Hikes, Paddles, & Wellness
At the Westerly Land Trust, we love to guide outdoor experiences for our community.
Thursday Hikes and Paddles
Each Thursday, we have either a guided hike (fall, winter, and spring) or a guided paddle (summer). Thursday hikes and paddles are FREE for all and begin at 10am, unless otherwise stated. For these events, you will visit various local conservation properties, including some of our Westerly Land Trust preserves. Walks are between 1 ½ to 3 hours and are open to all ages with the target group being agile seniors.
Click for Thursday Hikes in May and June 2026
Click for Summer Paddles 2026
Event Hikes
Event hikes are centered around a theme and generally include seasonal refreshments. We hope you will join us for these outdoor adventures! They are great opportunities to meet new people and spend quality time outside.
Click to view our Calendar of Events
Wellness in the Woods
The benefits of nature for mental and physical health are innumerable. Here at the Westerly Land trust, we are grateful to play a role in connecting our community to the great outdoors for the holistic benefit of body, mind and soul. Wellness in the Woods is a series of outdoor events that was brought on by the pandemic and the increased interest in health and use of outdoor spaces. We are now entering our third year and our wellness programs are continuing to grow. All events are run in conjunction with highly trained and certified individuals/partners such as BarreCoast, Dr. Dierdre O’Connor, Westerly Track and Athletic Club, certified local yoga teachers, and certified mindful outdoor guides. We hope you will join us as we tap into the many benefits that nature has to offer.
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🌸👀𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴...
and they say this is the peak time to spot mountain laurel in Champlin Farm Preserve, so lace up your hiking boots 🥾 and let’s hit the trails! This hike will be led by WLT’s Land Stewardship Manager Marc Doherty. Because this is a pop-up, there is no need to RSVP, but please arrive on time, as the walk will commence soon after 5:30pm.
🗓️ When: Wednesday, June 17 at 5:30pm
📍Where: Champlin Farm Preserve, 64 Boombridge Rd
🚶♂️How long: 1.2 mile hike; approximately 1 hour
🚗 Where to park: When you enter the farm road at 64 Boombridge Rd, you’ll see a parking lot. You can part there or along the farm road.
🥾What to wear: Closed toe shoes appropriate for hiking on uneven ground; you may want long socks, pants, and sleeves (plus bug spray) to ward off bugs.
👯This event is free and open to everyone, so if you know someone who might like to get to know WLT better, please bring them along!
Help us welcome our summer interns! 👋
Ellis, WLT’s Land Stewardship Intern, is pictured between Amelia and Zachary our Conservation Programs Interns whose internships are funded by the Southeastern New England Educational and Charitable (SNEC) Foundation. 🌸🥾🦅
🌊Today’s task was clearing out the runnels at Winnapaug Farm Preserve to help keep our coastal wetlands happy and healthy.
We’re so excited for a fun and productive summer with this crew of hard workers! 🌿
🥾🌸We celebrated National Trails Day at Champlin Farm Preserve with mountain laurel blooms, sunbathing snapping turtles, and a refreshing NA brew donated by @athleticbrewing 🍻
#nationaltrailsday #westerlyri #rhodeisland #hiking #getoutside
✨Save the Date for Westerly Land Trust’s Annual Farm Dinner!!✨
🗓️You’ll want to mark this date in your calendar:
Saturday, September 12th at Barlow Nature Preserve
The Westerly Land Trust’s Annual Farm Dinner is a night to come together with friends and neighbors, dine al fresco, and celebrate our local agricultural land and the people who grow and prepare our food.🧑🌾🧑🍳🥗
🍽️ Information on how to save your seat at the table is coming soon. In the meantime time, enjoy some snap shots from last year’s Farm Dinner taken by @metalcamera.events 📸
Last year @barbarycoastct created our delicious courses, stay tuned to hear which local chef is feeding us this year! 🥖🍷
#farmtotable #farmdinner #westerlylandtrust #eatlocal
🌸Thanks to an early Memorial Day and a late Labor Day, 2026’s “unofficial” summer will last a whopping 106 days, the maximum stretch until 2037. This seems only fair after the winter we endured in New England. But how should you spend your bonus seven days of summer? We’ve got some ideas...
🌿Active Hope: Emotional Support for Eco-Grief
Wednesday, June 3, 4:30-6pm
Barlow Nature Preserve
Eco-grief is our emotional responses to climate change and environmental loss. This workshop, led by WLT friend Dr. Zoe Hanley, will include a mix of group practices, journaling and one-on-one discussion to honor our pain for the world.
