The New England Trail Proposal--Trail Tour

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The East Branch: Rhode Island
Nicholas Farm through Moosup Valley

Bordered by the Connecticut's vast Patchaug State Forest, Nicholas Farm Wildlife Management Area is a great place to observe wildlife. Its mixed conifer and hardwood forest, along with wetlands, is prime habitat for cottontail rabbits, white-tailed deer, fox, coyote, raccoon, muskrat, mink, beaver, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, woodcock, etc. The proposed route passes through a pitch pine forest and over the Moosup River on an abandoned trestle bridge 60 feet high. Pitch pines, often stunted and scraggly, are unusual in that they can grow back after being burned or cut off at the trunk.

The jewel of Nicholas Farm is Carbuncle Pond, a bright blue oval in the northern end of the region. As you would expect, it's prime wildlife habitat, as well as a good place for canoeing and fishing. Nicholas Farm has been planted with crops that attract wildlife.

The proposed route passes out of the Nicholas Farm WMA along the Moosup River and crosses the Moosup Valley Trail which extends south into Connecticut. This trail is part of the proposed The East Coast Greenway, a bicycle and hiking path that would run from Maine to Florida. Along with the New England Trail, The East Coast Greenway would create a great triangle: from Foster Rhode Island, north to Monadnock, south to New Haven, and then east, back to Foster.

The proposed route heads north, roughly paralleling the river for seven miles, tracing it to its source. The Moosup is a great place to look for wildflowers. Visit in the summer and you'll see the brilliant red cardinal flower growing along its banks. lnteresting features along the proposed route would include historic cemeteries, two traditional New England Hamlets (Vaughn Hollow and Moosup Valley), and miles of wetlands that make up the Moosup headwaters.

Honeysuckle, Moosup Rver Moosup Valley