Hiking at George Washington State Campground and Management Area

TLDR: George Washington State Campground and Management Area, Town of Glocester/Burrillville. It is managed by the State of Rhode Island Division of Parks and Recreation. More than 30 miles of trails to hike on 4000 acres. Excellent trail conditions except in a few places the trail was very wet and muddy. Not accessible for hikers with limited mobility, however the swimming area at Bowdish Reservoir and the campground have smooth dirt roads so you could enjoy the area. Trails are very well marked, and it is easy to stay on the trail in most areas. Dogs are allowed on a leash; mountain bikes are allowed; hunting is allowed so orange is a must during hunting seasons. ATVs are not allowed on any state lands in Rhode Island, but that is clearly ignored here, at least in the offseason. Multiple hikes/distances, the walkabout trail routes vary from 2 miles to 8 miles. Would not go back because of the ATV noise unless I was camping or trying out backpacking gear.

This area hit a few high points for me. I’m planning to hike parts of the North-South trail, which in total goes 78 miles from Charlestown, RI to the northern border with Massachusetts. This area has segments to do in both directions. I’ve been here several times without actually hiking the trails, so I wanted to see what there was to offer. I also wanted to check out the campground for future adventures, and it definitely looks like a good spot. For me it’s pretty close to home, so it’s a good place to try out new gear setups where I can bail and be home in an hour if it’s a failure. The sites are well-spaced and have good forest cover in-between them. Reservations are with Reserve America, and it’s 16 bucks a night.

The entrance to the park is located at 2185 Putnam Pike, Chepachet, RI. Parking is at the campground/beach area, and the trailhead is at 41.92377559315867, -71.75818502846509, which is a short drive into the park. There was a fee collection booth that was closed, and composting toilets that were also closed. It is still offseason until the second week of April when the campground is open for use.

The trail that leaves from this area is known as the Walkabout trail. I found an excellent description of the history of the name on Trails and Walks in Rhode Island . This is an excellent hiking blog, and you definitely should check it out! It’s pretty much an encyclopedia of RI and nearby hikes with a great attention to detail.

There are 3 trails to take from the trailhead that make up the Walkabout trails. Orange-8 miles, Red-6 miles, and Blue-2 miles. They are really well marked. The gold standard for trail blazes is that you should be able to see the next blaze from the one you are standing at. This fits the bill for almost the entire trail. I chose the 8-mile route for my hike. This hike is categorized as moderate. Compared to all the other hikes in the world, yeah, that’s probably true. For the casual hiker, this definitely had some more difficult than moderate sections where the rolling hills got fairly steep, and the scattered rocks were treacherous enough that you need to choose each step pretty carefully. I’d have rolled my ankle 20 times if I didn’t have my boots on.

I only met 5 groups of people out on the trail. 3 of them were walking dogs, and they all respected the leash rule. Only one of the groups were wearing orange, but I think technically we are in-between hunting seasons in March until April 17th.

This is the second largest state-owned piece of land, only Acadia is larger at 14,000 acres. I wish that I could say that it feels like you’re in the wilderness, but I’d be lying. At the start of the trail, you’re fairly close to State Route 44, and because Bowdish Lake borders the road, the noise carries really well across the lake. Today was a popular day for loud motorcycles, they seem to really relish bombing around in nice quiet areas. ATVs were an even bigger issue on my hike. Even once you got far into the property -at one point you’re easily a mile away from anything – the noise of the off-road machines absolutely ruined any peace and quiet, or nature sounds, or likelihood to see wildlife. It was really sad to be honest. ATV traffic in natural areas is a growing problem because the users have an increasing lack of respect for the rules banning them in these areas. ECORI news had an interesting article on this very problem.

Because of the size and remoteness, you should probably make sure to have some basic safety equipment: matches, emergency blanket, signal, first-aid kit. I suppose the one good thing about the area being crisscrossed with dirt roads and ATV trails is that it would be straightforward to evacuate someone who is injured.

This is one of the most beautiful areas in Rhode Island, and it has a really different look in these low-rolling hills and forested wetlands than you get in most of the coastal areas. It is a managed forest, but I only came across one clear-cut area the whole time, I’m sure they’re pretty sensitive to limiting the harvest as much as possible while balancing the forest management for timber.

I have to say overall I’m really disappointed in this area. I had no idea how much ATV traffic was there, and really had no reason to expect them because they aren’t allowed. The damage that they are doing to the trails causing soil erosion, the disruption of wildlife, and air pollution that they cause are far worse than the annoyance of the noise. There must be land that is protected from these destructive users. The stewards responsible for this area are failing in their duty, and irreversible damage is being done to a resource that belongs to all of us, not just a selfish few.