
  6. Hiking shoes or boots, the grounds were well kept with planks of wood setup in muddy areas for ease of passage

Jewel Approved Jamison Approved