Beavertail State Park, Jamestown, RI

I have visited Beavertail State Park since before it was a state park. Years ago, it was a cool rocky shoreline with a lighthouse. The access road was dirt, with lots of potholes. Visiting here was an adventure, for sure! The area was not accessible except by those who enjoy rock hopping. When I was younger, that worked fine. Not so much these days.

When I returned to Beavertail after a long absence, a paved access road awaited at what was now a state park. Large paved parking areas welcomed visitors. The scrub that had covered all but the dirt road had been cleared in places, allowing for Easy Walks alongside the shoreline. The state park had even added permanent bathrooms, a most welcome sight.

We have visited here in every season. Rafts of birds float in the rough waves just off shore in winter.

September brings crowds of monarch butterflies heading south on their great migration.

Visiting after storms offers great views of dramatic waves crashing onto the rocks.

Fishermen frequent the rocks, trying their luck in the waters surrounding this stony outcrop.

Lighthouses have stood since the 1700s at this southern tip of Jamestown Island.

We pack a lunch when heading to Beavertail. Sitting next to the ocean, listening to the waves and wind, watching birds hunting amongst the rocks, or witnessing ospreys soaring overhead keep us occupied for hours.

We visited on a cool day, but fall has not yet arrived. The heat of the sun, and biting flies finally pushed us to start home. Before leaving, we took a quick walk along the path that leads up to and around the lighthouse. Every step offered great views on a glorious late summer’s day. Happy trails!

Marjorie

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.