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Places We Protect

Canonchet Brook Preserve

Rhode Island

Pale sunlight shines on a colonial-era stone millrace canal that is slowly collapsing beside a still stream.
Mill Ruins Streams like Canonchet Brook were dammed in the 1800s to power sawmills that produced shingles, clapboards and floorboards. © Russell Laman

A rugged, rocky forest, defined by big trees and stone foundations.

Overview

Description

The Canonchet Brook Preserve is part of a large, healthy forest near the Rhode Island/Connecticut border. It protects the headwaters of Canonchet Brook and Tomaquag Brook, tributary streams to the Wood-Pawcatuck National Wild and Scenic River. 

More than 6 miles of marked trails take hikers across a rugged landscape of boulders, rocky outcrops and swampy lowlands. Large oaks and tulip trees dominate the forest canopy high above, attracting a wide variety of songbirds.

Dogs must be leashed at all times.

Archery hunting for deer is permitted on a portion of this preserve, under rules updated annually by DEM.  Hikers are required to wear fluorescent orange from September 15 to January 31.

Canonchet Brook Preserve is co-managed by TNC and the Hopkinton Land Trust.

Access

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Hours

Open year-round during daylight hours.

Highlights

Hiking, birdwatching, and Indigenous and colonial stone ruins

Size

822 acres

Explore our work in Rhode Island

Photos from Canonchet Brook

Tag your preserve visits on Instagram with #PocassetRidge to have your photos featured here!

And old farm lane lined with stone walls passes through the forest as the leaves turn colors.
Looking down into a small stone foundation, surrounded by forest in springtime.
A small songbird with rust-colored wings, a spotted breast and a bright orange crown
A large, relatively flat and elongated boulder, propped up by a small stone on the left side
Twin small plants, both with a green and purple-striped hood curling over an erect flower stalk
Looking up at the tall, straight trunk of a tulip tree reaching toward a blue sky
A large woodpecker with black wings, bright red crest and long pointed bill clings to a tree trunk.
Mountain laurel's flat, evergreen leaves are covered with scores of small white and pink flowers in the shape of a pentagon.
Side view of a small historic stone slab bridge over a narrow stream with dense green forest in the background
A single flower with six light blue petals arranged evenly around a yellow center
And old farm lane lined with stone walls passes through the forest as the leaves turn colors.

Farm Lane: And old farm road is still visible between stone walls, with the forest slowing closing the gap. © Dale Higgs

Looking down into a small stone foundation, surrounded by forest in springtime.

Cellar Hole: Even after 200 years or more, this stone foundation retains its straight walls and sharp corners. © Russell Laman

A small songbird with rust-colored wings, a spotted breast and a bright orange crown

Ovenbird: These territorial warblers sing out "teacher-teacher-teacher" from low branches. © Jason Major

A large, relatively flat and elongated boulder, propped up by a small stone on the left side

Table Rock: The last Ice Age deposited boulders across Rhode Island, but some are propped up on small stones. © Tim Mooney/TNC

Twin small plants, both with a green and purple-striped hood curling over an erect flower stalk

Jack-in-the-Pulpit: These charismatic plants like damp, rich soils with a lot of shade. © Tim Mooney/TNC

Looking up at the tall, straight trunk of a tulip tree reaching toward a blue sky

Tulip Poplar: The preserve's rich soils support a vigorous forest with a high canopy. © Tim Mooney/TNC

A large woodpecker with black wings, bright red crest and long pointed bill clings to a tree trunk.

Pileated Woodpecker: North America's largest woodpecker has become more common in Rhode Island in the past decade. © Norman Grant

Mountain laurel's flat, evergreen leaves are covered with scores of small white and pink flowers in the shape of a pentagon.

Mountain Laurel: The forest understory is filled with pink and white flowers in June. © Cheryl Swinconeck

Side view of a small historic stone slab bridge over a narrow stream with dense green forest in the background

Stone Bridge: Canonchet Brook passes silently beneath granite slabs, carved out of the land centuries ago. © Russell Laman

A single flower with six light blue petals arranged evenly around a yellow center

Blue-eyed Grass: Part of the Iris family, these tiny wildflowers thrive in damp fields. © Tim Mooney/TNC

Visit

  • The main trailhead is located at approximately 750 Main Street (Route 3) in the Hope Valley section of Hopkinton. 

