The AMC Tippecansett Trail starts at beautiful Stepstone Falls (sometimes referred to as Steppingstone Falls or Stepping Stone Falls). Rectangular stone slabs can be seen here, indicating that the site was a former quarry; the natural horizontal fractures in the rock made quarrying easier.
Stepstone Falls
Close-up of one of the cascades
Quarried stone slabs
The yellow blazes of the Tippecansett and Ben Utter Trails leave the parking area and share this first stretch with the blue blazes of a bypass of the North South Trail, called the Washout Trail. The white blazes of the River Trail are found on the other side of the concrete bridge. The bypass is multi-use, while the River Trail is for hikers only, due to its proximity to the river. Hikers should also beware of unmarked paths that exist in the Stepstone Falls area.
The yellow and blue blazes cross an intermittent stream and soon reach a large, deteriorating and vandalized shelter with two fireplaces inside; camping is allowed here, with a permit. The shelter was probably built by the Civilian Conservation Corps' Camp Escoheag, which existed where the Oak Embers Campground is today on Escoheag Hill Road. At the shelter, the yellow trails diverge. The Ben Utter Trail leads left (southeast), behind the shelter, to descend to the river. The Tippecansett and blue-blazed Washout Trail turn right (southwest) rising to the paved Wickaboxet Road at an old pump house. The Washout Trail heads left (southeast) on the road, while the yellow-blazed Tippecansett Trail heads right (northwest). The trail reaches the end of the Wickaboxet Road loop and climbs Escoheag Hill on a footpath. "Escoheag" may have been derived from a Quinebaug expression meaning "fork of the river" or "source of the river" (Huden p. 66).
The footpath soon reaches Falls River Road (dirt) and turns left (southwest) to follow the road, climbing to the paved Escoheag Hill Road. The trail turns right (west) and follows the road to the summit of Escoheag Hill, where it meets a terminus of the Canonicus Trail. To the right (north) is a cemetery, called the Hazard Lot (Rhode Island Historical Cemetery: West Greenwich 5); inscriptions in the cemetery date back to 1815.
Hazard Lot
To the left (south) and beyond a gate, is the unused, 80-foot (24-meter) Escoheag Fire Tower (aircraft are now used to monitor fires). Do not attempt to climb the tower as it is not maintained. (At this writing, the tower may be liquidated as surplus by the state.)
Escoheag Fire Tower
Sign: Escoheag Fire Tower
Elevation 645 ft (197 meters)
The trail used to reenter the forest at the tower, but by 2009 an unannounced relocation was made -- lengthening the trail by 1.2 miles (1.9 kilometers). The yellow-blazed Tippecansett Trail now overlaps a portion of the white-blazed Canonicus Trail. Look for both blazes on utility poles while descending west on Escoheag Hill Road. The route reaches the posted private property of the South County Rod & Gun Club at the corner of Escoheag Hill Road and Hazard Road. This corner is known as "Molasses Corner" (Town of West Greenwich) because a molasses factory used to be in the area around the nineteenth century; the southern portion of Hazard Road was known as "Molasses Hill Road" (RIHPC, p. 15).
The Tippecansett and Canonicus trails leave the paved road to cross a gate and follow a dirt road west. Be sure to stay on the road, as it is property of the South County Rod & Gun Club; private residences exist to the right (north). The former town road was known as "Cambells Mills Trail" and "Hope Valley-Escoheag Road" (Town of West Greenwich). The road eventually reenters the Arcadia Wildlife Management Area.
At a three-way intersection of dirt roads, the trail enters the Pachaug State Forest in Connecticut. A few feet left (south) of the intersection is a small triangular stone with traces of yellow paint at the top; it marks the state boundary.
State boundary marker
After bearing left (west) at the intersection, the road bends left (southwest) and two other roads/trails enter from the right (north). What was known as the "Bly Cemetery" used to exist somewhere in the area of the bend (Hale, Voluntown pp. 37, 58); but the cemetery appears to have been moved and most of the headstones are now in the Congdon-Hoxsie Cemetery in Exeter, Rhode Island, which will be seen shortly.
The white and yellow trail markers, as well as the red arrows of the enduro trail for motorbikes, follow Bitgood Road southwest; the road ends at another three-way intersection. It is here that the Tippecansett Trail parts company with the other trails. The white blazes of the Canonicus Trail and the red arrows of the enduro trail lead right (west) on the dirt Tippecansett Road. The yellow blazes of the Tippecansett Trail lead left (east) on Tippecansett Road. A large foundation exists in the woods just a few yards southwest of the intersection; other foundations exist in the area.
Stone foundation at Tippecansett and Bitgood roads
From the intersection the Tippecansett Trail/Road heads east then southeast and reaches the Rhode Island/Connecticut border; in Rhode Island the road is known as Old Voluntown Road. The land to the left (northeast) of the road is posted private property of the South County Rod & Gun Club while land to the right (southwest) of the road is part of the Arcadia Wildlife Management Area. Glimpses of Tippecansett Pond will be seen through the trees; the pond is owned by the Club. While this area seems remote and natural, ideas for development are never far away; a Providence Journal ("Professor's Proposal") article notes that, in the early 1990s, Professor William B. Sweeney of Bryant University proposed an international airport for the Tippecansett area.
