Today I decided to strike out on my own. It’s been a VERY busy few weeks and I’d be lying if I said my nerves weren’t frayed. It was time to seek out the peace of a good forest. And that’s what I did.

I’ve driven by the signs for this place many times and have had it on my list of to-do’s. The aforementioned sign is only about a mile up the road from the grave of Rhode Island’s last vampire Mercy Brown. And should a lovely hike through the woods and seeing a vampire grave interest you both things are very doable in one afternoon.

What I did not expect was that away from the super busy street I was wound down a series of increasingly sketchy looking dirt roads which are always a blast to drive down in the Prius. It was gorgeous though! I had worried earlier about finding parking because a lot of the trails I find only have parking for 2 or 3 cars and are on narrow ditched roads you can’t park aside. This was not to be the case. When I drove in I was the only one there and the parking lot was HUGE. And it was right before a sign reading, “DANGER unimproved road ahead. Pass at your own risk.” The Prius breathed a sigh of relief.

This place turned out to be such a gem. Here, well-hidden out in the middle of nowhere there was a series of well-marked trails. And it was so quiet! All I could hear were birds and crickets. This was such a needed break for me!

I took the Pond Loop or blue trail and was happy to find it was an easy well shaded hike with only a tiny incline here and there. The “pond” in question looked a lot more like a swamp to me but that’s OK. Swamps can be pretty too! And just beyond the swamp pond there was a little break away trail that led through a field and to a tiny little cemetery. Signs were posted that it was in the middle of a restoration project. There were only a handful of stones but wow were they nestled in some great scenery. What a wonderful place to spend eternity!

The rest of the trail remained easy and there was some more beautiful scenery. I sat on one of the several benches scattered about and just soaked it all in.

I don’t think many people know about this place (I mean I was the only one there on a gorgeous Friday afternoon) but that really just adds to the charm. If you happen to be in the area and need a little bit of nature you should totally go take an amble. It’s short, easy, and drop dead gorgeous. Happy travels!