🥾Thursday Hike
Thursday, June 4, 10am-12pm
Wahaneeta Preserve
This 4-mile walk goes through Wahaneeta Preserve and adjacent Woody Hill Management area, past interesting geological features and foundations from the 1800s.
🏞️National Trails Day Hike
Saturday June 6, 10am-12pm
Champlin Farm Preserve
Join WLT for a hike in honor of National Trails Day, a nationwide initiative established by the American Hiking Society to celebrate and protect the trails that connect us to nature and one another.
🐝Wednesday Wonder Walk
Buds and Bugs
Wednesday, June 17, 10-11:15AM
Avondale Farm Preserve
Every month, WLT teams up with @wildrootsplay.ri for a guided family hike curated to spark curiosity and nurture a lifelong love of nature. June’s theme is Buds and Bugs.
🌅Summer Solstice Yoga with BarreCoast
Sunday, June 21, 6-7pm
Winnapaug Farm Preserve
Celebrate the summer solstice with a special outdoor yoga class led by @barre_coast Register through the BarreCoast website. WLT members, contact Erika Lebling at elebling@westerlylandtrust.org for a reduced registration of $10
🪦Historic Cemetery Hike
Wednesday, June 24, 6:30-8pm
Champlin Farm Preserve
Step into history for this guided hike and historic cemetery tour led by WLT volunteer and RI Historic Cemetery Commissioner Larry Hunter.
We hope to see you at a WLT event or out on the trails this June!💚🥾
We’ve officially wrapped up our Spring Living Laboratories after-school program with Westerly’s three elementary schools! 💚
Together we identified the feathered friends that call our preserves home and explored the amazing world of plants and how they support our ecosystem. 🦅🌱
We love watching and helping these growing minds connect with the land! 🌎
#westerlyri #rhodeisland #outdooreducation #environment #students
In Westerly, May is a month of return. Longer days return, green leaves return to the trees, and snowbirds (avian and human) return from from their winter spots. May is also a perfect time to return to outdoor hobbies and explore all the natural sights and sounds of spring. Read on to learn about the Westerly Land Trust’s May plans:
Migratory Bird Day- Guided Bird Count
Saturday, May 9, 7:00-10am
Barlow Nature Preserve
Join us for a brisk, cool morning walk as we look and listen for birds at Barlow Nature Preserve.
Wednesday Wonder Walk
Eco Engineers
Wednesday, May 13, 10-11:15AM
Mastuxet Brook Greenway South
Every month, WLT teams up with @wildrootsplay.ri for a guided family hike curated to spark curiosity and nurture a lifelong love of nature.
Outdoor Bootcamp with BarreCoast
Sunday, May 24, 10 am - 11 am
Winnapaug Farm Preserve
Join Christina Coleman of @barre_coast a one-hour, heart-pumping, full-body bootcamp. Register through the BarreCoast website. WLT members, contact Erika Lebling at elebling@westerlylandtrust.org for a reduced registration of $10
Lil’ Rhody Compost Week
Various locations
There will be site visits and workshops across the state, including a presentation on micro-scale and backyard composting by Westerly’s @clewcompost on May 7.
Grow Your Own- The Cutting Garden Workshop w/ Echo Rock Flowers
Saturday, May 16th, 10am-1pm
Barlow Nature Preserve
Join @echo_rock_flowers for a hands-on gardening workshop designed to educate and inspire. Stephanie has generously pledge 10% of her workshop proceeds to support WLT’s conservation work.
42nd Annual Garden Market Fair
Sunday, May 17th, 9am-2pm
Westerly Library and Wilcox Park
Many thanks to @westerlylibraryandwilcoxpark for hosting this perfectly spring event! Come say Hi at the Westerly Land Trust table!
Huge thank you to the 40+ volunteers who spent their Sunday morning cleaning up downtown Westerly, Route 1, Potter Hill, and the Bradford roads. Together with the Greater North End Community Development Corporation, we cleared 420 pounds of litter out of our woods and off our streets! 🚮
We couldn’t have finished the job without the support from the Westerly Transfer Station. Thank you for helping us get all that trash to the right place by accepting our collection free of charge.
🍻We celebrated our hard work afterwards @greysail with a cold beverage, fresh @vetranoswoodfired and live music from Geoff Kaufman. Special thanks to @greysail for hosting us and to the @thejonnycakecenter for their gift card donations.
Thank you for helping keep our community clean! 💚🌎
#westerlyri #communitycleanup #earthday #stewardship
