CELEBRATE WEST GREENWICH GEOCACHING THROUGHOUT WEST GREENWICH The West Greenwich Land Trust (WGLT) is sponsoring Celebrate West Greenwich, an event designed to celebrate the beauty and history of scenic West Greenwich, RI. The event will include several activities which will take place on Sunday, October 5 th 2008. The celebration will take place from 1 PM until 5 PM at Hidden Meadows Farm at 120 Breakheart Hill Road in West Greenwich. There will also be activities prior to October 5 th that can be done at a time of your choosing. One of such activities is a geocaching and letterboxing challenge. Our geocaching activity is an entertaining adventure game designed to have participants discover and explore the scenic beauty of several outstanding locations in West Greenwich. Twelve large test tube shaped canisters have been hidden in six locations in West Greenwich. We are providing GPS coordinates as well as easy to follow directions to locate the canisters; when found you should sign your name on the sheet within each canister, and also provide your email or phone number and the date. There are two canisters at each site although they are not necessarily at the same specific location; in fact they may be several hundred feet apart. One set of six canisters can be located by using the GPS coordinates located below. The other set of six canisters can be located by using the letterboxing directions provided below. The canisters are located at Fry Pond Conservation Area, a historic cemetery in the Big River Area off Division Road, Tillinghast Management Area (on the former Cioe property), Capwell Mill Pond Area, Arcadia Management Area and the Big River Carr Pond Area. We have included a brief description of each of these areas; we hope you will enjoy learning about each of these scenic locations. The two winners will be the first participant to find all six canisters; one using GPS coordinates and one using letterboxing directions. Each will be awarded a gift certificate of $75 to REI. Presentation of the certificates will be at Hidden Meadows Farm, located at 120 Breakheart Hill Road in WG at 4:00 on October 5 th. Please be cautious of rough terrain and watch for poison ivy. Note that the deadline to find the canisters is 4:00 P. M. on Friday, October 3, 2008. Please remember to sign your name and provide your email or phone number and date on the paper enclosed in each canister. The information needed to locate each of the canisters is as follows: FRY POND CONSERVATION AREA The Fry Pond Conservation Area is an 80 acre parcel which can be accessed from three different locations including by a trail which begins directly behind the Town Hall at 280 Victory Highway. The property was acquired by the WGLT in 1999 with assistance of the RIDEM Open Space Grants and The Nature Conservancy.
The site lies in a deep valley just north of the foot of Raccoon Hill. The panoramic view from within the cedar swamp is of high wooded ridges rising 170 feet in elevation on three sides to the north, west and south. The property consists of an upland forest and a portion of an Atlantic white cedar swamp and leatherleaf bog bordering the Nooseneck River that flows through the cedar swamp. There is a rich diversity of habitats found on the property, supporting rare plants and a variety of wildlife. For more information about this property, go to Holdings on the WGLT website WGLandTrust.org. GPS Coordinates: N 41 38 22.1 W 71 40 43.9 Directions (Letterboxing): The Fry Pond Conservation Area is located behind the Town Hall at 280 Victory Highway. Take exit 5B off of Route 95; after exiting the highway, travel 3 miles north to the Town Hall on your right. Start your hike at the WGLT trailhead sign behind the Town Hall; it is located just behind the basketball court. Follow the meandering path through the woods until you reach a wide trail covered with ground asphalt. Take a left on the trail and continue walking; after proceeding for a few minutes you ll observe soccer fields on your right. Eventually the soccer fields will be behind you as you continue along the trail. After you ve walked approximately 2045 feet from the trailhead, you ll reach a junction where the wide trail continues and there s a path on your left and a signpost Tefft Trail at this junction. Take that trail on your left which is also marked with a green sign with yellow letters marked trail. The trail will be marked with white blazes on the trees as you continue along this path. At this point, you ll begin to see signposts with descriptions on the signs as follows: Tefft Trail Rock Cairns Lowbush blueberries Pincushion Moss Stone walls You may want to read the descriptions as you wander along the path. At the point of the Stone walls signpost, you ll pass through stone walls on the path and you ll see a junction in the path. Take the Hillside Trail on your right which is well marked with yellow blazes. Continue along the trail for about 330 until you come to a rocky area with a large rock (maybe 5 high) on your right. It is here that you ll begin your search for the canister. Once you ve located the canister you may want to continue exploring the area on the Hillside Trail or the Loop Trail. HISTORIC CEMETERY WG037 MAGDELEN KING BIG RIVER AREA OFF DIVISION ROAD GPS Coordinates: N 41 38 58.13 W 71 34 05.45 Directions (Letterboxing): Your search will begin on Division Road; take Exit 6 off Route 95 towards West Greenwich. Proceed 1/10 of a mile and take a left on Division Road. Go approximately 2.1 miles east on Division Road and park on the side of the road close to Pole #245.
