Trail of a Thousand Waterfalls

If your hike can’t lead you to an expansive mountain vista, a waterfall is a pretty close second.

Spilling over layered slabs of granite, Stepstone Falls, in the Arcadia Management Area in West Greenwich, is well worth the roughly one mile hike.

While beach living has its perks, it was overcast and cool in Narragansett the day I went for this hike. When I reached the park it was sunny and about 10 degrees warmer. If you’re fogged in at the beach, don’t bust out the board games just yet - consider an excursion to Arcadia.

Head out on good ol’ Ten Rod Road and turn right onto Escoheag Hill Road. Turn right onto Austin Farm Road, which in true Rhode Island fashion is not labeled at all, but is the first right you’ll come to. Follow the dirt road around to the left. The dirt roads are well maintained and there is no need for an SUV, but it could be interesting in a Smart car.

Beginning where Austin Farm Road crosses Falls River, the Ben Utter Trail heads upstream along the western bank. Starting out from the small parking area, the trail winds along the river. There are lots of smaller waterfalls along the way and the soothing sound of rushing water helps to relieve all tension and stress. Deadlines will be the last thing on your mind here.

Plants are sprouting up all along the trail, trees are beginning to leaf out and it all has a wonderful earthy smell. I’d stop for that over roses any day. There are a few low clumps of wildflowers, so keep an eye on the sides of the trail.

It’s a relatively easy hike, with very little elevation gain, but gets rocky closer to Stepstone Falls. The path is strewn with boulders that are fun to hop from one to the next. Not difficult by any means, but you probably don’t want to be wearing flip flops. It can also be very wet and muddy in places after rain, so wait a day or two for it to dry up.

Where the trail crosses side streams or the river, the Appalachian Mountain Club has erected nice wooden bridges. Other minor water crossings have well-placed rocks to step on.

The beginning of the trail has blue and yellow trail markers to follow. After a quarter of a mile the trail climbs up and overlaps a dirt road for a dozen yards. Just head back onto the trail on the right side of the road. Eventually you will get to a fork in the woods with blue and white blazes leading toward the river and yellow blazes heading up the hill. At that point you are a quarter mile from Stepstone Falls, and should follow the blue and white blazes. They have been recently repainted and are easy to see.

A wide spot in the river just below the waterfall has slower moving water, and Spring Peepers were making quite the ruckus when I walked by. A wooden bridge crosses over the river at the base of Stepstone Falls and from the middle you can see almost to the top of the falls.

Continuing along to the eastern bank, the trail climbs over huge rectangular pieces of quarried granite. From there you can sit along the side of the river, watch the waterfalls and bask in the sun. When you’ve had enough (is that possible?), just head back the way you came.

Fair warning: the bugs are out now. They are mostly just annoying, but you can take a few precautions to keep them off of you.

1. Wear a hat.
2. Put on bug spray.
3. Walk swiftly.

I did not anticipate them, and so options 1 and 2 were not available to me. When I wasn’t stopping to take photos, I picked up the pace and they left me alone for the most part.

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