Adventures with Four Legs

A trip to Black Point and Point Judith for National Trail’s Day

For National Trail’s Day (the first Saturday in June), we took Teddy on a walk along the trails at Black Point in Narragansett before heading over to Point Judith to view the lighthouse and look for sea lions. There is a lot of nature, both trails and beaches, to explore in Narragansett and you could easily spend a few hours to a few days enjoying the area.

Narragansett is about a 45-minute drive from Providence and once you’re there, there are stunning views to take in and a lot of pet-friendly coastal areas to explore. Also, while there aren’t a lot of food options in the off-season, there are a couple of seasonal restaurants where Ocean Road and Route 108 meet that will allow dogs at their outdoor seating (as always, check with the restaurant for their most current pet policy).

Black Point Trail

The Black Point Trailhead has a small parking lot where you can park and easily access the trail (street address: 655 Ocean Road, Narragansett, RI 02882). This trail is wide and easy to navigate with small paths off the trail that go both inland and out to the water. There’s a Friends of Black Point group with a good amount of information on the area and how to navigate the trails on their website (link to the Friends of Black Point)

This is a wide trail that provides fairly easy access to the rugged coastline along Black Point down to Scarborough Beach. There is even an area with stairs down to the rocky coastline at one point along the trail. This was a great walk that will definitely be on our list for a repeat visit.

While on the trail be sure to check out the Black Point ruins, the stone remains of a late 19th century mansion. If you’re interested in learning more about the ruins, here’s a link to a Rhode Island magazine story about the ruins.

The only downside was the weather the day we went. Rhode Island was unseasonally cool and it was very windy. We still loved the views and enjoyed the walk, but would pick a day with better weather for this particular walk because the wind on the coastline was brutal at times. The winds on the Rhode Island coastline were blustery for our adventure!

Point Judith Lighthouse and Camp Cronin Fishing Area

After we finished walking the trail in Black Point, we headed just a couple miles down the road to the Camp Cronin fishing area. If you’re interested in viewing the Point Judith Lighthouse, you can either drive over to the lighthouse and Rose Nulman Park (note: this park is temporarily closed) or you can view the lighthouse from the Point Judith Fisherman’s Memorial at the Camp Cronin Fishing Area.

If you drive over to the actual lighthouse property, your views of the Point Judith Lighthouse will be limited by the fence protecting the area with the lighthouse and the Coast Guard Station. I recommend parking at the Camp Cronin fishing area. When you walk up the stairs next to the Fishmerman’s Memorial, you’ll have great views over both the lighthouse and the fishing area.

We love this area and have walked out over the rocks of the fishing area, but opted not to during this last visit because it was too windy to feel safe. Even if you can’t walk out, it’s a great place to watch the water and there are frequently sea lions popping out of the water.

All in all, Black Point and Point Judith are absolutely worth visiting with your dog. This is a very pet-friendly area and your sure to run into other dogs enjoying nature while you’re there.