The trail bends to the right (south) and soon meets the white-blazed Wildcat Spring Trail. This side path leads right (southwest) and is a 0.2-mile (0.3-kilometer) journey among farmer's cairns that descends to a spring that gurgles beneath the rocks; the water is unsafe for drinking. This excursion takes about 8 minutes, round-trip.
The yellow-blazed Tippecansett Trail leaves the Wildcat Spring Trail behind and follows Old Voluntown Road south. The road passes a dead-end dirt road on the left (east) and then climbs to the Congdon-Hoxsie Cemetery (Rhode Island Historical Cemetery: Exeter 1), also on the left; inscriptions go back to 1849. The inscriptions at this cemetery match the transcriptions recorded by Charles R. Hale in 1933 for what he referred to as the "Bly Cemetery" (mentioned earlier) in Voluntown, Connecticut (pp. 37, 58); however, the headstones of Polly and Benjamin Bly are not present. Perhaps the remains and/or stones were relocated here from Voluntown after the early 1930s.
Congdon-Hoxsie Cemetery
The road/trail passes two more dirt roads to the left and then reaches a three-way intersection. To the left, Old Voluntown Road and the white-blazes AMC Deep Pond Trail bend to the east. The yellow markings of the Tippecansett Trail veer right (southwest) on an old road and cross a gate.
The trail soon meets an intersection with the northern Pachaug-Tippecansett Crossover. If hiking the entire Tippecansett Trail back and forth as a 20-mile hike, the Crossover may be a more scenic way to vary the route. The Crossover, marked in blue triangles, leads right (west) and meets a stone foundation on the right (north). The Crossover ends at the Connecticut Forest and Park Association (CFPA) Pachaug Trail, near another foundation (with what appears to be a chimney hole). The blue-blazed Pachaug Trail leads left (southeast) to the edge of Beach Pond and then rejoins the Tippecansett Trail. From the intersection near the foundation, the Pachaug Trail also leads right (west) to the northern side of Beach Pond in Connecticut.
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Panoramic view of Beach Pond from its eastern side, on the Pachaug Trail
Larger image, 98 kilobytes
If the Crossover is not used, the yellow-blazed Tippecansett Trail proceeds left (south). Hikers should be aware of unmarked trails and dirt roads that can be found in the Beach Pond area. The Tippecansett Trail reaches a five-way intersection to meet the CFPA Pachaug Trail. A dirt road leads left (east) and right (southwest), the blue-blazed Pachaug Trail diverges to the immediate right (north). The Tippecansett and Pachaug trails combine to cross the road and proceed south. The trails reach the former swimming area at Beach Pond on Ten Rod Road (Route 165). The blue markings of the Pachaug Trail follow Route 165, called Beach Pond Road in Connecticut, right (west), to eventually end at Green Fall Pond (see the description for The Beachgoer, in reverse direction). The yellow markings of the Tippecansett Trail cross Ten Rod Road and head south to Yawgoog. For the rest of the route to camp, please see the Yawgoog-Beach Pond portion of the Tippecansett Trail description (in reverse direction).
Trail-related Links
- Maps
- Stepstone Falls Area (JPG)
- Beach Pond Area (JPG)
- Green Fall Pond Area (JPG)
- Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM)
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Park and Management Area Regulations (PDF)
- Wildlife Management Area Maps (Arcadia, Rockville, etc.)
- Arcadia Wildlife Management Area
- Beach Pond Recreation Area
- Camping and Hiking in Black Bear Country
Important safety tips from The American Bear Association. Black bears have been seen in Connecticut and Rhode Island. - Escoheag Fire Tower
Information from the Forest Fire Lookout Association, including the tower's previous location in the George Washington State Forest in Burrillville, Rhode Island. - Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Resources
- Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy
Strives to bring awareness to the heritage of the CCC, alumni, their programs and accomplishments. - Center for Research Libraries
Sells copies of CCC camp newspapers on microfiche.
- Civilian Conservation Corps Legacy
- Pinetop Ski Area
Information about a ski area that operated just north of the fire tower from the 1960s to the early 1980s. Listing in the New England Lost Ski Areas Project. - Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries (Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Commission - RIHCC)
- Hazard Lot (WG 5)
- Congdon-Hoxsie Cemetery (EX 1)
- Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries Transcription Project
A database and directory of cemetery inscriptions. - Bly Cemetery Inscriptions
Connecticut cemetery inscriptions were recorded in the early 1930's by Charles R. Hale (Voluntown pp. 37, 58). The inscriptions for this cemetery were transcribed from the Hale Collection to the RootsWeb Project on the Internet by Tom Wilbur. - Phillips Cemetery Inscriptions
The inscriptions for this cemetery were also transcribed from the Hale Collection (Voluntown pp. 36, 58) by Tom Wilbur. The overgrown cemetery is southwest of the intersection of Bitgood and Tippecansett roads and beside/west of the enduro trail, at N 41° 35.689' W 071° 47.769' (Datum: WGS84). The site was located in 2009 by Christine LeClair. When entering the burial ground, note the boulder to the left (south) with "PHILLIPS" carved into it. - South County Rod & Gun Club
A portion of the Tippecansett Trail runs through the Club's property. - Bookmarked Geocaches
- A discussion on maintenance of Scouting-related geocaches.
- Bad Ideas
Cautionary tales of geocaches placed without landowner permission or careful thought about location. - Scouting Geocaches
Geocaches in southern New England created by Scouts or Scouters, or caches that may be of interest to them. Map. - Tippecansett Trail
Selected geocaches on the Tippecansett Trail.
