.

The proposed route begins in Charlestown, Rhose Island, in the beautiful Ninigret Conservation Area along  East Beach, a narrow, uninhabited  3 mile strip of land dotted with Pitch Pines and dune grass, with the Atlantic on one side and Ninigret Bay on the other. The Rhode Island Branch of the New England Trail begins here, on the outer end of the jetty beside the Charlestown Breechway.

As you walk, watch out for the Piping Plover, an endangered seabird. These birds nest right on the beach; conservation officials are hard at work putting up  netting  around the nests to protect the eggs and young birds from scavengers, vandals, and careless feet. Ninigret is home to many endangered plants too, such as the Yellow Fringed Orchid (far right).

The proposed trail follows the shoreline, turns onto East Beach Road and crosses Rt. 1., entering Burlingame State Park. From here until the Massachusetts state line, it would roughly follow the path of the newly established North-South Trail.  

Burlingame State Park surrounds the crystal clear waters of Watchaug Pond. Both the pond and the frequent rounded boulders one finds in the park are the remains of the terminal moraine of the last glacial advance. Moraines are piles of debris transported along glaciers in conveyor- belt fashion. Terminal Moraines are the debris left at the very edge of a glacier. portions of Cape Cod, Block Island and Martha's Vineyard were formed by these processes.

Other evidence of glaciation can be found on Shamukanuc Hill, a labyrinth of jumbled rock outcrops located in the northern section of the park. 

Burlingame is open to camping, fishing, canoeing and other activities. The park also borders the Audubon Kimball Wildlife Refuge and the Indian Cedar Swamp, tribal lands of the Narragansett People.  

The trail route would pass through pine forests, along the shore of the pond,  through a swamp, over Shamukanuc Hill, and enter the Carolina Wildlife Management area near the Pawcatuck River.

Carolina Wildlife Management Area

From  the Pawcatuck, the proposed route would pass Meadow Brook Pond, with its sandy beach and good fishing, then traverse  farmland interspersed with woodland.  Much of the farmland in Carolina WMA is managed by the state; crops are planted that will attract animals such as white tailed deer, wild turkey, and pheasant. Many of the plantings are quite attractive, especially when in bloom; they are also great places to observe wildlife. The WMA supports a trout hatchery and 42 wildlife crop fields. 

Next stop, Tippecansett Trail. . . 

Resources

Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island
Rhode Island Greenways Council
Rhode Island Land Trust Council
Rhode Island Division of Parks and Recreation
North-South Trail maps 
Appalachian Mountain Club--Narragansett Chapter

South County Conservancy
Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association
Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge
Charlestown Breechway State Park
East Beach State Park
Burlingame State Park
Burlingame State park map
Audubon Kimball Wildlife Refuge
Audubon Kimball Wildlife Refuge trail map 
Narragansett Indian Tribe
Carolina Wildlife Management Area map

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