.

With a total elevation change of only a couple hundred feet over seven miles, the Foster Plateau would be the flattest place on the proposed New England Trail. Nonetheless, its character is distinct and worthy. It's a place of dense woodlands and wooded swamps. Numerous old stone walls cross the Plateau, reminding us that these woodlands were once farms. Old cellar holes are common.

The path passes through woodlots and along old dirt roads.  Features along the way include Balm of Gilead Swamp, an old shingle mill, and Jeremoth Hill, 812 feet--the highest point in Rhode Island.  

Next along the proposed route is Killingly Pond and Killingly Pond Wildlife Management Area.

Nestled in between the hills on the border of Rhode Island and Connecticut, Pond is shrouded in the deep shade of Eastern Hemlocks. Although there are a few private homes on the west and south side of the lake, much of the shore is uninhabited,  buffered by the Killingly Pond Wildlife Management Area. It is a fine place to watch for wildlife, or to take a break during a long summer hike. 

From the Pond, the North-South route visits. This area includes  Grist Mill Pond and Hemlock Ledges. The terrain here is much rougher than that of the Foster Plateau--craggy, with many rock outcroppings and odd stone formations. The Hemlock Ledges provide some rough hiking and rock scrambles. Evidence of the last ice age is everywhere. Radical changes in the land due to glaciation cause creeks and swamps to drain in awkward ways. This is known as "deranged drainage." 

The route continues north to Pulaski State Park . . . 

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
Highpointers Club: Jeremoth Hill
Killingly Wildlife Management Area map
Durfee Hill Wildlife Management Area map

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