The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Beaver River Waterfall © Cheryl Wiitala

Open to the Public

Yes

Things To Do

There's plenty to see at Beaver River. View All

Plan Your Visit

Follow our preserve guidelines and your visit will be pleasurable. View All

Get Directions

Why You Should Visit

Pleasant, babbling Beaver River flows through undisturbed acres that feature a small woodland pool, streams, seeps, a bog pool and swamp, forested wetland and a mixed oak forest.

Location

Richmond, in southern Rhode Island

Size

241 acres (eastern parcel is 55 acres, western parcel is 159 acres).
Map of the Beaver River Preserve

Trails

This preserve has two trails.

• A one-mile loop trail marked with yellow blazes begins at the preserve entrance at the end of Fox Ridge Drive, over spectacular rocky outcrops and seasonally wet seeps, through woodlands thick with underbrush.
• A second trail runs along an old cart path from the southeast corner of the existing loop down to the river. Take this route and you will pass a colonial era grist mill. The trail ends at the Beaver River.  Please note: the timber bridge over the River may be unsafe, do not cross.

Why the Conservancy Selected this Site

The Beaver River is a major tributary to the Pawcatuck River. The Conservancy identified the Pawcatuck River system as one of the best examples of its type in the Lower New England ecoregion, and thus selected it as a target for conservation. The Pawcatuck River's 300 square mile watershed comprises most of southwestern Rhode Island and extends into Connecticut. It falls within both the South County Landscape and the Pawcatuck Borderlands and supports roughly 70% of Rhode Island's globally imperiled species. In fact, the watershed hosts the largest and perhaps most significant cluster of known breeding sites for the globally vulnerable Ringed Boghaunter dragonfly (Williamsonia lintneri) across the specie's range. Beneath the Pawcatuck watershed lies an abundance of clean groundwater which serves as the sole source of drinking water for more than 60,000 local residents. 

Visit Beaver River Preserve

Things To Do

What to See: Plants
Blueberry, sweet pepperbush, red maple

What to See: Animals
Dragonflies and the bog copper butterfly

Plan Your Visit

We hope you enjoy visiting our preserves in any season. We ask that you please observe the following guidelines:

• Stay on the walking trails, using marked trails wherever they exist.
• Respect preserve open hours (one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset). Overnight camping is not allowed.
• Do not ride horses, bikes or any motorized vehicle through preserves or on the trails.
• Do not disturb bird nesting areas. Between April 15 and September 1, nesting areas may be off-limits to visitors. People or dogs can easily destroy a nest with one misstep.
• Leave your pets at home, for the safety of the fragile ecology of preserves and as a courtesy to other visitors.
• Contact our office in Providence to visit those preserves that have restricted public access because of their very sensitive flora and fauna. These places deserve special respect and are best visited only on guided field trips.
• Do not remove any living materials from a preserve or disturb any vegetation.
• Remove any trash you create and, if possible, any garbage that you see left by someone else.
• When visiting Block Island or Prudence Island in the spring, summer and fall, dress in long pants and socks to avoid deer ticks. After any walk on a preserve, it is a good idea to check for ticks when you return home.
• Be careful! Your safety is your responsibility.

Thank you for your help.

Preserve Visitation Guidelines

Directions

• From Route I-95, take Route 138 east (exit 3A)
• Follow Route 138 east for 2.5 miles and make a left on Hillsdale Road.
• Travel north on Hillsdale Road for approximately 3 miles.
• Turn left on Old Mountain Trail and proceed 1.1 miles.
• Turn right on Oak Hill Drive.
• Go 0.1 miles and bear right on Fox Ridge Drive.
• Travel 0.7 miles on Fox Ridge Drive through a housing development until the road ends. Park here and enter the trail where marked.

Discussion

Have you been to this preserve? Are you thinking of visiting? See what others are saying about their experiences and add your comments below.

Add Your Comments

Time for you to join the discussion. Tell us about your experience at this preserve. What plants and animals did you see? When did you go? You can help others plan their visit when you share your thoughts. And thank you for visiting one of our nature preserves!

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