Beavertail State Park (Blog Hike #759)

Trails: (unnamed)

Hike Location: Beavertail State Park

Geographic Location: south of Jamestown, RI (41.45181, -71.39946)

Length: 2.3 miles

Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: July 2019

Overview: A loop hike around Beavertail Point featuring Beavertail Lighthouse.

Park Information: https://riparks.ri.gov/parks/beavertail-state-park

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=759085

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Jamestown occupies an island in Narragansett Bay that is reached by taking SR 138 west out of Newport or east out of Kingstown.  After reaching the island, go south on North Road, which becomes Beavertail Road in the center of Jamestown the town.  Drive a total of 5.6 miles from SR 138 to reach Beavertail Rd.’s end at Beavertail State Park.  I started my hike at parking lot #2, although this hike passes through all 4 of the park’s parking lots.  On warm weather weekends, you will need to park wherever you can find a space.

The hike: Separating two of the main waterways from the Atlantic Ocean in to Narragansett Bay, Beavertail Point occupies a sentinel place in American maritime history.  The first Beavertail Light was built here in 1749, and it was only the third lighthouse erected on what would become the United States’ east coast.  The original wooden lighthouse burned down 4 years later, but the second structure lasted until the current granite lighthouse was built in 1856.

            Beavertail Point also became important during World War II.  Fort Burnside was constructed on this site as part of a picket line of coastal defenses.  The defenses protected New England’s wartime manufacturing plants, and remnants of Fort Burnside will be seen on this hike.

            Fort Burnside ceased operations in 1978, and in 1980 Beavertail State Park was created out of Federal Surplus Land to protect historic Beavertail Point.  In addition to preserving the lighthouse, the park offers some of Rhode Island’s best saltwater fishing.  While hiking is not this park’s main attraction, the park offers several miles of trails.  The hike described here forms a loop around Beavertail Point, and it features all of the park’s points of interest including the lighthouse, the World War II sites, and the park’s scenic coastline.

View south from parking lot #2

            From parking lot #2, Beavertail Light looms to the south, so you may as well start by heading to the lighthouse.  The rocky coast comes into view to the right as you walk toward the Light through a small mowed grass area.  Some wild roses in bloom aromatized my steps on the warm humid afternoon in late July that I came here.

            At 0.2 miles, you reach Beavertail Light.  The Light is surrounded by a number of auxiliary buildings, and a small gift shop and museum tells the story of the lighthouse’s history.  The lighthouse remains operational today.  There is a trail map on display in the museum, and I recommend taking a picture of it for use on your hike because the park’s trails are neither well-marked nor well-maintained.

Beavertail Light

            After touring the Light, continue a clockwise route around Beavertail Point by walking up the outbound park road or paralleling the road in the mowed grass area between the road and the coast.  Some round stone foundations in this area are the first remnants of Fort Burnside passed on this hike.  While I could not find any specific information about any of the old Fort Burnside structures, these stones look like foundations for a gun battery.  I had a reflective time thinking about what this area might have looked like during World War II.

Round stone foundation

Rocky coast at Beavertail Point

Upon reaching parking lot #4, look for a narrow dirt trail that leaves the mowed grass area and heads into the coastal scrub.  A sign with a QR code marks this point.  The narrow trail goes along the coast before curving inland at a grassy field.  Due to the grass and the narrowness of the trail, I recommend checking yourself for ticks after this hike.  My post-hike inspection yielded one such creepy crawly critter on my socks, and I managed to cast it back into the grass before it bit me.

Old Fort Burnside structure

At 0.8 miles, you reach a rusty metal structure, the most obvious remnant of Fort Burnside.  This structure looked like an old storage building to me, but again I could not find any sources to confirm my hunch.  Past this point, the trail widens to a two-track grassy road that leads out to the main park road.  To continue this hike, turn right on the park road and walk the park road to parking lot #1, the north end of which contains one of the park’s main trailheads.  Re-enter the woods at a sign that warns “no motor vehicles.”

            The main trail in this part of the park heads north with side trails branching off left and right.  The trails in this area form a real maze, and the lack of trail markings makes it very hard to stay on a chosen course.  My best advice is to keep heading in the general direction of north until, at 1.4 miles, you reach an old asphalt road that roughly marks the park’s north boundary.  Turn left on the old asphalt road to begin heading west.

