Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge has an easy 2.5 mile loop on a flat dirt path. It offers excellent views of Newport and the ocean. If it has rained recently, there will be large puddles of water that are difficult to walk around. Nevertheless, it is a short walk that is worth the views.
If you are traveling to Newport and looking for recommendations, please go to

Barbara Reiser volunteer very ugly, nasty person ruined my peaceful experience. Mistakenly brought pet to trail, did not see «no pets» sign, first time, honest mistake. Barbara Reiser’s companion charged me as I was walking, screaming at me to «GET OFF THE TRAIL NOW!» He then attempted to «escort me off the trail», walking closely behind me and stopping when I stopped. Volunteer woman Barbara Reiser then arrived to meet companion, calling police saying «I was refusing to leave.» I was not refusing to leave, I was REFUSING TO BE TREATED LIKE THAT, and I was DEFINITELY refusing to be «escorted off» the trail by a couple of lunatics. She and her companion think Sachuest Point trail is THEIR private property and they have the right to threaten, harass, and verbally accost people who are «on their land.» Who signs on these nasty volunteers? BE FORWARNED ABOUT THIS UGLY, ABUSIVE PAIR.

An nice Wildlife Refuge tucked away near Newport, RI. We enjoyed the short trails around the perimeter of the park, and saw some wildlife. The trails can get muddy when it rains, so bring appropriate footwear! The park staff are nice.

I learned of Sachuset Wildlife from a friend over a year ago and ever since I’ve literally fallen in-​love with this beautiful and breathtaking place. It’s perfect for an array of things, site seeing, bird watching, walking, jogging and photo taking.
The staff are always welcoming and friendly as well as knowledgable. The grounds are very well maintained and serviced regularly. They recently replaced the roofs on their buildings which are also very well maintained. Inside the main building they have some exhibits offering wildlife information along with beautiful pictures. They also have «clean» restrooms for the public inside the main building.
This beautiful area provides views of the ocean, third beach and second beach of Newport with views of the lighthouse. It’s perfect to get away and clear your mind from the crazy hectic challenges that life deals you from time to time. There are several paths that lead you back to were you started. The longest path is 2.5 miles which I jog often and sometimes twice. They also have lookouts and paths that lead you down to the massive rocks in the water that you can bask in the sun on.
If you are ever in Newport or Middletown RI I would highly recommend you visit Sachuset Wildlife for an amazing experience.

Sure there are no mansions to look at, but if you want to experience a beautiful walk along ocean cliffs (and don’t want to pack your hiking boots), then the 1.5 mile Ocean View trail at Suchuest Point is for you! And if you’re a «birder» (I’m not) you’ll probably enjoy it even more.

This place is absolutely beautiful.
I walked around the walkways and the views are fantastic. There are little gazeebos around in certain secluded parts that I loved to just stop at and embrace the beauty of the sights that lay before me.
Free parking was a giant plus. Around the area, all the beaches require entrance fees or at the very least coin operated meters (good luck finding a spot though) and this place is off the beaten path so not a lot of people actually go here so that’s a giant plus.
I’d recommend this place to anyone visiting.

As a local this is usually one of my favorite spots on the island to get in a scenic walk/​run. The parking lot is fairly large and has never been full on any of my visits. Super easy to drive here and quickly get on your way. I was surprised to see how modern and well kept the small museum center is here — even clean bathrooms! There are a few walking/​running trails to choose from. You can go inside the museum center to grab a map or just reference the map out front. There are plenty of spots along the trail to work your way down to the water (just be mindful of ticks). Also many great spots for a picnic or laying out on the rocks by the water. No dogs. A great place to work in a quick walk or wander around for an extended period of time… just clean up after yourself!

Impressive well maintained park. If you want to roam around and see some deer, all types of birds and maybe potentially seals then this a great place. Theres many miles of trail and it loops all along the ocean giving you many viewing points. Theres also shoreline access however its mostly rocks.
That didn’t stop me as you can climb up onto the rocks and get some great photos.
I would suggest dressing for a hike as the grass and terrian can be high and somewhat uneven. I did find a tick on myself after so thats the only caution i would take besides from the sun and poison ivy.
Great spot to check out and sight see for free and kill half a day in the park then head over to second or third beach.

I have lived in Newport for my entire life. For years, my parents have always come here for sunrise/​sunset walks. I am sad to say that it took me until I was 23 to come and enjoy one of these walks, and I can just imagine what I have been misssing out on. Because of the popular Snowy Owl that is living here, it was very crowded. We had to circle around the parking lot about 6 or 7 times, until we finally saw someone leave.
Inside, there is a friendly greeter who helped us figure out what trail to do. He seemed to have a lot of knowledge of the wildlife, the area, and the preservation in general. The views are just breathtaking, there really is nothing like it on the island that can give you a view, with water on 365 degrees around you. It is stunning, and an absolute must for any wildlife/​nature/​hiker. I cannot wait to spend many days here this summer.

I honestly can’t say enough good things about this place. It’s a little «sanctuary» where you can go, to escape the reality called life. Sometimes if you’re lucky you come face to face with animals, like deer. They were closed for a while after the last big storm we had, but they’re open again now, and thank god for that. If you need to clear your head, and just «get away,» come here. It’s seriously a little slice of heaven. And leave your phone in the car. OR in your pocket, for safety purposes

Stunning views of the sunrise. Just breath taking. Go early and find a bench. I have posted so many pictures of the sun rise on facebook and people love them. The trails are well marked with little signs and there is a information building with a bathroom on the side. There are more trails on the other side of the building as well.
Free to check out and I always see people jogging, running, walking on the trails and many fishers also go early in the morning. Posted signs are up where you can fish.

