A place with water trees stones and lots of dead people Even though you can’t actually go on the water Barden Reservoir is still a great place to hike. Since there are little dirt roads with virtually no traffic, many individuals and hiking clubs use a loop around the reservoir as a place for a nice hike through the woods when the snow or mud makes a trek through the deep woods difficult. Of course the primarily attraction of Barden Reservoir is the water. The huge reservoir is punctuated with small islands and looks like it would be a fantastic place to canoe or kayak, but I suspect the authorities would view someone boating on the public water supply rather harshly. Best just to view the reservoir as well as the cool waterfalls and numerous streams from a small distance. Another thing that becomes quite obvious is the huge abundance of stones. Boulders and walls everywhere. The whole area was heavily glaciated 20,000 years ago and the glacial debris must have made the area a nightmare for people to farm. Yet they managed quite nicely. One of the curious things that new people to the state notice is the large number of small cemeteries scattered about everywhere. Not only in the middle of the woods but also in cities and on quiet little side sides in the suburbs. Rhode Island has a thing for historical cemeteries and has preserved and protected over 3,600 on them. Most are very old and tiny things with a just family or two. There are a number of these diminutive graveyards in Barden Reservoir and I suspect they contain the remains of the original settlers that first turned the land. There is a project going on to record and document every name on every stone. Unfortunately many of the stones are sandstone which erodes very quickly and the names are no longer legible. Barden is a nice place for a easy hike, especially when you don’t want to trudge through deep snow or mud and history drips from every wall and foundation. Great water views on all sides and plenty of wildlife to observe. Just make sure you thread lightly and don’t disturb the dead.
