Mountain Bike Report: Loop Trail Arcadia State Park South

Loop Trail Water Source

Photo Courtesy Rebecca Crosby All Rights Reserved

 

Arcadia State Park is bisected into northern and southern sections by Route 165. The Loop Trail begins on Bates School House Road in Exeter, RI. It is accessed from a metal gate on Bates School House Road. The trail circles around and ends at the gate.
The trail consists mostly of old dirt roads and is not technical. It does offer a large hill with a challenging incline.

Loop Trail

Photo Courtesy Rebecca Crosby All Rights Reserved

 

The loop trail circles a hill called Bald Hill. It is a short ride that would be perfect for weeknight rides when time or daylight is a deciding factor. It would be an interesting trail to time.

Loop Trail

Photo Courtesy Rebecca Crosby All Rights Reserved

The footing is gravel, packed dirt and some grass. The trail winds through hardwoods, pines and a small creek. There is a bridge over the creek.

Loop Trail Bridge

Photo Courtesy Rebecca Crosby All Rights Reserved

 

Loop Trail in southern Arcadia State Park is the challenge a rider makes it to be. It is relatively short ride that will take approximately 45 minutes and is great for beginners.

Arcadia State Park: North section

 North Section of Arcadia State Park

Photo Courtesy Google Maps

Arcadia State Park located in southwestern RI encompasses approximately 14,000 acres in Exeter, West Greenwich, Richmond and Hopkinton. The park is the largest management area in RI. The park is bisected into north and south sections by Route 165.

This post is covering the north section located in Exeter and West Greenwich. The area includes Escoheag, Mt. Tom, Breakheart Pond, J B Hudson Trail and Reynolds Horseman’s area.

 

Activities in this area include hunting, fishing, trail riding, dog training, hiking, mountain biking, camping (with a permit), climbing, kayaking and canoeing.

There is hunting allowed in the area and fluorescent orange should be worn during required times.

Climbing activities are usually done at the Escoheag and Mt. Tom areas.

For dog walkers and workers there is a training area complete with water fountain, pavilion and picnic tables.

There are numerous streams and creeks that run through the area that are stocked trout waters. They can only be fished during RI’s fishing season. Frosty HollowPond located on Frosty Hollow Road is a pond created specifically for children under 14 to fish. During fishing season only children 14 and under may fish the pond. The waters are stocked with rainbow, brook and brown trout. Bass, bluegill and pickerel are all commonly found in Breakheart Pond.

Frosty Hollow Pond Drained

Photo Courtesy Rebecca Crosby All Rights Reserved

The trails range from dirt roads, old unused dirt roads, wide walking paths and hiking paths. The footing is gravel, grass, roots, creek beds and packed earth.

Bees Nest Located on Trail Around Breakheart Pond

Photo Courtesy Rebecca Crosby All Rights Reserved

For the mountain biker there is J B Hudson Trail (see earlier post for an in depth trail report) and any one of the numerous trails that crisscross the area. The trails can range from beginner to intermediate. Due to the size of the area and the number of trails, a trail map is recommended.

There is plenty of parking for horse trailers. The Reynolds Horseman’s Area has an outdoor ring for working a horse. Prohibited activities in the area include, but are not limited to turning out a horse in the cemetery and ring. No tying horses to trees and no temporarily nailing fencing to trees. Most of the trails are cleared and heavily used by trail riders. There is the occasional low hanging limb to look out for. The ramp located at Breakheart Pond is a great place to stop and let the horse drink and wade in the water.

The north section of Arcadia state park offers many activities for the outdoor enthusiast. Take the family, friends, dog or horse and go explore this unique part of southern RI.

Mountain Bike Report: JB Hudson Trail

The John B Hudson Trail in Arcadia Management Area is approximately 1.6 miles and is fairly technical, personally rated intermediate. There is hunting allowed in Arcadia Management Area and orange should be worn during hunting seasons.

Photo Courtesy Google Maps

To access the trail park in the West Exeter Church (small white church) parking lot, it is at the very beginning of Frosty Hollow Road. There is a parking area at the trailhead, but it is usually washed out and can be tricky to navigate with a car.  Take a left onto 165 and begin climbing a small hill to the trail. The trail is the second left. Directly off 165 is a brown sign with white letters that read J B Hudson Trail.

Photo Courtesy Google Maps

 

The trail goes through pine and hardwood forest. The footing is packed dirt, grass, sand, gravel and rocks.

The trail has a steep ascent at the beginning. Then the trail becomes more technical. There are numerous creek beds to navigate. The footing is rocky and can be very slippery. There are also 2 stone walls to ride over that are difficult to navigate.  

J B Hudson is a technical trail that may be intimidating for a beginner; since it is only 1.6 miles and backtracking is not required it is worth a try. After the more technical part continue through the easier trails around Breakheart Pond and make a day of it. I will add more about Breakheart trails in a later post.

Caveat: This trail report reflects my opinion. I am not a great technical rider. I ride for the pure enjoyment of it and to experience the outdoors. I like to challenge myself, but I don’t want to break bones every weekend. I hope this information is helpful when planning a trip.

I ride a 20 inch frame bike with 29 inch rims; it is a little harder for me to navigate the rocky areas with a longer bike than it is for my husband who rides an 18 inch bike with 26 inch rims. It is a lot of bike for me to control, particularly at the beginning of the year when I am out of shape.

Get outside, ride and enjoy!