Visitors to Newport should hike the Cliff Walk in Newport first and then head here for the second best hike in the area. This place has a very nice and peaceful 2.5 mile loop that will only take about 60 – 90 minutes to complete.
The best part? It’s FREE!

We found this when we realizes part of the cliff walk was damaged/​closed because of storm Sandy. It was a really nice, quite, well marked out place to walk around. You are almost assured to see some wild live. Last time we ran into several bunnies, they were so cute. The first time in the fall we saw several crabs and some snakes (small ones).
There are 2 paths: one long that runs by the ocean and the other by the beach. The beach one has multiple access points to the beach/​ocean. It also has has several sit seeing decks. There is even an information center with some helpful and very friendly people.

In the area for just a day, my mother and I found this wildlife refuse almost by accident, after driving down the road up to it, a road lined with beaches. We loved walking through the paths and seeing and hearing all the different birds and native plants. We also spotted a little rabbit. The views from the point are great, especially if you take advantage of the wooden look-​out posts.

Great place for a jog around the easy ~2.4mile loop. Floods occasionally after heavy rain, but that’s awesome too.
The visitors center has just been redone and repopens 8÷24÷12. Article below.

This place reminded me how to enjoy the quiet.
The trails are well marked and we ambled around, watching the surf (it was after a storm, windy and high tide so the beach was almost nonexistent but the waves were fantastic), the surfers (crazy guys in full wet suits with sails or windsurfers) and the wildlife.
We did end up getting wet and muddy as some of the trails don’t have the best drainage, but it was worth it.
I wish we’d had time to do both trails and I would love to go back at low tide.

This is my favorite place in the Newport area, but it’s not in Newport!
To get here, you drive by all the beaches and park in a free, yes I said FREE, lot at the end of the point. The trails — 1.5 and 1.2 in length circle the two sides of the point, so that no matter what path you pick, you get great views of the ocean, the beaches, and nature.
Along the way there are entry points to the water so that you can go walk along the rocks, go fishing, or just take a breather.
There’s also informative placards along the way that tell you about the birds and fish that you might encounter.
I love this place for its peacefulness, nature, and the people who work there.
The whole place is clean, well staffed, and just a great spot on a beautiful day. -

This is a chill, flat and accessible, mostly fine-​gravel paved walk looping the peninsula where the Sakonnet River meets open water. But the excitement is all there in the nature surrounding you.
Sure, birds are cool to me, I like to notice them, but I don’t go out of my way to bird-​watch as a primary goal or anything. Here, I get why people go nuts for birds. This habitat is chock-​full of swooping song birds, aquatic birds and raptors unique to this very specific coastal habitat, and since it is completely open to the sky, they are practically on display for you. There are some great signs along the way that help you identify some of the birds, and a very cool spot with two high-​powered telescopes to look out at the birds hanging on rocks and Little Compton across the river.
On my most recent visit, my husband and I were mesmerized in suspense by a red tailed hawk hovering low to the ground, looking perfectly still in the air. Eventually it landed right on the trail, staring into the bushes just 30 feet in front of us, and mysteriously dashed inside, then silence. Continuing on the trail, we think we spotted the hopeful dinner — a baby rabbit frozen in a patch of grass, surrounded by scattered fur tufts of perhaps a lost brother? Oh, the drama!
And the VIEWS! Rocky outcroppings (yep, better ‘n Cliff Walk) for exploring, watching the waves smash, and a fantastic view of Second Beach.
What could be better? How about a nature center, bathroom and a huge parking lot. This place is amazing.

This was the second stop for us after Cliff Walk over Thanksgiving weekend. It got dark pretty fast and the visitor center was closing up. But, we could still walk around the trails. Here you can get the perfect photo of the sunset. Plenty of wildlife to see as well like seagulls. Right before here, there is a beach which looked like you had to pay a parking fee during the summer season. Overall, it was nice to stroll around and met up with alot of photography enthusiasts with their telescope lenses. You can tell that this is a good place for bird watchers. I wished we got here earlier. This is a nice serene spot away from all the busy traffic near Cliff Walk and the Newport Mansions.

You’d think for a native, Cliff Walk would naturally be the best place to go for a run. Nope– it’s crowded, sometimes hard to find parking, swarming with tourists gawking at mansions, skateboarders, dogs…
Exactly.
That’s why Sachuest Point is my favorite little gem to go for runs. There is always plenty of parking, gorgeous views of the ocean, plenty of coastline access and views, a bike rack, trails that are clearly labeled and have measured distances, and if you come at the right times in the early evening you can see families of deer walking about which is always cool.
There’s enough room on the trail to bring a stroller with you if you wanted to walk around. There is coastline access for people who like salt water fishing. Along the trails, there are higher access places with binoculars to check out the birds and scenery in the area. I think also during the day, the building is open for people who have questions about the area as well as a public bathroom.
I personally have never had trouble with ticks, but just take caution and check yourself after you leave especially if you go through some of the bush to get down to the shoreline. I highly recommended Sachuest Point for runners and anyone who loves nature.