Fort Nature Refuge
Nature preserve
222 acres3 mi of trail
Blue LoopRed LoopYellow TrailWhite Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Swampyank at en.wikipedia · Public domainB+Outdoors
Outdoors in North Smithfield
8% of North Smithfield’s land is conserved: 1,247 acres
The biggest trail networks: Fort Nature Refuge (3 mi), Booth Pond (1.2 mi), High Rocks Gorge (1.1 mi). 351 acres are parks and preserves, 28 per 1,000 residents. 9.9 miles of mapped trail cross North Smithfield, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #28 of 38 in Rhode Island. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,247 acres · of 23.9 sq mi of land
Trails
9.9 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
351 ac
28 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
65%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.3 mi
0.3 mi paths
Highest peak
591 ft
Woonsocket Hill
Lakes & rivers
12
What kind of outdoors town is North Smithfield?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does North Smithfield have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, North Smithfield is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #28 of 38 in Rhode Island. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of North Smithfield’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical RI town 19% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · RI 1.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land28 acres of park per 1,000 residents (351 acres) · RI 21 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home65% of residents within a half mile of a park · RI 72% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 71%
LessMore
Rhode Island towns of 2,500+ (38)Ahead of 27%
Rhode Island towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 19%; the U.S., 4%), so North Smithfield’s 8% is ahead of 16% of Rhode Island towns, while its trails per square mile lead 14% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Fort Nature Refuge, with 3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Booth Pond
Nature preserve
44 acres1.2 mi of trail
Booth Pond TrailVista TrailBorder Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
High Rocks Gorge
Park
210 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Northern Green Farm
Nature preserve
83 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Fort Nature Refuge222 acres · 3 mi of trail
DirectionsBooth Pond44 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
DirectionsHigh Rocks Gorge210 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
Northern Green Farm83 acres
Blackstone Gorge63 acres
Cedar Swamp42 acres
Halliwell29 acres
Spooner Property26 acres
DirectionsPacheco Park26 acres
DirectionsMeadows Recreation Area9 acres
Branch Village Park8 acres
Cherry Brook Wetland6 acres
Mammoth Mill5 acres
Kendall Dean School3 acres
DirectionsSlatersville Pond Fishing Access2 acres
Carroll Park1 acres
DirectionsSlatersville Village Green1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,247 conserved acres
8% of North Smithfield’s land. Who manages North Smithfield’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city341 ac
State natural resources236 ac
State conservation168 ac
Other state land123 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits59 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land59 ac
Private owners33 ac
Conservation Easement · 428 acWatershed Protection Area · 426 acLocal Conservation Area · 185 acUnknown Easement · 123 acAgricultural Easement · 121 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 296 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 55 of 94 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reservoir Road Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 153 | Unknown |
| Blackstone River State Park | Not recorded | 94 | Unknown |
| Rocky Hill Road Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 91 | Unknown |
| Northern Green Farm State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 85 | Unknown |
| Iron Mine Hill Road Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 64 | Unknown |
| Blackstone Gorge Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 63 | Restricted |
| Greenville Road Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 42 | Closed |
| Manville Road Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 38 | Unknown |
| North Smithfield Elementary Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 34 | Restricted |
| Old Smithfield Road Watershed Protection Area | Not recorded | 33 | Unknown |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
14 places to go in North Smithfield
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in North Smithfield
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in North Smithfield
Woonsocket Hill591 ft elevation
DirectionsWhortleberry Hill554 ft elevation
DirectionsNipsachuck Hill548 ft elevation
DirectionsBlack Plain Hill492 ft elevation
DirectionsSayles Hill469 ft elevation
DirectionsCat Hill423 ft elevation
DirectionsRidge Hill404 ft elevation
DirectionsPremisy Hill364 ft elevation
DirectionsTrails & water
7 named trails and 12 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.9 mi
Blue Loop1.5 mi
Booth Pond Trail0.7 mi
Red Loop0.5 mi
Yellow Trail0.4 mi
Vista Trail0.3 mi
Border Trail0.1 mi
White Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
0.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
8Baseball
8Pickleball
4Tennis
3Basketball
1Soccer
1Football
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Forestdale Mill Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1972
About itSlatersville Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1973
About itPeleg Arnold TavernBuilding · listed 1974
About itUnion Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1978
About itTodd FarmBuilding · listed 1983
About itWilliam Mowry HouseBuilding · listed 1983
About itSmithfield Road Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itTyler Mowry HouseBuilding · listed 1996
About itAndrews Mill Company PlantBuilding · listed 2018
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in North Smithfield: April to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.4 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.7 | 9.1 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 39 | 47 | 59 | 70 | 78 | 83 | 81 | 74 | 63 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 4.8 |
February is the driest month (3.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 83 °F). 5.1 inches fall in October, the wettest month. The climate in North Smithfield →
Next door
North Smithfield and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Cumberland90 miBurrillville74 miLincoln55 miSmithfield36 miNorth Smithfield9.9 miWoonsocket6.0 miCumberland Hill6.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Smithfield | 8% | 0.4 | 28 | 65% | B+ |
| Lincoln | 16% | 3.0 | 66 | 91% | A+ |
| Woonsocket | 11% | 0.8 | 8 | 95% | A− |
| Smithfield | 11% | 1.4 | 18 | 70% | A− |
| Burrillville | 24% | 1.3 | 37 | 53% | A |
| Cumberland Hill | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Cumberland | 23% | 3.4 | 54 | 89% | A+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in North Smithfield
Where can I hike in North Smithfield?
The longest trail networks: Fort Nature Refuge, 3 miles; Booth Pond, 1.2 miles; High Rocks Gorge, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of North Smithfield is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 19% for a Rhode Island town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on North Smithfield’s trails?
Fort Nature Refuge and Booth Pond don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in North Smithfield?
0.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near North Smithfield?
23,959 acres of parks and open public land lie inside North Smithfield or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 351 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does North Smithfield have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #28 of 38 in Rhode Island. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from North Smithfield neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →