John H Chaffee Nature Reserve

8/10 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊Mommy Approved Smiling Faces

1344 Boston Neck Road
Route 1A between Gilbert Stuart Rd and Rte 138                                                                    North Kingstown, RI 02852 

https://www.riparks.com/Locations/LocationJohnHChafee.html

John H Chaffee Nature Reserve is also known as Rome Point Trail.  This location is a stunning area with wooded trails and a vast panoramic view of the ocean with the Jamestown and Newport Bridges as a backdrop. The trails are plentiful and fun to explore here.

Our joint decision on our favorite part of the hike is when we saw schools of small fish followed by schools of large fish actually jumping out of the water! It was incredible! I had never seen such a sight. It was great to see because it just keep reoccurring and it was within feet of us standing at the shore!

We met some passers by who asked us if we saw any seals. They said the seal sightings in this area occur in October! Sadly, we didn’t see any but we all would have loved that.

The trails were very pretty. I collected small amounts of trash here and then and then there was a low lying area with so much trash I could have spent days there. Not sure what that was about because the majority of the trail looked pretty clean.

We saw some touching items on these trails including a dog burial tombstone, an ornament decorated holly tree and a rusty old vehicle. Very interesting and beautiful place for sure.  We liked it so much we went back again in the end of November.  It was a super sunny day that required some heavy sweatshirts or if are my son Jameson, a t-shirt is fine.  They just didn’t go in the water this time.  Still no signs of seals but we did see some nice seashells, an egg sack of some sort at the vernal pools and some amazing views of the water.  We met very friendly people here too.  There are a lot of families with small children and dogs.  One dog-owner today even let my kids give their dog some treats that he had in his pocket.  The kids were delighted.  

 

 

The Skinny:

• Weather : A nice, dry day ideally because it is outdoor location and you will want a clear view of the ocean.
• Parking and Admissions : Free parking and admission but on a nice day it can fill up because this spot offers such a beautiful view!
• Location :  Beautiful coastal hike with beach access and incredible views.  We didn’t exactly do the Alltrails map which says it is about 2.4 miles but we did a version of it having a short cut.  There are several trails off the main trail for you to explore if you so choose.  The hike is rated easy.
• Duration : We spent 2 and a half to 3 hours here both times we came exploring. We could have stayed longer but we had to get home to do some schoolwork.
• Tips and Recommendations : Wear walking shoes and comfy attire. Leashed dogs are welcomed here.  Be certain to take any trash home with you and have a towel in case your kids get wet exploring the shore as mine did.

Jewel Approved

Jamison Approved

This location is in close proximity to King Benson Nature Preserve and Ryan Park which are also fun places to explore with kids and dogs.