Fort Nature Refuge

8/10 Mommy Approved Smiling Faces

1445 Providence Pike

North Smithfield, Rhode Island 02896

https://asri.org/hike/wildliferefuges/fort-wildlife-refuge.html

Jamison and I had a fantastic day visiting Fort Nature Refuge. It was a fun hike because it was not too flat but it is still an easy, kid friendly trek. My son’s favorite part here was the many, many frogs and toads we found while visiting. Most of them being tiny and a few medium-sized. It was really fun to hunt and catch these little guys. We even kept an  tally adding each reptile to the last number we found. My son had a small pail and would collect 3-4 at a time and then release them in an area he deemed fit as not to overcrowd his newly found friends.

I enjoyed the frog and toad hunt too. I also loved finding the numerous mushrooms this location had. They were very cool and unique. We saw some purple, red, tiny, huge, dome-shaped, flat, cup-shaped, neon orange, the list goes on and on. My favorites are pictured here. I love the black spiked one-who knew Rhode Island has so many varieties?

 

The Skinny:

• Weather :  Ideally visit during a dry, comfortable day.  We visited in the thick of summer thinking a morning would be okay, but the humidity was there and so were the bugs so that’s something to watch for.
• Parking and Admissions :   Entrance and parking are FREE there was a spacious lot here if I had to guess 10-15 cars could fit.
• Location :  A land set aside for animals with 3 ponds, woods and wetlands with 3.5 miles of trails to explore.  Blue Heron (which we saw), Owls, and other birds are common here as well as deer, fox, beaver, otter, turtle, frogs, and toads-so cool for all who visit to see an animal in its habitat.
• Hours : Sunrise to sunset
• Duration :  We spent 3 hours here hiking and finding frogs, toads and mushrooms
• Tips and Recommendations : Dress for the woods-comfy sneakers, bug spray and a bug net.  I wore leggings and a long sleeve shirt but they still managed to get me through my tight clothing so maybe something baggier would help.  We did visit in summer so perhaps another season would be different in terms of nuisance bugs?  Dogs are not allowed at any Audubon Society locations.  

Jamison Approved: 👍🏼

If you like this location and have interest in other nearby trails try Wolf Hill Forest Preserve, Lincoln Woods (they offer several other activities here too) and Blackstone River State Park all within 15 minutes driving distance.