Start your short hike on the narrow trail on the south side of Division Road opposite Pole 245. Walk approximately 600 feet to an intersection in the trail. Take a right on the path at the intersection and continue west for approximately 150 feet. The cemetery you ll see on your right is WG037, the Magdelen King historic cemetery. The cemetery has approximately 43 burials with 22 inscriptions which are dated beginning 1775 until 1870. You may enjoy looking at the stones and inscriptions here while you look for the letterboxing canister. Magdelen King (stone is inscribed M K) who died in 1775, is the earliest recorded burial inscription here (although there are 21 stones with no inscriptions). Magdelen King was born circa 1702, probably in France. Note that there s a stone for Samuel King who fought in the RI Militia during the Revolutionary War. He was born in 1745 and died in 1829. This cemetery is one of approximately 155 historic cemeteries located in the town of West Greenwich and is typical of many of the cemeteries in town. The WGLT recently initiated an Adopt-A-Cemetery program to encourage volunteers to clear the debris and maintain the historic cemeteries. This cemetery was recently cleaned and a new sign was installed as part of this initiative. TILLINGHAST MANAGEMENT AREA The Tillinghast Management Area is a 1600 acre parcel that was recently purchased by The Nature Conservancy. The property is part of the Pawcatuck borderlands, the largest intact forest (200 square miles) between Boston and Washington D.C. The eastern limit of the property abuts natural woodlands comprising the Wickaboxet State Forest. The area is dominated by a gently rolling topography of ridges and knolls (many with exposed granite ledge) and small stream and wetland valleys. GPS Coordinates: N 41 38 40.0 W 71 44 26.5 Directions (Letterboxing): This hike will begin on Plain Meeting House Road. To get there, take Exit 5B off Route 95. Proceed 3 miles north on Victory Highway (Route 102). Take a left on Plain Meeting House Road and proceed 3.5 miles where a trail extends from the right side of the road. You may find a small space on the side of the road to park or park in the lot at Wickaboxet Management Area located ½ mile to the east of the trail entrance. Follow the trail from the road for approximately 2100 feet. As the trail curves left, take a right into the grassy area and follow the small trail from there. You will soon see the remains of an old building on your left just after you continue on the trail. You ll notice a stone wall on both sides of your path as you pass the remains of the building. Take your first trail on your right as the trail continues. You ll continue along this trail for approximately 550 feet. When you reach the intersection of a stone wall on your left, begin your search for the canister. The surrounding property in this area was once owned by the Wilcox family; it is believed that a dwelling and barn existed here as early as 1795. It is believed that the buildings were abandoned sometime around 1889 when the property was purchased by Charles S. Brown. CAPWELL MILL POND AREA Capwell Mill Pond is a 24 acre pond located in the Big River Management Area. The long narrow pond is part of the Pawtuxet River watershed. The Big River Management Area is comprised of approximately 8600
acres located primarily in West Greenwich. The area is composed mainly of forest with evergreens on approximately 4375 acres and deciduous forest on approximately 1780 acres. There are about 1290 acres of wetlands. The Big River Management Area land was acquired from home and land owners in the 1960 s when the property was condemned by the State Water Resources Board for water supply purposes. The land was largely undeveloped at that time although there were approximately two hundred single-family dwellings located there. The land is now officially classified as open space although the intended use designation remains water oriented. GPS Coordinates: N 41 38 28.1 W 71 36 22.2 Directions (Letterboxing): Start your adventure at the parking lot at the corner of Burnt Sawmill Road and Nooseneck Hill Road (Route 3). From Route 95 take Exit 6 and merge onto Route 3 towards West Greenwich. Proceed about 2/10 s of a mile; the parking lot is located on the east side of the road. Walk approximately 4/10 s of a mile on Burnt Sawmill Road to a dam on the left side of the road. Stop to enjoy the tranquility here and enjoy the pond which is a popular fishing spot. Continue walking about 800 feet to a path on the left. (Ignore the driveway on your left at the house just after you pass the dam). Take your first path on the left and continue for 600 feet to a small bridge. Cross the bridge and walk another 120 where you ll several large boulders on the right of the path. Enjoy the solitude as you search for the canister. ARCADIA MANAGEMENT AREA The Arcadia Management Area is comprised of over 14,000 forested acres; the property is actively managed for hunting as well as fishing, boating, hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. It is located in four towns including Richmond, Hopkinton, Exeter and West Greenwich. GPS Coordinates: N 41 36 13.6 W 71 45 13.2 Directions (Letterboxing): The starting point for this search is at a small parking lot on Escoheag Hill Road; it s located ½ mile south of Falls River Road and about 1.9 miles north of Route 165. Begin your walk on the wide roadway; after you walk about 1550 feet, you ll pass by the Piney Woods Path on your right. Continue on the roadway a short distance and take a right on Tanner Washout Trail. Continue about a fifth of a mile. You ll go beyond a small curve in the trail; continue and go beyond another curve in the trail to a very large boulder (maybe 12 tall) on your left. Notice all the large boulders as you search for the canister. BIG RIVER CARR POND AREA This area is on the eastern portion of the Big River Area which comprises approximately 8600 acres. There are numerous trails in this area although a detailed map is strongly recommended for those who want to explore the area. GPS Coordinates: N 41 37 49.8 W 71 33 54.6 Directions (Letterboxing):
Your search will begin on Hopkins Hill Road; take Exit 6 off Route 95 towards West Greenwich on Route 3. Proceed 1/10 th of a mile and take a left on Division Street. At the intersection of Division and Hopkins Hill Roads (approximately 1.7 miles from Route 3), take a right on Hopkins Hill Road. Continue for 1.5 miles and park in the parking area on your left. Note: There are a few places along this trail where the trail appears to separate but rejoins within 50 or so yards. Just continue walking generally following the trees marked with a red band and a white dot. You will also note a large trail running parallel to you on the right; ignore this trail. Start on the trail on the right side of the parking lot by a large rock. Take a left at the first intersection where you ll notice red bands on the trees. As you continue to wend your way along the path, you ll notice an abandoned vehicle on your right. This vehicle is about 1600 feet from the parking area. Ignore the path on your right a short way beyond the vehicle. As you go down an incline, you ll come to a junction with paths to your left and right. On your left, you ll notice an enclosed stone area. Imagine what the purpose of this enclosure may have been as you search for the canister.