Beaver River Preserve Loop Trail

A loop trail marked with yellow blazes begins at the preserve entrance at the end of Fox Ridge Drive, over spectacular rocky outcrops and seasonally wet seeps, through woodlands thick with underbrush. A second trail runs along an old cart path from the southeast corner of the existing loop down to the river. Take this route and you will pass a colonial era grist mill. The trail ends at the Beaver River. The Beaver River is a major tributary to the Pawcatuck River. The Pawcatuck River's 300 square mile watershed comprises most of southwestern Rhode Island and extends into Connecticut. It supports roughly 70% of Rhode Island's globally imperiled species. In fact, the watershed hosts the largest and perhaps most significant cluster of known breeding sites for the globally vulnerable Ringed Boghaunter dragonfly (Williamsonia lintneri) across the specie's range. Beneath the Pawcatuck watershed lies an abundance of clean groundwater which serves as the sole source of drinking water for more than 60,000 local residents.