Bench at end of asphalt road

            Just after the asphalt ends, you reach a bench that provides a nice view off the west side of Beavertail Point.  The trail curves left here and begins heading south with the rocky coast to the right.  Ignore trails that exit left and head inland.  Parts of this trail are very narrow or muddy, making for unpleasant hiking conditions.  With the lighthouse and the area’s history, this hike could be a real winner with better trail markings and maintenance.  If things go according to plan, you will come out at the north side of parking lot #2 at 2.3 miles.  If you accidentally come out at the park road as I did, you can simply walk the park road back to parking lot #2 and complete your hike that way.

Yankauer Nature Preserve (Blog Hike #758)

Trails: Kingfisher, South, and Cedar Trails

Hike Location: Yankauer Nature Preserve

Geographic Location: northeast of Martinsburg, WV (39.50144, -77.85321)

Length: 1.8 miles

Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: July 2019

Overview: A semiloop featuring a blufftop bench overlooking the Potomac River.

Preserve Information: https://www.potomacaudubon.org/preserves/yankauer/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=759516

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: In West Virginia’s eastern panhandle, take I-81 to SR 9 (exit 16E).  Exit and go east on SR 9.  Drive SR 9 east 2 miles to US 11 and turn left on US 11.  Drive US 11 north 4.1 miles to Bedington Road and turn right on Bedington Rd.  Take Bedington Rd. east 1.5 miles to Scrabble Road and turn left on Scrabble Rd.  Drive Scrabble Rd. 3.6 miles to Winding Neck Road and turn left on Winding Neck Rd.  The signed preserve parking lot is 0.3 miles ahead on the right.

The hike: Owned and maintained by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society, Yankauer Nature Preserve protects 104 blufftop acres overlooking the south bank of the Potomac River.  The preserve came to be in 1966 when Dr. Alfred Yankauer and Mrs. Marian Yankauer donated their weekend getaway house to The Nature Conservancy.  The land was transferred to the Audubon Society in 1994.

            True to its nature preserve status, the preserve’s only amenity is a pavilion used to host nature programs.  The preserve does feature 2.8 miles of well-maintained trails open only to hikers.  This hike uses most of the preserve’s trails to form a grand tour of all that Yankauer Nature Preserve has to offer.

Trailhead at parking area

            From the signed trailhead at the parking area, a gravel trail heads into the forest, which features many red cedar trees.  All of the land at Yankauer Nature Preserve is reverting farmland, but the area near the trailhead is earlier in the reversion process than other parts of the preserve.  Thus, you see many red cedar trees here, but some large oak and black walnut trees will be seen later in this hike.

            Quickly you pass the pavilion, a restroom building, and an information board to reach the signed start of the Kingfisher Trail, the preserve’s main trail.  Angle right to start the Kingfisher Trail.  Soon the gravel trail surface turns to dirt.  Where the Kingfisher Trail splits to form its loop, turn right following a sign that says “To South Trail.”

Starting the Kingfisher Trail's loop

            After dipping through the upper reaches of a ravine, you reach another trail intersection.  Turn right to leave the Kingfisher Trail and begin the lesser-used South Trail.  The South Trail treads the preserve’s highest ground as occasional vehicle traffic on Winding Neck Rd. becomes audible to the right.  Large amounts of Japanese stiltgrass, an invasive grass, appears in the understory here, and I broke many spider webs when I hiked here early on a hot and sweltry July morning.

            Just shy of 0.5 miles, the seldom-used Dan Fisher Trail exits left.  Stay right to remain on the South Trail.  A gradual descent over a winding course brings you to the South Trail’s eastern terminus at another junction with the Kingfisher Trail.  Turn right to continue the Kingfisher Trail.

Hiking the Kingfisher Trail

            At 1.1 miles, you reach the highlight of this hike: a blufftop bench that overlooks the Potomac River.  While the river can be seen some 40 feet below, trees preclude any expansive views.  Nevertheless, the bench makes a nice place to sit and have a snack just past the midpoint of this hike.

Bench overlooking Potomac River

            Past the bench, the trail heads northwest up a ravine that provides some of the preserve’s highest relief.  Interpretive signs point out sinkholes, which are above-ground evidence of the below-ground cave system that exists beneath this land.  At 1.5 miles, you finish a brief steep climb out of the ravine before closing the Kingfisher Trail’s loop.  Turn right to head back for the parking area.

Hiking the Cedar Loop

            Rather than retracing your steps all of the way to the parking area, consider adding on the short Cedar Loop.  The Cedar Loop is a 0.2 mile loop that passes through the nicest red cedar forest in the preserve.  The Cedar Loop returns you to the Kingfisher Trail, where a right turn will return you to the parking area to complete the hike.