    Additional parking areas and trail access points are located at approximately 160 North Road, 175 Lawton Foster Road North, and at the dead end of Stubtown Road, driving west from Canonchet Road. 

  • Starting from Route 3, the Canonchet Trail (yellow) climbs gradually through rugged, rocky woods for a half mile, before reaching the ruins of an old sawmill and stone foundations for a barn and farmhouse.

    After another half mile, you’ll reach the junction with the Hoxsie Trail (blue). A return to the parking lot by this route offers views of a nearby horse farm and a scenic crossing of Canonchet Brook. The total length of this popular walk is about 2 miles.

    For a longer hike, stay on the Canonchet Trail, following a rocky ridge to a stand of massive oaks and tulip poplars. Hiking to Stubtown Road and back is about 6 miles long.

    Another good option is to start from Lawton Foster Road North. The Narragansett Trail (yellow), climbs gradually along an old logging road to meet the Table Rock Trail (orange). This is a wonderful trail with perched boulders and hidden overlooks. If you explore both sides of the orange trail, the total length of the walk is about 3 miles, out and back.

  • As a closed canopy forest, Canonchet Brook Preserve is home to a wonderful mix of habitats, supporting songbirds and other wildlife that require large, undeveloped areas to thrive.

    Plants: The preserve’s rich, damp soils support a healthy forest of oak, tulip poplar, hickory, birch and red maple. Impressive patches of mountain laurel burst into bloom in early summer. In other areas, huckleberry, witch-hazel and sweet pepperbush fill the understory.

    Birds: In summer, the forest canopy is filled with songbirds that migrate to Rhode Island from Central America, South America and the Caribbean basin. Look and listen for ovenbirds, scarlet tanagers, great crested flycatchers and wood thrushes. 

    Animals:  The preserve's streams and wetlands provide habitat for frogs and turtles. Common woodland mammals in the area include fisher, white-tailed deer, Eastern coyote, red fox, gray fox, and raccoon.

  • We hope you enjoy visiting TNC's  preserves in any season. We ask that you please observe the following guidelines:

    • Stay on marked trails, especially where the trail system passes near our neighbors' property.
    • Dogs must be leashed at all times. 
    • Respect preserve hours (one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset). Fires and overnight camping are not allowed.
    • Do not ride horses, bikes or any motorized vehicle through preserves or on the trails.
    • Archery hunting for deer is permitted, but trapping and firearms are not allowed.
    • Do not remove any materials from this preserve, including firewood, stones, or historic artifacts, or disturb any vegetation.
    • Metal detectors and paint ball guns are not permitted.
    • Remove any trash you create and, if possible, any garbage that you see left by someone else.
    • 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.

Explore Canonchet Brook

Good night forest Canonchet Brook is part of the healthiest coastal forest between Boston and Washington, DC. © Russell Laman
Barn Foundation In the 1700s, Jonathan Foster operated a large farm and sawmill on what is now Canonchet Brook Preserve. © Russell Laman
Stone Bridge Granite pillars, hand-carved from the land, provided a secure stream crossing for farm carts. © Russell Laman
Reflections Canonchet Brook is a key tributary of the Wood-Pawcatuck National Wild and Scenic River. © Russell Laman
Tall Trees Oaks, hickories and tulip poplars reach for the sky along the Canonchet Trail. © Russell Laman
Autumn Light Magical in all seasons, Canonchet Brook offers a feeling of wilderness close to home. © © Russell Laman
A round, gray boulder sits on a flat outcropping of gray granite against a clear blue sky.
Perched Boulder The last Ice Age deposited boulders across Rhode Island, and some were placed on exposed bedrock. © Tim Mooney/TNC

History

Canonchet Brook is part of the traditional homeland of the Narragansett, Mohegan and Pequot people. Canonchet was a Narragansett Sachem who rejected English and colonial authority, and was captured and executed in 1676, during King Philp's War. 

Today, the preserve and surrounding forest contain some of the best examples of Indigenous and colonial-era stone work in Rhode Island. These are the fragile remains of thousands of years of human history.

Please visit the preserve with a spirit of respectfulness for this place and significance it holds for many people. Moving or sitting on archaeological features can move stones and destroy their story forever. 

Nearby Preserves

Need more nature? Visit The Nature Conservancy's other preserves.

Find More Places We Protect

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