8/10 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊Mommy Approved Smiling Faces
277 Great Neck Rd
West Kingston, RI 02892
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/rhode-island/great-swamp-trail
The Great Swamp Management Area is a hot spot for finding an abundance of reptiles and living animals in general. This is the largest swamp in New England. During our visits, the kids and I saw frogs, tadpoles, 3 snakes, a turtle, countless butterflies, dragonflies, birds and other interesting insects here. If you have kids that are in love with nature and all it’s creatures, this is an ideal location for them to check out!! For my 4 year old son, it was a dream come true!
In imagining what this place should look like being named “The Great Swamp Management Area”, my mind automatically went to murky, dark water and smelly mud. It is not at all that way. Yes there are areas of dark water and mud, but it doesn’t stink. Actually it was quite the contrary during our visit. During springtime, all the wild flowers are in bloom and it smells heavenly. The flowers bring the insects so there are plenty of bees and dragonflies-the most we’ve ever seen at any hiking place and we have certainly hiked plenty! But, that is a good thing because, they eat mosquitos so maybe we should all be fans of dragonflies! Many of them are beautiful in metallic hues and varied patterns.
The property goes back for a while. We did a 4.5 mile loop trail but I don’t recall following any blazes. I used Alltrails and just opened it up every time there was a fork in the path to figure out which way to turn. The trails were pretty flat with wide flattened down grass or dirt to walk on throughout the trail. The trail directly adjacent to the swamp was sunny and hot while there were other areas with more shade. I would not recommend this hike on an extremely hot, full sun day or in the thick of summer.
If you are a birder, check out this site that goes into detail about the birds that inhibit this area. We saw numerous birds but are self-proclaimed newbies to birding. Bringing binoculars is a great idea to help get a closer look at animals that live here. My son loved to see how many creatures he could find.
We love reptiles so snakes don’t bother us. We did learn that in New England, there is one type of venomous snake and its the Copperhead. We learned the Milk Snake which we encountered, has similar markings. If your kids are like mine and love to touch animals, pay attention to the markings. A couple of things we learned about snakes is that: typically venomous snakes have vertical pupils instead of round ones and the Copperhead has a pattern where the shape narrows at the backbone like this: ) ( instead of this: ( ) like the pattern seen on the Milk Snake. I hope you and your reptile-loving kids get to check out this spectacular location filled with life! It was very fascinating for us both.
The Skinny:
Weather : A favorable day weather-wise because it is completely outdoors here. Ideal to visit on a day that is not too hot as there is a fair amount of sun here. Also I read the flies make the thick of summer intolerable.
Pricing & Admissions : The parking / admissions here is FREE
Location : 3,349 acres of wetlands and forest. This is the biggest swap in New England. It is home to various birds including herons and osprey as well as reptiles such as turtles, snakes and frogs just to name a few. From what I have read, some rare species can be found here.
Parking : There is a big parking fitting approximately 20-30 cars if I had to guess
Hours : This location is open a half hour before sunrise and closed a half hour after sunset daily
Duration : We stayed here about 3-4 hours and were fully engaged in all out animal encounters
Tips and Recommendations : bug spray, orange from 2nd Saturday in September to the last day in February and then again the 3rd Saturday in April until the last day in May due to hunting season (this can change so please check the DEM website ), sunscreen, nets to catch frogs or tadpoles, binoculars, a camera, boots, tick caution: tall socks over pants, skin covered as much as possible. Leashed dogs are welcome here March 15- August 15. We visited during this time and saw several dogs off leash.
Cons : I would love if a tour guide did nature walks here. I didn’t see anything like that happening here. Upon reaching out to the Management Area, they directed me toward their upcoming events open to the public here. COVID has made several activities virtual still.
Jamison Approved 👍🏼
Jewel Approved 👍🏼
Be sure to enjoy the South County Bike Path with the kids while in the area. The bike path crosses where the Great Swamp Management Area is. You can see the Great Swamp Area while on the bike path and learn about it via posted signs! If your kids are into nature, you should check out Meig’s Point Nature Center in Connecticut.
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