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Spencer Property: Ponagansett River Trail and Pot Luck Trail

Foster, Foster Land Trust

1.3 miles of trail

Moderate

Close

Very Easy

Trails that are smooth and relatively level with no steps, no roots, stones or uneven ground. These may be paved, crushed stone, continuous boardwalk and similar surfaces. These trails have a route that is quite obvious such as a single point to point trail or an easy loop or network of trails.

Easy

Relatively flat and smooth trails with a route that is quite obvious such as a single point to point trail or an easy loop or network of trails.

Moderate

May have a few hills or steep sections and multiple surface types including rocks and roots. Trails are generally well-marked but following them requires a trail map.

Difficult

Strenuous trails, trail systems that mostly involve multi-mile loops and trails that are narrow and may have obstacles such as stream crossings or rocky areas, some trails are less well marked.

Hunting is not allowed here but it is permitted on nearby land. Wear blaze orange during hunting season. More information

Click on the "Trail Map (PDF)" button to download a PDF of the trail map that you can print and take with you on the trail.

Avenza maps are special, free maps that you can use in the Avenza app on your smart phone. These maps let you see your location on the map as you walk. Download the Avenza App for free in the Apple App Store or on Google Play

Click on the Avenza Trail Map button to "purchase" the free map for this trail from the Avenza map store. If this is your first time, Avenza will ask you to set up an account to check out. However, all Avenza trail maps listed on ExploreRI are free.

In Rhode Island the primary hunting seasons typically run from the second Saturday in September to the last day of February and from the third Saturday in April to the last day in May, however this can vary from year to year and depends on what game is being hunted. During hunting season you should wear at least 200 square inches (a hat OR a vest) of blaze orange. During shotgun deer season, which is typically in December, you should wear at least 500 square inches of blaze orange (a hat AND a vest). For more information see the RI DEM website.

What’s There:

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Foster Land Trust's Spencer Property on Old Danielson Pike is home to a trail network for hikers hoping to experience the beauty of rural western Rhode Island. Find the trailhead for the Ponagansett River Trail at the parking area off Old Danielson Pike. This trail is yellow blazed and leads walkers to the Ponagansett River. The walk is easy with little elevation gain, however watch for rocky and muddy patches while walking. There will be other trails, including a red blazed trail leading to DEM land, coming off the Ponagansett River Trail. Be sure to follow the yellow blazes to get to the river. This trail is particularly good for cross country skiers after fresh snow.

To add to the hike, look for the blue blazed Pot Luck (or Eagle Loop) Trail nearer to the entrance of the Spencer Property. This trail can be muddy after wet weather and is much rockier than the Ponagansett River Trail, but does add some adventure as it travels around and through glacial boulder deposits and up to Pot Luck Rock. The hike should only take about 15 minutes extra but certainly adds some excitement to a visit to the Spencer Property.

There is a bench at the junction of the Ponagansett and Pot Luck Trails

Note that the trail map has two pages, one for the Ponagansett River Trail and a second showing more detail of the Pot Luck/Eagle Loop Trail.

Foster Land Trust web page for the Spencer Property

Dogs: Yes, on leash. Please pick up after pets.

Skiing/Snowshoeing: Yes, very good for cross country skiing.

Creature Challenge

This is a Creature Challenge site. The creature is on the Boulder Field Trail (Orange Trail).
Learn more about the Creature Challenge.

Getting There:

Parking Area Off Danielson Pike Trailhead

Google Maps is the mapping system used on the new ExploreRI maps and shows the trailhead located on a terrain view, a street map or an aerial photograph. Clicking on this link will take you to the full Google Maps website, which is not part of ExploreRI.org.
Acme Maps shows the trailhead located on a topographic map. The Acme Maps website is not part of ExploreRI.org.

Driving Landmarks: From the east, follow Danielson Pike/RI-6 into Foster. Turn left onto Anthony Rd. If you reach the intersection of RI-6 and RI-95, you’ve missed the turn. Once on Anthony Rd, take the first right onto Old Danielson Pike. Almost immediately, look for the green 'Property of Foster Land Trust' sign across the street between poles #64 – 65 on Old Danielson Pike. There is a parking area for several cars there.

Parking: Yes: , 5 spaces, no overnight parking

ADA Accessible Parking Spaces? Yes

Coordinates: 41° 49.183' N    71° 42.853' W   See this location in: Google Maps   Acme Maps


 

We thoroughly enjoyed hiking this property

Submitted by: Anonymous; June 10, 2023; 8:38 pm

We thoroughly enjoyed hiking this property. We traveled along all except the red trail. The varied plants, birds and butterflies seen and heard along the way provided us with a most pleasant experience.
The map provided and the clearly marked trails were most helpful. The Boulder Trail was a little challenging for us, as there were many rocks along the trail as well as several areas where we had to cross streams that were dotted with slippery, moss covered rocks and branches. The yellow trail was fairly easy to traverse and seemed to have been less traveled than the orange or blue. We found the grass along the trail to be very high, especially along the pond, as well as throughout the rest of the trail all the way to the river.

It took us (3 adults and 1 dog) about 2 hours to hike these trails. It was a lovely day. The only negative part of this day was that we left with 34 ticks, despite the fact that we all had applied our tick repellent!

Rating:

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This site report was last updated on September 21, 2023

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