The Walkabout Trail

Absolutely loved this place. We only did the blue loop (2 miles) because it was a hot day and I had the boy with us (he’s almost 7) but he trekked through like a champ. It was challenging enough but not exhausting. We came across a few friendly people and I loved smelling campfires randomly along the path. It kind of made me want to camp… if I had a camper that is.
Typical bug population but nothing deep woods off can’t handle. I recommend a good spraying before you head out and another spraying in the middle of the woods.
We saw a frog and some chipmunks and a pretty cool woodpecker. So friendly creatures all around always makes for a good hike.
We won’t have the boy next weekend so I’ve already got us going back to hit up one of the longer trails.

The Walkabout Trail is totally cool. It has beautiful sights, and you get to have a really peaceful walk through nature. The hike isn’t that difficult– it’s definitely a pretty flat trail all around for the most part. You can choose between 2, 6, or 8 mile. We did the 8 mile– however, between my GPS tracking on my phone and my watch tracking my steps, it’s more accurate to say 9 – 9 ½ miles round trip. Also, don’t forget the bug spray. There are some pretty swampy parts, that breed thousands of mosquitoes waiting to attack any hiker who happens upon them. Check it out though, if you’re looking for a new place to explore in RI.

Not bad not great. We did the «6 mile» loop as we were pressed for daylight. 4.58 miles on the GPS. We wish we had done the 8 mile loop, pretty sure it would have actually been 6.
Tripping rocks that are too small to step on and too big to step over. Roots! Tons and tons. Clearly dry areas that were boggy and wet when you stepped to them. And the underbrush was so close and dense, you couldn’t see what you were tripping over! There was bad, foul sailor lingo in those woods.
Next time… fall only, after a good hard frost. And I’m only going out the orange track, then back tracking so I don’t have to brave the «swamp.»

The Walkabout Trail is one of my top walking spots.
Definitely take the 2 or 8 mile loop, because the 6 mile won’t take you through the highlight of the path toward the end: a fantastical, lush area of moss and lichen in all shades of green to far out in the distance.
You’ll swear you’re in the lair of fairies. Have a wander off the path, look closely, and drink in the wonder.

There’s never anything wrong with a walk through the woods and this place gives you a place to do just that. There’s an eight mile loop with two shortcuts that give you the option to cut it to a two or a six mile loop. The only problem is that there’s not really anything that sets this place apart. It is what it is and that’s a walk through the woods. We took the 6 mile loop, but according to our GPS tracker it came in at around 4.75 miles.
The begining of the trail skirts Bowdish Lake and Wilbur Pond so the views are nice, but both are surrounded by a campground so it’s half taking in the scenery, half peeping into someone’s RV. The trail is, for the most part, pretty flat. So the trail isn’t all that strenuous, but that also means that there aren’t any scenic overlooks. The close proximity to the water made for some very muddy trails and had a lot of bloodthirsty bugs.
I’ve also seen a couple of websites and book list the walkabout as a good place for a mountain bike. I didn’t have my bike with me so this is more of an observation than an actual commentary, but it doesn’t look like it’d be a lot of fun. There were a lot of rocks and they werne’t the technical, fun to climb and dodge kind of rocks. They were the pile of stuff in the way that I’m going to have to walk my bike over kind of rocks. There were also a lot of marshy areas that would suck a tire right in. And in parts it’d be more halftrack than singletrack.
We had a good day and I recommend going at least once. They do have a beach at the trailhead for a dip. The next time I head out for a hike I’ll probably head somewhere a little more scenic.

A trail that’s
a gift
from some friends
from down under.
Most trails in New England have been around for centuries and the exact origins and meaning of the names have frequently been lost to the mists of time. The Walkabout Trail is an exception.
Even though many paths have been running through this area for a long, long time, the Walkabout Trail was cleared and cut by Australian sailors in 1965. Their ship, the Perth, was docked in the city of Newport, a few hours away. The story goes that the sailors wanted to escape the bacchanalian debauchery that was Newport at the time so went out into the deep woods and carved out a nice trial.
Even though it’s hard to imagine sailors actually wanting to avoid debauchery, the trail was named Walkabout, after the wandering predilections of the Australian aborigines,
The Walkabout Trail has three main paths, a choice of 2 mile, 6 mile, or 8 mile loops. Lots of ups and downs but no real steep climbs. Plenty of loose rock, exposed roots and mud to keep a hiker’s attention but it can’t be called a strenous or dangerous hike. Just a nice stroll through some beautiful woods.
The trail goes by Wilbur Pond and Bowdish Reservoir and has some interesting water views and If you look carefully you might notice ducks, kingfishers and geese. The forest is mostly pine, hemlock and Mountain Laural and deer, mink, raccoon, muskrats beavers and some cool snakes can occasionally be seen.
The trail gets a bit crowded in the summer and is a far more pleasant place to hike in the colder weather, especially after a nice snow. Because of the proximity of fresh water the bugs can be extremely aggressive in the spring and summer. Of course remember to wear bright orange during hunting season. It’s not only the law but a good way to avoid having your head as a trophy for a myopic, plastered or trigger happy hunter.